The title of “Iconic Women Creating a Better World” is granted to women who inspire meaningful change in their fields.
By: Juan Camilo Cely – La FM Colombia
The defense of nature and women’s leadership was represented by a prominent name at the 2025 Women Economic Forum (WEF): Sara Inés Lara.
The president of Women for Conservation became one of the highlights of the event after participating in the panel “The New Economic Power: Green Finance and Nature” and receiving the international award “Iconic Woman Creating a Better World.”
Lara arrived in Cuenca with a clear message: green finance is an essential tool to overcome the environmental and social challenges of this decade. With a firm tone and strategic vision, she emphasized that our economic future must be rooted in sustainability. “Green finance is not just a trend, it is a necessity to ensure the future of communities and ecosystems. Women are called to be protagonists in this economic transformation towards nature,” she declared before a diverse audience of leaders and entrepreneurs from more than 40 countries.
An Award with the Seal of Women’s Leadership
The “Iconic Women Creating a Better World” recognition is given to women from different spheres who inspire significant change in their communities and beyond.
In Lara’s case, the award reflects more than a decade of work with Women for Conservation, an organization that has succeeded in linking environmental conservation
with women’s economic empowerment, offering sustainable livelihood alternatives to communities living in areas of high biodiversity.
From Colombia to the World
Although the organization was born in Colombia, today its initiatives are seen as a replicable model across the Global South: projects that promote local economies based on sustainability, social inclusion initiatives, and programs that give visibility and leadership to women historically marginalized in environmental conversations.
Lara’s presence at WEF 2025 not only places her organization on the international stage but also reaffirms Latin America’s role in the global discussion on how to connect capital with the protection of nature. Through her work and the recognition given by the award, Sara Inés Lara confirms that women’s leadership makes a difference in the spaces where the economic and environmental future of the planet is being shaped.
