Indigenous Perspectives on Conflict and Conservation: Māori and Ni'Van Communities (A Road to Geneva Event)
Feb 7, 2021
|
Mirali Shukla
online
This event was recorded and can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/xaEPS2EeZvc
When: Sunday (Feb 7) 2pm - 4pm HST / Monday (Feb 8) 11am - 1pm Vanuatu time Community resilience in the face of drastic environmental changes requires a deeper understanding of the struggles being felt most dramatically. The speakers in this web series are part of a larger, global community of marginalized and Indigenous community members, and we highlight these voices as agents of change in the fight for environmental conversation and conflict resolution. The first person, Indigenous communication of the experiences and ideas presented is an extremely important feature of this event. We aim to present a platform for underrepresented indigenous voices to be highlighted as primary speakers on an international stage. Join Gideon Edwards, Peter Mataira, and Mirali Shukla as we discuss how changes in the environment are causing conflict within their Ni'Van and Māori communities. GIDEON EDWARDS is an indigenous Ni'Vanuatu man living inPort Vila, Efate with his two daughters. He is a passionate advocate for education, conservation and community projects. He is a CSO (civil society organization) member. Mr. Edwards co-founded a nonprofit organization that works to promote education in the South Pacific through scholarship, infrastructure, and donated supplies called the Kind Learning Organization. He has guided trips to islands like Nguna, giving speaking about the importance of education and listening to communities around Vanuatu in understanding what they specifically want and need. Mr. Edwards also works at the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) as an school auditor, working hard to promote proper education and budgeting for his home country of Vanuatu. PETER MATAIRA is Māori from Aotearoa New Zealand and has lived and worked in Hawai’i for the past 2 decades. He is an Associate Professor of Social Work at Hawaii Pacific University in Honolulu, and currently co-chairs the World Indigenous Nations Universities–Hawaii Pasifika (WINU-HP), a non-profit charitable organisation dedicated to the advancement of PhD level education in Indigenous science and social development. Dr. Mataira has published widely in areas of Indigenous social, economic and environmental justice, community re-empowerment and in decolonising evaluation research methods. He sits on various editorial and social work advisory boards and consults with various international community health, research and human rights groups. Dr. Mataira's specific research interests are in Indigenous entrepreneurship and social determinants of Indigenous health and wellbeing. He is also active in supporting and mentoring the next generation of young scholars, educators and change agents. MIRALI SHUKLA is interested in researching the linkages between indigenous and local communities and local flora and fauna populations - especially in understanding how this relationship can affect conservation, human rights, and conflict resolution. She led a project in partnership with the Matsunaga Institute at the University of Hawai’i Manoa, and different Sámi communities around arctic Europe, documenting how traditional ways of life are being impacted by environmental disruption. She also works as a FLIR certified thermographer, collaborating with wildlife conservation and research organizations by supplementing their initiatives, using her own thermal equipment (a high-sensitivity (50mk) thermal imaging camera at 640/30 fps attached to a high-speed drone) and then interpreting the thermal data for them. She is the co-founder of the nonprofit organization, The Kind Learning Organization, which works to promote education in the South Pacific through scholarship, infrastructure, and donated supplies in the South Pacific. Ms. Shukla is also certified in Conflict Analysis, Mediating Violent Conflict and Designing Community-Based Dialogue by the United States Institute of Peace. NOTE: Please see the list below for the event time by timezone.
- HST: Sunday (Feb 7) 2pm - 4pm
- EST: Sunday (Feb 7) 7pm - 9pm EST
- GMT: Monday (Feb 8) 12am - 2am
- Vanuatu time: Monday (Feb 8) 11am - 1pm