HARRISON, N.J., Oct. 8, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The biggest rivalry in Ecuadorian club soccer is coming to New York's Red Bull Arena next week to raise awareness and support for Ecuador's innovative and global project, the Yasuni-ITT Initiative, to protect one of the most bio-diverse regions on Earth.
Ecuadorian clubs Club Sport Emelec and Barcelona Sporting Club will go head to head on Wednesday, October 10 at 7:00pm ET in a historic game organized by the Ecuadorian Consulate in New Jersey. This Ecuadorian derby was last played in the New York area 20 years ago at Downing Stadium in Randall's Island when more than 15,000 people watched Emelec defeat Barcelona 1-0.
"We are thrilled about this opportunity to share Yasuni-ITT, Ecuador's gift to humanity, with our friends in the United States through a sport that all Ecuadoreans know and love," said Ecuador's Secretary of State for Yasuni-ITT Ivonne A-Baki, who will be in attendance at the game. "Besides all of the environmental reasons why we should protect this region, within Yasuni National Park's incredible biodiversity could lie cures to many of the world's diseases. This special place affects all of us and we must all work together across the globe to ensure this region is left untouched."
All ticket proceeds will be invested in Ecuador's Yasuni-ITT Initiative. The initiative promises to keep a $7.2 billion oil reserve beneath a section of Ecuador's Yasuni National Park in the ground in exchange for the international community's contribution of half of that amount over 12 years. All contributions go directly into the Yasuni-ITT Trust Fund, which is administered by the United Nations Development Programme. The funds will be put towards sustainable development projects such as conservation and renewable energy.
Yasuni National Park is located at the intersection of the Amazon, the Andean Mountains and the Equator, making it a unique place where amphibian, bird, mammal and plant diversity all reach their maximum levels. Yasuni is home to more tree species in a single hectare than all of the native tree species in the United States and Canada combined.
For more information about the Yasuni-ITT Initiative and how you can join the effort and make an investment, please visit http://www.yasunisupport.org or www.yasuni-ITT.gob.ec.
SOURCE Yasuni-ITT Initiative