Land and Labour in the Karen Hills: Cosmology and value in the study of agrarian change

Date and location:

13.30-15.00, 6 January 2021 (Thai time)

Chiang Mai University

The World Indigenous Forum (WIF) is the largest indigenous-focused conference in the world. We exist to support indigenous business owners globally – and to connect them with expert knowledge, international markets and the investment partners they need to finance and scale their businesses.

This series of three webinars features indigenous and non-indigenous leaders in a virtual roundtable to discuss both the key effects that COVID-19 is generating in their communities as well as possible solutions and the way forward.

As COVID-19 has hobbled governments around the world, environmental protections have diminished or disappeared altogether, leaving the door wide open for abuse, corruption, land grabs. Indigenous peoples and their territories are prime targets to pillage during this vulnerable period.

Indigenous Peoples and local communities manage more than half of the world´s land. These biodiverse ancestral lands are vital to the people who steward them and the planet we all share. But governments only recognize indigenous and community legal ownership of 10 percent of the world´s lands.  Secure tenure is essential for safeguarding the existing forests against external forces. This is specifically true for forests managed by Indigenous Peoples, where much of the world’s carbon is stored.

Wednesday, September 2nd, 9:00 AM-10:30 AM EST (3:00 PM – 4:30 PM CEST)

Three-quarters of emerging infectious diseases are zoonoses, meaning they can be transmitted from animals to humans, with Ebola, SARS, MERS and now COVID-19 being examples. Scientists are warning that deforestation, industrial agriculture, illegal wildlife trade, climate change and other types of environmental degradation increase the risk of future pandemics.

AIPP is celebrating this year's International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples, 2020 by hosting a 3-day webinar from 5-7 August 2020.

On Day 2 (Thursday 6th August) there are two land-related sessions:

Indigenous people, local communities and family farmers play a critical role in stewarding and safeguarding the world’s lands and forests. Lands and forests managed by indigenous people and local communities have lower deforesta- tion rates, a higher carbon storage potential and a higher biodiversity than other lands, including protected areas.

As 2018 came to a close, Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary named “justice” their Word of the Year. It was a top search throughout 2018, and for good reason. Justice remains out of reach for billions of people worldwide.

We have a chance to change that in 2019. That’s why we’re naming this the Year of Justice.