SRI Talk: Sustainable Solutions from the Global South

March 17, 5pm Brisbane time

8am Paris / 10am Nairobi
Check the event time in your location

Watch the recording from this free live virtual event in the popular SRI Talks series as we flip the script on sustainability, connecting world-leading experts to discuss sustainable solutions from the Global South.

Sustainable solutions emerge from a diversity of worldviews and approaches to knowledge and innovation. The second SRI Talk explores how the outcomes are different when this is pursued from perspectives that have historically been overlooked in framing sustainable development.

Our high-level speakers probed key questions:

How are sustainability solutions different when devised from an Indigenous, bottom-up, local or non-western worldview?
How do we ensure that sovereignty, and social and economic justice are central to how we partner, research and innovate to make a sustainable future possible?
How do we support the emergence of sustainable pathways to thriving economies in different contexts, and link these to natural and cultural heritage?
What are useful strategies that researchers, policy makers, funders and businesses can adopt to support diverse ways of knowing?

This SRI Talk theme, Sustainable Solutions from the Global South, is one of the five Congress Pillars of the Sustainability Research and Innovation Congress 2021 (SRI2021) which will take place June 12-15, 2021, in Brisbane, Australia.

This free event was extended to 90 minutes following the popularity of the first SRI Talk, and live streamed through the SRI2021 virtual platform, including a moderated discussion and live audience Q&A.

WATCH THE RECORDING

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Speakers

Professor Cheikh Mbow

Director, Future Africa

Professor Cheikh Mbow is the Director of Future Africa at the University of Pretoria. He served at START-International in Washington DC and Lead Scientist at the World Agroforestry Center in Kenya. He is Adjunct Associate Professor at Michigan State University’s Department of Forestry. He worked on the development of transdisciplinary approaches to address Africa’s development challenges by establishing frameworks for thriving sustainability science to support need transformation in the continent.

Alice Ruhweza

Africa Region Director, WWF International

Alice Ruhweza joined WWF as Regional Director for Africa in July 2019. Her role is to develop and lead WWF in Africa so that it is highly influential; is able to shape the sustainability agenda of Africa domestically and globally to deliver WWF’s global conservation priorities; and play a leadership role to achieve the conservation impact within the WWF network. Prior to WWF, Alice worked for Conservation International (CI) first as Executive Director of the Vital Signs Programme, then as Interim Vice President of Sustainable Production, and finally as Vice President of Programs and Partnerships.

Luhui Yan

Founder and CEO, Carbonstop

Luhui Yan is the Founder & CEO of Carbonstop. He has a master’s degree from Oxford University in Computer Science. Luhui has more than 10 years working experience in carbon management. In March 2011, Luhui Founded Carbonstop in Beijing, which is China’s first carbon management software and consulting services provider. In addition, Luhui is the IPCC expert reviewer, CDP technical working group member and the 2012 Ecsel fellow.

Fatima Denton

Director, UNU Institute for Natural Resources in Africa

Dr. Denton is an accomplished senior manager in the UN system, respected across the research and implementation branches of the organization. She has in-depth knowledge of natural resource management, and extensive experience of research and policy development, in the African region. Prior to joining UNU-INRA, Dr. Denton worked with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), based in Addis Ababa from 2012. Her research has focused on climate change adaptation looking at resilience systems – sectors such as agriculture, water and energy, principally in Africa. She has also worked at the intersections between adaptation and mitigation, gender and development and energy poverty and development in Africa; and examined different types of renewable energy transformations in Africa.

Taholo Kami

Special Representative for Oceans, Government of Fiji

Taholo Kami is of Tongan origin, raised in Papua New Guinea and lives in Fiji. He is a champion on Ocean issues having served as Fiji’s special representative for Oceans leading negotiations for a role for Ocean in the UNFCCC as well as Fiji Sherpa in the High-Level Panel for Ocean. As Regional Director Oceania, he established a strong regional presence for the organization and continues to work as an advisor to Nia Tero on indigenous guardianship in the Pacific Islands region. In addition to working with the UN establishing the Small Islands Developing States Network, he has worked with faith-based organizations, civil society and community initiatives in the region.

Moderator

Tayanah O’Donnell

Executive Director, Future Earth Australia

Dr Tayanah O’Donnell is the executive director of Future Earth Australia, the Australian and Oceania node for Future Earth. She has several qualifications including an LLB and PhD, with expertise spanning climate change adaptation, planned retreat, coastal governance, land use, urban sustainability, and environmental and climate change law. She has published widely on these topics and in a range of media and scientific publications. Prior to her current role, she has worked in both public and private sectors, and has advised governments on climate risk and adaptation for over ten years. She is sought after for her ability to connect diverse groups and enable them to identify and work towards common goals.