Local communities, indigenous peoples and youth can and should play a pivotal role in the practical implementation of sustainable local action but their involvement presents both challenges and advantages. Local knowledge is of paramount significance in ensuring the swift attainment of sustainability objectives while ensuring inclusivity. We need national and international policy frameworks and methods to integrate these groups into our sustainability planning and action.
Our speakers will focus on the opportunities and challenges of community-based action and youth engagement. Local communities and indigenous groups serve as critical agents in executing local initiatives, and their proximity to environmental challenges allows for context-specific solutions. However, this decentralized approach also introduces complexities related to creating meaningful participation, coordination, resource allocation, safeguarding rights, and varying capacities. Speakers will also explore the critical question of scaling up local initiatives, through knowledge-sharing networks, capacity-building programs, and technology transfer to facilitate this transition.
Speakers:
- Fernando Padula Novaes, Secretary of Education, City of São Paulo, Brazil
- Gabriela Chabbouh, Director, UMAPAZ, Brazil
- Miller Cartagena, Director, Province of La Paz, Colombia
- Rafael Saragiotto, Specialist in African Roots and Umbanda, City of São Paulo, Brazil
- Roberta Zambrano, Representative, Provincial of Esmeraldas; Representative, Consortium of Autonomous Provincial Governments of Ecuador (CONGOPE), Ecuador
- Vladimir Chong, Governor, Provincial Municipality of Maynas, Peru
- Peter Defranceschi, Head ICLEI Brussels Office; Head Global ICLEI City Food Program
Moderator(s):
Alejandro Gonzalez Valencia, Executive Director, ICLEI Colombia Office
Luz Camacho, Institutional Relations & Advocacy Coordinator, ICLEI Colombia Office
