Amazonian spiritual leader Benki Piyãko, from the Asháninka people of Brazil, was announced as the winner of the 43rd Niwano Peace Prize, one of the most important international awards dedicated to promoting interfaith cooperation and peacebuilding. The award ceremony will be held on May 12, 2026, in Tokyo, where he will receive a trophy, a certificate, and a prize of 20 million yen.
Originally from the Apiwtxa territory in the Brazilian state of Acre, near the border with Peru, Piyãko is a shaman, community leader, and environmental activist. He was born on February 24, 1974, and was trained from childhood by his grandfather as a pajé (spiritual leader), who gave him the name Wenki, which means “warrior of life.”
Defense of the Amazon and indigenous peoples
The award committee recognized Benki Piyãko’s ongoing commitment to defending the Amazon rainforest, protecting indigenous lands, and preserving the culture of his people. For more than fifteen years, he has been actively involved in reforestation projects, environmental education, and the transmission of traditional knowledge.
He is currently one of the leaders of the Apiwtxa community, located in the Terra Kampa do Rio Amônia indigenous territory, and vice president of the Asháninka organization for natural resource management, where he promotes initiatives to combat deforestation and protect Amazonian biodiversity.
Among his most notable initiatives is the creation of the Yorenka Tasorentsi Institute, a space dedicated to environmental education, forest recovery, and the training of young leaders committed to caring for the territory. He also promoted the Indigenous Ayahuasca Conference, an initiative that seeks to strengthen spirituality and dialogue among indigenous peoples.
A global voice in the face of the climate crisis
For the committee that awarded the prize, Benki Piyãko represents an exemplary figure in the defense of the Amazon and the fight against climate change. His work not only protects the lives of the Asháninka communities, but also contributes to preserving one of the most important ecosystems for the balance of the planet.
His leadership is characterized by integrating indigenous spirituality, care for nature, and community action, promoting a vision in which humanity recognizes its deep interdependence with the Earth.
In a context marked by the global ecological crisis and the indiscriminate exploitation of natural resources, his testimony inspires new generations to develop a more respectful relationship with nature and to assume collective responsibility for caring for our Common Home.
The Niwano Peace Prize
The Niwano Peace Prize was created by the Niwano Peace Foundation to recognize individuals and organizations that make significant contributions to interreligious dialogue and peacebuilding in the world.
The prize is named after Nikkyo Niwano, founder of the lay Buddhist organization Rissho Kosei-kai, who promoted a vision of peace understood not only as the absence of conflict, but as a deep harmony between people, communities, and nature.
Since its creation, the Niwano Foundation has promoted research, educational projects, and international meetings aimed at strengthening the culture of peace, interfaith dialogue, and global commitment to justice and care for the planet.
The recognition given to Benki Piyãko highlights the close relationship between the defense of the Amazon, the spirituality of indigenous peoples, and the construction of a peaceful future for humanity, reminding us that caring for the Earth is also an essential path to coexistence and hope in the world.