Expanding South-South Collaboration on Climate Change

The George Washington University Institute for African Studies, in partnership with the GW Latin American and Hemispheric Studies Program, will host this event focusing on the threats that climate change and deforestation pose to indigenous communities living in the Southern hemisphere and the critical role these communities play in protecting vital ecosystems.

This event will bring together conservation experts and senior diplomats to discuss the challenges that the populations living in the forests face and explore avenues to foster interregional collaboration between South American forest communities and autochthonous communities in Sub-Saharan Africa. Following a keynote address by Colombian Ambassador to the United States Luis Gilberto Murillo Urrutia, panelists will discuss efforts to encourage greater inclusion of indigenous communities in national dialogues around conservation, climate mitigation and adaptation, and forest management as well as the possibilities of greater sub-regional and South-South exchange—on best practices, lessons learned, and collaborative advocacy.

The event is intended to serve as a springboard for further research and interventions by initiating a dialogue on how to better support these communities to exchange their lessons in the fight against deforestation.

Agenda

Welcoming remarks: Jennifer Cooke, Director, GW Institute for African Studies, and Beni Dedieu Luzau, human rights activist and GW MIPP candidate

Opening Remarks: Luis Gilberto Murillo Urrutia, Ambassador of the Republic of Colombia to the United States

Panel Discussion:

• Maysa Urena Menacho, Chargé d'Affaires, Embassy of Bolivia in the United States.
• Jessica Webb, Strategy Lead, People & Forest Protection, World Resources Institute
• Kelvin Alie, Senior Vice-President, Strategy, Delivery & Field Partnership, Conservation International
• Moderator: Dr. Yvonne Captain, GW Associate Professor of Latin America and International Affairs

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Elliott School of International Affairs, 1957 E Street Northwest, Washington, United States