Thursday, March 21st, 2024
Lindner Family Commons 6th Floor
1957 E St NW, Washington DC 20052
The George Washington University Institute for International Economic Policy at the GW Elliott School of International Affairs will host an event to commemorate the International Day of Forests to focus 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. The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed March 21 the International Day of Forests in 2012, and the 2024 theme is forests and innovation. On the International Day of Forests, countries are encouraged to undertake local, national, and international efforts to organize activities involving forests and trees.
This event brings together conservation experts and senior diplomats to encourage innovation in forest conservation in Sub-Saharan African and Latin American communities to strengthen their ties and promote cross-cultural dialogue on experiences coping with climate change.
Although the Amazon and the Congo Basin are the world’s largest remaining areas of tropical rainforests, the majority of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) nations (e.g., Bolivia, Colombia, the Equator, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela), do not have diplomatic missions in the countries that are members of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) (e.g., the Central African Republic, Cameroon, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, and Equatorial Guinea). Improving diplomatic relations and cooperation will support political, economic, and social connections on crucial climate issues. Forests and innovation therefore emerge as an ideal arena for harmonizing local communities’ efforts to share best practices and unite against climate change.
Agenda
11:00 a.m. – 11:05 a.m:
Welcoming Remarks: Beni Dedieu Luzau, the South-South Intercultural Conservation Project’s Leader and GW MIPP candidate.
11:05 a.m. – 11:15 a.m:
Opening Remarks from Angelica Mayolo, Former Colombian Minister of Culture & Visiting Scholar at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Environmental Initiatives.
11:15 a.m. – 11:25 p.m:
A message from Julio Guity-Guevara, Managing – Director of SUDECC, Inc., and Founder, the Afro Inter – American Forum on Climate Change.
11:25 p.m. – 12:45
Panel Discussion
This panel asks: How can governments, international organizations, and local communities support new initiatives that promote intercultural connection for knowledge exchange and conservation solutions between Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America?
H. E. Agostinho Van-Dúnem: Ambassador of Angola to the United States
H. E. Kitoko Gata Ngoulou: Ambassador of Chad to the United States
H. E. Luis Gilberto Murillo Urrutia: Ambassador of Colombia to the the United States
Hugo Jabini: Saramaka Maroon Politician and Environmental Leader from Suriname and the winner of the 2009 Goldman Environmental Prize
Martha Cecilia Rosero Pena, Social Inclusion Director (Afro Descendants Fellow), Conservation International
Moderator: Dr. Alicia Cooperman, Assistant Professor, George Washington University
12:45–1:00 p.m.:
Q & A with panelists and audience
Reception with food to follow
