Introduction
The World is on the verge of and amid several transitions structured by major social, economic, and environmental disruptions including climate change, COVID-19, and knowledge shifts. These disruptions are redefining new institutional cultures, governance, and decision-making processes, with implications on the people and particularly the poor and marginalized groups, including women, children, indigenous people, and ethnic minorities among others. In the recent international debates, attention has been given to the concept of just transition – aimed at safeguarding the socio-economic rights and resilience of these vulnerable groups. However, it is possible that some of the processes and interventions underpinning the just transition agenda, if not well understood, might reinforce vulnerabilities or even create new ones, especially for African communities. The ARIN International Conference 2022 seeks to interrogate pathways through which just transition processes in Africa could rebuild better and more resilient local communities
Date of the event
From December 7th to 9th, 2022.
Venue: Virtual
CONFERENCE THEMES
ENVISIONING A JUST TRANSITION FOR AFRICA
This theme will explore the fundamental elements that underpin just transition in Africa, including how just transition discourse is framed and pursued by different groups. The theme will include a reflection on the COP 27 outcomes and implications for the just transition discourse in Africa and particularly the vulnerable groups.
Date: 7th December 2022,
Time: 3.00pm- 5.00 pm EAT
BUILDING JUST AND RESILIENT COMMUNITY SYSTEMS
This theme will focus on the implications of transition processes on local community systems, especially the vulnerable and marginalized groups. The processes and interventions of pursuing a transition in response to shocks/interruptions often have varied implications on the vulnerable with some becoming worse off.
Date: 8th December 2022
Time: 3.00pm- 5.00 pm EAT
DECOLONIZING POLICY RESEARCH TOWARDS RESILIENT COMMUNITIES
This theme will explore the pathways for decolonizing research and policies to support resilient communities. It will seek to understand the underlying drivers of knowledge, resource, and institutional coloniality that reinforce vulnerabilities. It will explore the role of equitable partnerships in decolonizing opportunities for resilient communities.
Date: 9th December 2022
Time: 3.00pm- 5.00 pm EAT
Side Events
Day 1 Side event 1
Translating research into impact for the poor through locally-led innovations in Africa
Date: 7th Dec 2022
Time: 11:00 am – 12.30 pm EAT.
Background
The role of innovation in supporting research is becoming critical in Africa. The next of phase of Science Technology and innovation strategy for Africa 2024 will give attention to innovation as a vehicle for translating research investment into impacts including job creation and overall poverty reduction. The purpose of this side event to unpack ways in which locally led innovation can be better connected to research to support just transition and community resilience to prevailing shocks of Climate Change, COVID-19 and disasters. The session will involve presentation from the continental innovation ecosystems and specific case studies. Through a plenary discussion, participants will discuss options through which some of the locally led innovations, startup can better scale up to achieve the desirable impacts. The expected outcomes of the Virtual Side-event, participants will have an enhanced understanding of:
- The key role played by locally led innovations/ start-ups towards sustainable development in Africa.
- The importance of building strong partnerships with various stakeholders in delivering effective innovations that make impact on a larger scale.
Day 1 Side Event 2
Pro-poor Clean Energy Transition through Modern Energy Services in Africa.
Date: 7th Dec 2022
Time: 12.45 pm – 2.15 pm EAT
Background
Climate change is among the leading systemic challenges being faced in today’s world. It not only affects how we live and work but also how we interact with the environment. To address it, input and change is requiredwill be needed from all governments, organizations, and individuals across the globe. Moreover, meaningful investments and widespread innovation will be required to generate and store clean sources of energy, enhance the electrical grid, and improve the energy efficiency of electric cooking appliances. This will help to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases that result from the use of biomass fuel as well as promote adaptation to the already witnessed impacts of climate change. Worth noting is that the benefits that will stream from the investments far outweigh the upfront costs of investing in the technologies.
Day 2: Side Event 1
Rights and Resilience for Just Transition in Africa.
Date: 8th Dec 2022
Time: 11:oo am – 12.30 pm EAT
Background
Local communities in sub-Saharan Africa face numerous challenges in achieving resilience. It is against this background that this side event’s thematic focus is on the implications of transition processes on local community systems with a focus on vulnerable and marginalized groups such as women, children, persons living with disabilities among others. The processes, discourses, and outcomes of pursuing a just transition in response to shocks/interruptions often have varied implications on local communities with some becoming worse off while for others their status quo remains. While just transition resulting to resilience is often conceptualized to support socio-economic justice, especially for the vulnerable, these marginalized groups are often left in the peripheries of the processes and decisions defining transitions.
The event will bring on board various initiatives pursuing pro-poor resilient building in different Africans Context including cities and rural settings such as: Building Climate Resilience for the Urban Poor (BCRUP), Adaptation Research Alliance Secretariat, East Africa Local Governments Association (EALGA), Local Government for Sustainability Africa (ICLEI), Local Authority, Rights and Resilience (RARE) and the Resilience Hub to interrogate resilient systems at the local community level (in urban and rural areas) and ways in which the same can be enhanced. The side event will adopt the format of initial agenda setting, strategic presentations, a panel discussion and plenary discussions to engage the audience of stakeholders.
Day 3: Side Event 1
Strengthening pro-poor climate finance systems– the ARIN- Makerere University Climate Finance and Sustainability Training Centre
Date: 9th Dec 2021
Time: 11:00 am – 12.30 pm EAT
Background
COP 27 has adopted a landmark decision on establishing loss and damage fund for the most vulnerable communities in Least Developed Countries. This decision comes as good news for most African countries where many local communities remain vulnerable and are marginalized in the face of climate change. African government have updated their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) with emphasis on financial and technological support to address vulnerabilities and meet emission targets. About 51 out of 53 African countries that submitted NDCs costing USD 2.8 trillion between 2020 and 2030 to implement their NDCs. The continent requires an estimated $579.2 billion in adaptation finance needs for Africa over the period 2020 to 2030 but by contrast, an annual average of $11.4 billion was tracked in adaptation finance to Africa in 2019 to 2020 (GCA,2022). This funding gap is significant and additionally, a very insignificant percentage reaches the local communities where vulnerabilities are experienced. The continent therefore needs to put in place strategies to help attract and manage international funding, and failure to do so means it will not be able to deliver on its climate mitigation and adaptation plans. In the phase of new commitments around loss and damage financing, this event will explore the capacity needs. The session is convened by the ARIN, Makerere University Business School and the Frankfurt School. The session will also involve a presentation of the joint ARIN and Makerere University Climate Finance and Sustainability Training Centre to be hosted at the Makerere University Business School.
Day 3: Side event 2
Building equitable partnerships towards decolonizing research policy for resilient communities
Date: 9th Dec 2022
Time: 12:45 pm – 2:15 pm EAT
Background
This side event will address the role of Equitable Partnerships in decolonizing research. The starting point for discussion will be a new Good Practice Document: Four Approaches to Supporting Equitable Research Partnerships (2022), created by the UK Collaborative on Development Research (UKCDR) and ESSENCE on Health .
Africa is particularly impacted by the constellation of crises facing the world, including increasing inequality and the impacts of climate change. This context demands a research system that can create relevant and actionable evidence to build solutions.
Partnerships built on equity, between both Southern and Northern research teams and affected communities, can support relevant research agendas, strengthen research uptake, and address power imbalances, allowing diverse knowledges and experiences to inform solutions.
The session will explore how the principles of equitable partnerships can be put into practice, starting with a 10-minute presentation of the Good Practice Document, highlighting recommendations of relevance for African researchers, research managers and policy makers. A panel discussion will then follow with four panelists (TBC) discussing the connection between equity and decolonizing research and how equitable partnerships can be supported in practice. The conversation will then be opened to the audience to contribute questions and comments
Conference materials
- Click here to download the conference the poster
- Click here to download Conference Concept Note
- Rebuilding Better and Resilient Communities through a Just Transition in Africa.
- Introducing the 2022 ARIN International Conference