Francia Márquez

Colombian environmental lawyer and Nobel Prize nominee leading global efforts against mining pollution and gender-based violence

Francia Márquez (born 1975) is a groundbreaking advocate for environmental justice and Indigenous rights, best known for leading the 2006 protest against illegal mining in Cauca, Colombia. As a lawyer specializing in environmental law, she successfully sued multinational corporations for ecological damage, establishing legal precedents in Latin America's resource extraction disputes. Her work with the Process of Black Communities organization has protected over 200,000 hectares of ancestral land from mining interests.

Márquez's 2018 Earthshot Prize win recognized her campaign to stop the mining of Cerro de San Antonio, which threatened water supplies for 2 million people. She pioneered the use of participatory mapping techniques that empowered Afro-Colombian communities to document land claims, a method now adopted by UNESCO heritage programs. Her leadership in the Greenpeace Colombia campaign led to the creation of 12 new protected areas between 2015-2020.

As Colombia's first Afro-Colombian vice presidential candidate in 2022, she championed policies linking environmental protection with gender equity. Her advocacy for victims of mining-related violence has exposed connections between extractive industries and femicide rates in resource-rich regions. Current projects include developing solar microgrids for remote communities through her nonprofit Solares para la Paz.