The United Nations Environment Programme announced on June 1 2026 that Brazilian DJ Alok had been named a Global Goodwill Ambassador. The decision followed the work of Alok Institute, founded in 2020, which has already poured nearly £8 million into environmental projects across Brazil, Africa and India. Its flagship Planeta Verde programme has planted 400 000 seedlings, restoring 3 million square metres of native forest in the Amazon, Cerrado, Caatinga and Atlantic Forest. The appointment aligns with the UN’s 2026 World Environment Day campaign.
Alok’s restoration work spans the Amazon and three other Brazilian biomes. The institute’s data shows 3 million sq m of forest restored, a patch as large as 300 soccer fields. The seedlings were planted across Pará, Acre and other states, with 240 000 saplings already established in Acre’s 2 ha reforestation of fire‑damaged land.
World Environment Day, launched June 5, used Alok’s 2022 single “Deep Down” as a soundtrack for a global Climate Dance Challenge. UNEP encouraged millions of participants to choreograph, stream, and submit videos, which were compiled into a worldwide music video released on the holiday. The song, already a multi‑platinum hit, has amassed hundreds of millions of streams and now serves as a climate‑action anthem.
The institute’s Marajó Agroforestry project in Pará has seen 150 women’s incomes rise by 75% after planting 240 000 saplings to restore 200 ha of forest. In Acre, the Make the Forest Bloom initiative has planted nearly 2 000 seedlings during a February 2025 event involving Huni Kuin community members and SOS Amazônia volunteers. These projects underscore the institute’s focus on livelihoods and indigenous leadership alongside ecological restoration.
Alok has also championed Indigenous music through his album The Future Is Ancestral, which gathered over 50 musicians from eight communities. The project recorded more than 500 hours of music, aiming to preserve cultural heritage and amplify indigenous voices. The album was showcased at UN Climate Week in New York and other international forums.
UNEP will host Alok at the World Environment Day ceremony on June 5, where he will unveil a new climate‑action partnership with the Alok Institute. The partnership will fund additional reforestation and community‑led conservation projects across Brazil’s biomes.