Tuesday, July 31, 2012

CALL FOR PARTICIPANTS: FUTURE WORKSHOP ON RESOURCES IN EAST & HORN OF AFRICA


Contact Person: Mr. Ayele Kebede, Heinrich Boell Stiftung, Country office Ethiopia, Addis Ababa. Emails: ayele.kebede@et.boell.org  and info@et.boell.org

Background

In most countries, economic models and current consumption patterns are highly dependent on the exploitation of limited and often scarce non-renewable energy sources.  Investment in the extraction and distribution channels of these resources often have negative impacts on the development prospects of countries rich in resources.

One reaction to this self-created scarcity is aggressive trade and investment policies, and a shifting of investment to more destructive resource exploitation in marginal areas (forests, oceans, fertile
agricultural land etc). These short-term solutions often include technologies which are serving the profit interests of multinational companies (e.g. genetic engineering, bio-fuels, and nuclear power), but are neither ecologically nor socially sustainable.

Another so-called solution to scarcity is attempts of substituting certain resources with others - e.g. biomass instead of fossil fuels, the use of noble earths for renewable energy technologies, or increased inputs of water and fertilizer to increase yields on shrinking arable lands). However, with a growing world population and a consumption-oriented middle class, this approach also does not address the fundamental problem of a spiraling demand that has already overstepped the planet’s limited resources. 

In view of the above and on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Rio Earth Summit, the Heinrich Böll Stiftung (HBS) - a German NGO linked to the global green movement – will make Resource Policy one of its focal topics in the coming years. An international Resource Summit is
planned to search for coherent and sustainable solutions across all resource sectors (such as oil/gas, minerals, land/soil, water, forests, biodiversity).

Call for Regional Future workshop participants

In preparation for the Resource Summit to be held in Berlin, Germany in 2013, the HBS offices in Kenya and Ethiopia are calling for applicants from Ethiopia, Kenya, North Sudan, South Sudan, South Central Somalia/Somaliland/Puntland and Tanzania to participate in a regional 3-days residential workshop to be held between  5th - 10th, November 2012 in Nairobi, Kenya. This workshop will apply the Future Workshop[1]
( about:blank#_ftn1 ) methodology to identify topics and innovative approaches of young people with regard to resource policy.

Two to three delegates from the Future Workshop in 2012, shall then be sent to the Resource Summit in Berlin, and the participants of the workshops will engage in national follow-up activities with the HBS offices.


The aims of the Regional and International Resource Summit (Berlin, Germany in 2013):
  • To involve young stakeholders from science and civil society from different regions worldwide and to create new links between regions, actors and approaches and furthermore to jointly develop a new and participative HBS Resource Memorandum.
  • To make use of the HBS Resource Memorandum in national, regional and international policy negotiations and in discussions with decision makers.
  • To set a starting point for activities related to alternative resources policy on national and regional level together with young actors as a new target group.

The target group for Future Workshop (5th - 10th, November 2012 in
Nairobi, Kenya):

·        The Future Workshops in general will address young people up
to the age of 35. These include (graduate) students, young scientists,
politically committed persons or job-starters with knowledge about
different aspects of the resource topic and an interest in thinking
beyond the boundaries of institutions and disciplines.

Requirement for Applicants to the Future Workshop:
·        One should be a young person of up to 35 years.
·        One should have some insight in the resource topic (such as oil/gas, minerals, coal, land/soil,  water, forests, biodiversity) but does not have to be a high profile expert in the field.
·        Workshop will be in English. Therefore, one needs to have English language skills, sufficient not only for following the proceedings but also for contributing actively.
·        The applicant will be required to submit either an essay or a poem or an art piece with a synopsis on the state of natural resources today and a vision for the future in their own country (between 700 -1000 words).

Participants will be selected based on:Expertise: The applicant has foresight and knowledge in the field of resources.
Open mindedness: The applicant demonstrates the ability and willingness to step back from their organization’s viewpoint and to consider other
standpoints and perspectives and be able to look beyond their own field of expertise.
Commitment: The participant is willing to invest time and energy.
Autonomy: The applicant demonstrates ability to function autonomously,
demonstrate the ability to convey the developed ideas and present them
to other participants.
Creativity: Thinking about the future is always a somewhat creative process. It is important to be a visionary and an out of the box thinking person.

Rights reservation:

By agreeing to participate in this application, HBS reserve the rights:
To publish your essay, poem, artwork/painting/mural in the HBS website.
To document photo taken, video or any visual materials obtained after the workshop for those selected.

Interested candidates and those who meet the above criteria are requested to submit their essays, poems or work of arts addressed to Heinrich Boell Stiftung, Country office Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, through email: info@et.boell.org or attention Mr. Ayele Kebede: ayele.kebede@et.boell.org  on or before 31st August 2012.

[1] ( about:blank#_ftnref1 ) Methodology of Future Workshop: ;The basic idea is to find new ways and solutions of problems on a rather creative way. It enables participants to jointly discuss and generate visions about the future and to find ways how to realize them. Future Workshops have three phases: i) the Critique Phase where the problem is critically analyzed; ii) the Fantasy Phase where visions will be generated on how to address the problem differently; iii) the Implementation Phase where concrete steps will be defined on how to approximate to the visions. 

Posted By:
Philip Otieno

Eleventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity

The conference will take place from 8 - 19 October 2012 - Hyderabad, India
To view current documents ahead of the meeting click this  Link

Posted by
Philip Otieno

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Effects of Climate Change on Culture in Kenya Series- Issue # 1

This Report by the Nation News paper tells it all.

Pastoralists take to crop farming with launch of Sh80 million scheme

 

By Barnabas Bii  (email the author)

Posted  Tuesday, July 3  2012 at  19:57


Sh80 million crop production programme has been launched in Turkana County to arrest crop failure caused by drought.

More than 7,000 families are set to benefit from the initiative meant to improve food output and reduce malnutrition through irrigation. “Several committees have been formed to adopt crop production as an alternative source of income to livestock,” said Patrick Muriira, Turkana West district commissioner.
Under the initiative, more than 100 acres of land will be planted with drought resistant crops.
“The programme involves construction of water pans to harvest rainfall water for crop production through irrigation method, and sensitising the locals on modern agricultural techniques,” said Mr Muriira.
He said the implementation of the programme will tackle the sky-rocketing cost of essential commodities including cereals and vegetables and improve the livelihood of the pastoral communities.
Source: Business Daily. accessed on July 16 2012

Posted By:
Philip Otieno

 

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Ramsar Convention on Wetlands COP11 Theme: Tourism and Wetlands

The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands 11th Conference of Parties (COP 11) begun on 6th July till 13th July 2011 in Romania with the theme of Tourism and Wetlands.
The Conference will identify what countries need to do at national and local levels to ensure that wetland tourism is sustainable, consistent with the Convention’s ‘wise use’ principle, which will hopefully result in the adoption of a Resolution on tourism and wetlands ( source: The Ramsar Secretariat).The draft resolution can be accessed hereAs usual the Earth Negotiations Bulletin will keep the world posted on the discussions with latest update beingPosted by Philip Otieno

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

UNFCCC Call for Submissions

Below is a list for call for submission on the various issues that the multilateral framework to deal will climate change is focusing on. 


Enhanced action on mitigation, Various approaches, including opportunities for using markets, to enhance the cost-effectiveness of, and to promote, mitigation actions, bearing in mind different circumstances of developed and developing countries [A framework for various approaches] (AWG-LCA). 

Submission of views by Parties and admitted UNFCCC observer organizations on the matters     referred to in paragraphs 79 and 80 of decision 2/CP.17, including their experiences, positive and negative, with existing approaches and mechanisms as well as lessons learned. 
Decision 2/CP.17, paragraph 81)
Deadline is 6th July 2012    






 Enhanced action on mitigation, Various approaches, including opportunities for using markets, to enhance the cost-effectiveness of, and to promote, mitigation actions, bearing in mind different circumstances of developed and developing countries [A new market-based mechanism] (AWG-LCA)
 
Submission of views by Parties and admitted UNFCCC observer organizations on the matters referred to in paragraphs 83 and 84 of decision 2/CP.17, including their experiences, positive and negative, with existing approaches and mechanisms as well as lessons learned.
 
 (Decision 2/CP.17, paragraph 85)
 
 
Posted by 
Philip Otieno