Climate Change and Indigenous Knowledge
Supported by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, 4 Finnish NGOs are currently undertaking research on climate change. The focus is on understanding the shifting of risks between Adaptation and Mitigation measures and the role of Indigenous Knowledge in Adaptation and Mitigation.
Human societies have shown throughout history a strong capacity for adapting to different climates and environmental changes. For example, farmers, foresters, civil engineers, and their supporting institutions have been forced to adapt to numerous challenges to overcome adversity or to remove important impediments to sustained productivity. Climate mitigation is any action taken to permanently eliminate or reduce the long-term risk and hazards of climate change to human life, property. The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) defines mitigation as: “An anthropogenic intervention to reduce the sources or enhance the sinks of greenhouse gases.”
How are risks transferred between adaptation and mitigation?
- What constitutes an adaptation or a mitigation?
- How do the different aspects of adaptation relate or influence the action of mitigation and vice versa?
For example, people who move according to a flooding regime have adopted a coping mechanism that deals with floods. This kind of adaptation manages risks without necessarily passing those risks to alternate downstream communities. On the other hand, if a dam is built as a means to containing the floods, the damming impacts on the flood regime which might in turn have a negative impact on the flood plain communities.
The role of Indigenous Knowledge in Climate Change: Understanding the shifting of risks between Adaptation and Mitigation
Cases of Kenya, Vietnam and Bangladesh
International Seminar
Background: Climate change is upon us. People all over the world are already making adaptations in their environments and livelihoods to build resilience to variability in the weather – even if they do not recognise these adaptations as responses to global climate change. On the other hand technical solutions as part of mitigation action are being planned and implemented globally and at different scales.
The IPCC report on Climate Change 2007: Climate Change Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability, says “a portfolio of adaptation and mitigation measures can diminish the risks associated with climate change.”
While adaptation and mitigation can be seen as two very clear stand alone processes, they are heavily intertwined and in some instances, the execution of one literally shifts the risks to the other. For example the building of a dam to mitigate flooding or improve water security exposes downstream communities to other risks including impacting negatively on the food security by withholding the fertile alluvial soils and changing the flood plain ecology.
The research aims to document and share some of the emerging risks associated with adaptations and mitigation measures to climate change that are happening at landscape scale, forestry, biodiversity, and how local indigenous knowledge can be used to minimise those risks.
Date 16th October 2009
Where: Helsinki, Rikhardinkadun Library
Speakers: Sukanta Sen, Kenneth Odero, Nicholas Odero , Bach Tan Sinh
Institutions:
Bangladesh Resource Center for Indigenous Knowledge (BARCIK, Bangladesh) ,
Institute for Science and Technology and Strategic Studies (Hanoi, Vietnam),
Earthwatch Institute Kenya,
Climate XL (Kenya)
Venue: Rikhardinkadun Library
Organisers:
SHALIN Finland, World Comics Finland, Finnish Vietnamese Friendship Association, Finnish Asiatic Society,
Funding Ministry For Foreign Affairs of Finland
Past Seminars
Ethnicity, Democracy and Conflict in Eastern Africa
Date: 25 September 2008
Venue: Hotel Arthur, Helsinki
08:45 Registration
09:00 Opening words and remarks
Ms. Helena Airaksinen, Head of Unit,
Unit for East and West Africa , Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland
Background
Humans are ethnic by nature. Ethnicity has spawned language, culture, identity, politics and formulated the construct of hierarchy in society.
Kingdoms have been built on ethnicity, economies have been constructed on ethnic grounds, nation states have been formulated on ethnicity, ethnic identity has lead to popular uprisings ….. Politicisation of ethnicity has also lead to mass murder and to the slaughter of the innocents.
Today ethnic identity has become a topical issue in politics, in religion, in security, in conservation, in human rights and in every mentionable dimension of humanity. It has also been central to geo-political crisis in Africa, Europe and the Asia continents.
Is ethnic identity a right that should be defended at all levels of society?
When should ethnicity be viewed as an asset or a risk to life?
What is the role of different institutions in defining ethnic identity and mitigating potential conflicts?
Should Ethnicity be a considered factor in the global democratisation processes?
Welcome to this seminar where the issue of Ethnicity, Democracy and Conflict will be explored by the different speakers from diverse backgrounds.
Session I:
The first session concentrates on issues of media, democratisation and political processes.
Ms. Jjuuko Margaret N. Lwanga (Uganda):
The role of media in defining ethnicity, democratic processes and promotion of human rights. The case of Rwanda and Burundi.
Prof. Kimani Njogu (Kenya):
Ethnicity, media and democratisation – human rights, land and political processes. The case of politically negotiated settlements and future of Kenya.
Dr. Sabelo Ndlovu (Zimbabwe):
Ethnic dimensions of politics and democratisation – the case of land and human rights in Zimbabwe.
10:45 Break
11:00 Session II:
The second session discusses issues of ethnic and religious identities in politics.
Mr. Boniface Rutayisire (Rwanda/Belgium):
The role of ethnicity, religious and land issues in times of war; the case of Rwanda.
Prof. Joseph Matumaini (Tanzania):
Religion and Ethnicity- The impact of religion on ethnic identity and the role of religious affiliations in defining cultures of conflict and developing communication pathways.
Mr. Arefaine Mengistu (Ethiopia/Switzerland):
Ethnicity and the north-south link – Understanding the case of ethnic dimension in Ethiopia and working for ethnic integration in Kosovo.
12:30 Lunch Break
13:30 Session III:
The last session focuses on the situation of the landless and stateless, especially the indigenous people and the refugees.
Mr. Jean-Christophe Nizeyimana (the Netherlands/Rwanda):
The impact of negative ethnicity on civil liberties – A displaced person working for the displaced. Reflections on Rwanda and challenges of new context of ethnicity.
Mr. Bambanze Vital (Burundi):
The role of civil society in promoting and defending the space for the rights of indigenous people the case of the Batwa Indigenous community in Burundi/Uganda.
Mr. Adam Hussein (Kenya):
Stateless Ethnicity! World citizen or pariah?
15:00-15:30 Final discussion
The Panelists
Mr. Adam Hussein
Program coordinator for the Africa citizenship and stateless advocacy project, Kenya.
Mr. Boniface Rutayisire
President of of the Association for Rwandan Hutus and Tutsis Victims of Genocide (TUBEHO TWESE ASBL) and President of International Committee for Victims of Rwandan Genocide (CIVHEMG) based in Belgium
Ms. Jjuuko Margaret N. Lwanga
Media & communication specialist and Educationist, Uganda/Rwanda.
Prof. Kimani Njogu
Researcher in Media, Ethnicity and democratisation, Kenya.
Prof. Joseph Matumaini
Seniors/Researcher lecturer – Social Communications, Journalism and Mass Media, Tanzania
Mr. Bambanze Vital
Indigenous Peoples of Africa Campaign and Advocacy Leader, Burundi.
Dr. Sabelo Ndlovu
Researcher in African Conflicts and Hot spots, Zimbabwe.
Mr. Arefaine Mengistu
Decentralization / Community rights advisor, International Civilian Offi ce / EU Special
Representative (ICO/EUSR), Ethiopia/Switzerland Mr. Jean-Christophe Nizeyimana
Digital Content Manager – Ethnic Conflict Activism, Netherlands/Rwanda
Jjuuko Margaret N. Lwanga
Jjuuko Margaret N. Lwanga is a citizen of Uganda and holds the degrees of Master of Arts degree in Journalism and Media Studies from Rhodes University, South Africa, a Bachelor of Mass Communication degree (Honors), Makerere University and a Diploma in Television Production for Education and Development, BBC Open University, UK. She is a senior lecturer, teaching Broadcasting (Radio and TV Production including new media), Communication for development, Public Relations, Media theory, Research Methods, and Environmental Journalism and Communication. Besides teaching, she does consultancy for local and international organizations.
She has published numerous papers on media practise in Africa. Jjuuko Margaret is currently lecturer and Deputy Director School of Journalism and Communication, National University of Rwanda, Butare. In her paper she will be discussing for the role of media in defining ethnicity, democratic processes and promotion of human rights referring to the case of Rwanda and Burundi.
22 August 2008 Public Seminar/Workshop
Click here for Programme in Finnish
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Forests Climate and People
“Taking stock of Forestry, good practice in Participatory Forest Management”
Organizers: SHALIN ry, KEPA ry , Friends of the Earth Finland, Coalition for Environment and Development ry, with support from Ministry for Foreign Affairs Finland.
Date: Friday 22nd of August 2008
Time: 9:45-15:45 Venue:
Place: Helsinki, Auditorium
Address Töölöntorinkatu 2 B (1st floor)
The seminar will be in English. Kepa will reimburse travel costs beyond 17 Euro for those traveling from outside Helsinki. Original receipts must be attached to the travel/claim form. Please confirm your participation by sending an email to -sanna.rekola@kepa.fi / 09 584 23 214.
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The seminar will discuss various emerging issues related to forestry and climate change on a global scale and how these issues impact on local communities.
For example, the changing climate has raised the profile of biodiversity and environmental integrity to a mainstream issue, however, has there been a fundamental shift in Industrial Forestry (monoculture) in response to this? Are there bridges between Industrial forestry and Community Forestry (biodiversity rich)? Are there practices that are being transferred in either direction?
With climate change and forestry being very topical issues at the moment in August, the world lead by the UN will be negotiating its way through the UN REDD (Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) framework on climate change. It is not clear how the REDD framework will work, as well as there is no clear guidance on how the issue of climate change should be handled globally. The speakers will discuss how various approaches and initiatives have been implemented and the challenges they are facing.
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