WEBVTT 00:00:00.560 --> 00:00:05.360 Welcome to the Virtual Women and Gender in  International Development Discussion Series. 00:00:05.360 --> 00:00:09.600 This is our third and final event for fall  2024 and we're happy that you could all   00:00:09.600 --> 00:00:16.600 join us virtually today for the discussion  featuring Dr. Kalpana Giri as guest speaker. 00:00:16.600 --> 00:00:21.600 As of this morning, we had 79  people registered for today's event. 00:00:21.600 --> 00:00:25.600 Besides lots of students, faculty  and staff from Virginia Tech that   00:00:25.600 --> 00:00:28.120 include people from many different countries, 00:00:28.120 --> 00:00:32.000 We have folks joining us from  other US universities UT Austin,   00:00:32.000 --> 00:00:34.840 Princeton University and other universities across   00:00:34.840 --> 00:00:39.200 the world including Carleton University  in Canada and Vinh University in Vietnam 00:00:39.200 --> 00:00:44.240 and we have several universities in  the US including the Borlaug Institute   00:00:44.240 --> 00:00:50.120 for International Agriculture, USAID and  then we have World Resources Institute,   00:00:50.120 --> 00:00:52.640 Forest action Nepal, Institute of Forestry 00:00:53.320 --> 00:00:58.960 and more folks from Nepal, Great Britain, Vietnam,  Uganda and Canada and maybe more this morning. 00:01:01.160 --> 00:01:04.680 Welcome to all of you. Please note that our event   00:01:04.680 --> 00:01:09.720 will be recorded and available on our  website later so for all participants. 00:01:09.720 --> 00:01:13.480 By staying on, you're consenting  to being recorded. You can turn   00:01:13.480 --> 00:01:17.760 your camera off if you don't  want your image to be recorded. 00:01:17.760 --> 00:01:22.080 So before introducing our speaker,  I invite you to reflect on Virginia   00:01:22.080 --> 00:01:27.000 Tech's land and labor recognition. I  will read you a summary of that and   00:01:27.000 --> 00:01:33.120 Pratirakshya is going to put the link to the  full statement on the Virginia Tech website. 00:01:33.120 --> 00:01:37.280 Virginia Tech acknowledges that we live  and work on the Tutelo / Monacan People’s   00:01:37.280 --> 00:01:43.480 homeland, and we recognize their continued  relationships with their lands and waterways. 00:01:43.480 --> 00:01:48.920 We further acknowledge that the Morrill  Land-Grant College Act (1862) enabled   00:01:48.920 --> 00:01:54.040 the commonwealth of Virginia to finance and  found Virginia Tech through the forced removal   00:01:54.040 --> 00:01:58.800 of Native Nations from their lands in  California and other areas in the West. 00:01:58.800 --> 00:02:03.360 We also recognize that enslaved Black  people generated revenue and resources   00:02:03.360 --> 00:02:09.520 used to establish Virginia Tech and were  prohibited from attending until 1953. 00:02:09.520 --> 00:02:15.040 Through InclusiveVT, the institutional  and individual commitment to Ut Prosim   00:02:15.040 --> 00:02:19.080 (that I may serve) in the spirit of  community, diversity, and excellence,   00:02:19.080 --> 00:02:28.120 we commit to advancing a more diverse,  equitable, and inclusive community. 00:02:28.120 --> 00:02:33.480 Some brief housekeeping notes. This talk will last  approximately 45 minutes. Our speaker presentation   00:02:33.480 --> 00:02:39.680 will be about 20-25 minutes followed by about 20  minutes of discussion and Q&A with the audience. 00:02:39.680 --> 00:02:45.200 So all participants will be muted to enable the  speaker to present without interruption as always. 00:02:45.200 --> 00:02:47.880 In order for our discussion  to be as rich as it can be,   00:02:47.880 --> 00:02:53.240 we need everyone to be respectful and treat all  participants with kindness and consideration   00:02:53.240 --> 00:02:58.560 without discriminatory behavior. So if anyone is  disrespectful including interrupting a speaker   00:02:58.560 --> 00:03:03.080 or bringing an off topic issues, we will  have to remove them from the zoom meeting. 00:03:03.080 --> 00:03:07.360 You can post your questions at  any time during this discussion   00:03:07.360 --> 00:03:13.520 in the chat box and we will read  those after our presentation or 00:03:14.760 --> 00:03:17.720 You can actually raise your hand and ask to read   00:03:17.720 --> 00:03:21.680 your question yourself. But  we do want to maintain order. 00:03:30.200 --> 00:03:32.960 So anyway, after the speaker's presentation,   00:03:32.960 --> 00:03:36.000 you can raise your hands  through the virtual buttons and 00:03:36.000 --> 00:03:41.560 Pratirakshya will tell you how to do that. We'll  ask you to unmute yourself to talk directly. 00:03:41.560 --> 00:03:47.440 So this is called a discussion series. It's not  just a lecture. So we really encourage people 00:03:48.160 --> 00:03:53.520 to communicate verbally as well as in writing.  But if you're shy, I'm happy to read it for you. 00:03:53.520 --> 00:03:56.720 Or if your internet connection  is not good. Sometimes that's   00:03:56.720 --> 00:03:59.160 the reason that I will read them for you. 00:03:59.160 --> 00:04:01.520 So again, the webinar is being recorded. That   00:04:01.520 --> 00:04:05.720 also means you'll have access  to it later via our website. 00:04:05.720 --> 00:04:09.400 Now, if you'd like to enable captions,  at the bottom of your Zoom screen you   00:04:09.400 --> 00:04:15.400 can find the option more, select it, and then  select show captions and then select English. 00:04:25.800 --> 00:04:30.000 In advance, I'd like you at the end  when Pratirakshya puts the link in   00:04:30.000 --> 00:04:32.040 for the survey, please do fill out the survey. 00:04:32.040 --> 00:04:38.200 It really helps us to get  feedback for planning and funding. 00:04:38.200 --> 00:04:42.120 Now I know what you really want to see  here, Kalpana Giri. So let me introduce her. 00:04:42.120 --> 00:04:47.000 She is a senior manager in the World  Resources Institute and works to expand   00:04:47.000 --> 00:04:54.320 WRI's ambitions on social equity by research  and gender and equity integrated programming. 00:04:54.320 --> 00:04:59.160 Kalpana is a trained forester and has  demonstrated experience in mainstreaming   00:04:59.160 --> 00:05:04.760 gender and social equity considerations in  technical sectors, programming with a focus   00:05:04.760 --> 00:05:14.960 on forestry, clean energy, REDD+, climate  adaptation, FLEGT and restoration topics. 00:05:14.960 --> 00:05:24.800 Prior to joining WRI, she worked  with RECOFTC where she managed   00:05:24.800 --> 00:05:27.720 the direction and portfolio of equity integration. 00:05:27.720 --> 00:05:32.160 She designed and implemented a regional  waves leadership program in partnership   00:05:32.160 --> 00:05:35.880 with sectoral ministries, private  sector women and indigenous groups 00:05:35.880 --> 00:05:40.280 to promote transformative solutions  for the environment and people across   00:05:40.280 --> 00:05:43.400 forestry and climate change policies and plans. 00:05:43.400 --> 00:05:49.160 She's a thought leader on topics of gender and  social equity in forestry and climate change. 00:05:49.160 --> 00:05:55.160 and advises several international organizations to  strengthen their gender strategies and portfolio. 00:05:55.160 --> 00:05:59.960 So Kalpana holds a PhD in forest science  from the University of Natural Resources   00:05:59.960 --> 00:06:04.000 and Applied Life Sciences in Vienna, Austria. 00:06:04.000 --> 00:06:09.000 Her direct experience of working with diverse  stakeholders, including marginalized actors,   00:06:09.000 --> 00:06:13.040 have made her more aware of the  acute need and usefulness of 00:06:13.040 --> 00:06:18.960 plural knowledge systems held by marginalized  actors in addressing major environmental issues. 00:06:18.960 --> 00:06:23.680 Drawing on insights from the Global Restoration  Initiative led by World Resources Institute,   00:06:23.680 --> 00:06:28.760 today she will shed light on ways in  which gender and social equity approaches 00:06:28.760 --> 00:06:31.320 are implemented in restoration practice   00:06:31.320 --> 00:06:35.280 and discuss its implications for  navigating the complex interplay 00:06:35.280 --> 00:06:41.080 of restoration, climate change, and social  justice through development practice. 00:06:41.080 --> 00:06:44.960 So the title of her talk is Beyond  the Critiques and Ambitions of   00:06:44.960 --> 00:06:50.720 Equity Mainstreaming in restoration practice:  lessons from the Global Restoration Initiative 00:06:50.720 --> 00:06:55.240 Now I'm going to mute myself. And I'm  going to share my screen. So Kalpana,   00:06:55.240 --> 00:06:56.920 you'll have to just tell me next, okay? 00:06:56.920 --> 00:06:59.520 Okay, sounds good. Thank you. 00:07:09.720 --> 00:07:15.040 All right. Thank you so much, Marie  Elisa Christie. Hello, everyone. Namaste. 00:07:15.040 --> 00:07:20.440 I'm very pleased to be in this space. Once again,  thanks to Mary Elisa Christie for inviting me to   00:07:20.440 --> 00:07:24.800 this space and also to Virginia Tech  University for holding this space. 00:07:24.800 --> 00:07:28.440 Today, I'll be sharing some  insights of doing equity in   00:07:28.440 --> 00:07:31.600 restoration practice within  the nexus of climate change. 00:07:31.600 --> 00:07:35.920 But before I do that, I would also  like to share some context so you   00:07:35.920 --> 00:07:38.560 understand where my knowledge  and insights are coming from. 00:07:46.040 --> 00:07:49.400 So I think I'm drawing my insights  from my lived experience, you know,   00:07:49.400 --> 00:07:55.000 as a university trained forester  as well as my work experience. 00:07:55.000 --> 00:07:59.000 I'm trained as a forest engineer  and forest is my major degree. 00:07:59.000 --> 00:08:02.240 However, I started to observe  some disconnect between the   00:08:02.240 --> 00:08:07.920 first curricula and the practice. And  that made me curious to learn more. 00:08:07.920 --> 00:08:11.720 So I ended up reading, learning, and more,   00:08:11.720 --> 00:08:16.640 I connected to the right networks and mentors  that talked about sociology of forests. 00:08:16.640 --> 00:08:20.520 And eventually I ended up doing a PhD in forestry. 00:08:22.000 --> 00:08:25.720 For my PhD, I examine the topics  of forest governance from a wider   00:08:27.200 --> 00:08:31.920 sociological lens that also included  gender and governance perspective. 00:08:31.920 --> 00:08:38.000 So this combined knowledge of technical and  social sciences has really helped me tremendously. 00:08:38.520 --> 00:08:44.400 First, I think it really expanded my abilities  to better understand environmental problems and   00:08:44.400 --> 00:08:50.280 create impactful solutions that really work for the people on the ground. 00:08:50.280 --> 00:08:55.320 Second, I also think that this knowledge  also expanded my abilities and it also   00:08:55.320 --> 00:08:59.600 expanded better and more job choices for me. 00:08:59.600 --> 00:09:03.480 And last but not least, it really  gave me a choice to choose the   00:09:03.480 --> 00:09:07.280 type of organization and the type of  work that I really want to engage. 00:09:07.280 --> 00:09:10.200 Because I want my work to be  meaningful and create some impacts. 00:09:11.800 --> 00:09:15.520 Having those abilities really puts me  in a space where I'm choosing the jobs   00:09:15.520 --> 00:09:18.360 and the organization that I want to work with. 00:09:18.360 --> 00:09:20.600 And that's really a privilege. 00:09:21.280 --> 00:09:25.560 So today I will share some of  these practical examples of how   00:09:25.560 --> 00:09:28.880 equity mainstreaming or gender  and social equity mainstreaming 00:09:28.880 --> 00:09:31.560 actually is done in practice. And to do that,   00:09:31.560 --> 00:09:36.240 I'll give a snapshot of my current  work at the World Resource Institute. 00:09:40.360 --> 00:09:46.600 So I think for many of you, if you don't know  World Resource Institute, or in short, WRI, 00:09:46.600 --> 00:09:49.520 It's a nonprofit organization that tackles global   00:09:49.520 --> 00:09:52.800 environmental issues affecting  nature, people, and the climate. 00:09:52.800 --> 00:09:55.640 It works on multiple different  environmental topics ranging   00:09:55.640 --> 00:09:59.400 from land, food, water, ocean, and cities. 00:09:59.400 --> 00:10:04.440 Forests and land degradation and  deforestation is one key topic. 00:10:04.440 --> 00:10:10.040 Within WRA, I'm part of an initiative that  is called Global Restoration Initiative. 00:10:10.040 --> 00:10:15.760 This initiative aims to restore millions  of hectares of deforested and degraded land   00:10:15.760 --> 00:10:21.840 across three geographies globally,  in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. 00:10:21.840 --> 00:10:27.160 It works with 52 countries and in partnership  with almost 500 partners on the ground,   00:10:27.160 --> 00:10:31.160 including government, business,  and communities around the world. 00:10:31.160 --> 00:10:37.040 I lead and manage the equity integration  work of Global Restoration Initiative. 00:10:37.040 --> 00:10:42.880 Just to add a bit of context here on what  restoration really implies, restoration efforts   00:10:44.320 --> 00:10:51.680 are extremely essential to the global efforts of  reversing land degradation and climate change. 00:10:52.200 --> 00:10:56.800 It is important also to ensure  that people who actually heavily   00:10:56.800 --> 00:11:00.400 depend on these resources are  also not left behind and they 00:11:00.400 --> 00:11:04.840 improve their resilience through the  efforts that we put true restoration. 00:11:04.840 --> 00:11:09.880 And restoration is often used as an umbrella  term that revolves around land degradation. 00:11:10.480 --> 00:11:14.760 But it involves a lot of technical  interventions such as agroforestry,   00:11:14.760 --> 00:11:18.120 reforestation, silver pasture, water management,   00:11:18.120 --> 00:11:22.280 assisted natural regeneration, tree  planting, and so on and so forth, right? 00:11:22.280 --> 00:11:30.680 So for some of you are really focusing on  foresty is a major, I think know that a bunch of 00:11:30.680 --> 00:11:37.360 different interventions are actually clubbed under  restoration as a potential major of interventions. 00:11:37.360 --> 00:11:42.840 Restoration is also chosen because it  offers the potential to deliver solutions 00:11:42.840 --> 00:11:47.440 that are on ground that are also cost  effective and that are multiple in nature, 00:11:47.440 --> 00:11:52.800 multiple in the sense that it can generate  environmental, social, and economical solutions. 00:11:52.800 --> 00:11:55.480 As such, there is an increasing commitment,   00:11:55.480 --> 00:12:01.280 pledges and ambitions being set to  implement restoration solutions. 00:12:01.280 --> 00:12:06.520 Initiatives like AFRO 100, which stands for the  African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative,   00:12:06.520 --> 00:12:09.960 and the 2020 initiative are an example of that. 00:12:09.960 --> 00:12:13.920 Both AFR100 and 2020 initiatives  are country-led efforts. 00:12:13.920 --> 00:12:18.480 But they aim to implement 100 millions of actors,   00:12:18.480 --> 00:12:23.120 100 million hectares of land in  Africa under restoration by 2030. 00:12:23.120 --> 00:12:25.160 And 50 million hectares of degraded land   00:12:25.160 --> 00:12:29.160 into conservation and restoration  in Latin America and Caribbean. 00:12:33.400 --> 00:12:39.360 And I think despite this place is an ambition, we  also need to understand that the progress is slow. 00:12:39.360 --> 00:12:43.720 And there are certain critics that surround  whether restoration is really equitable or not. 00:12:43.720 --> 00:12:47.000 If you really look around the  literature and condense the major  00:12:47.000 --> 00:12:51.120 patterns that are coming out of the study,  studies shows two distinct patterns. 00:12:51.120 --> 00:12:57.040 First inequities are scalar to restoration  and that means that they persist across   00:12:57.040 --> 00:13:00.400 all level of restoration, whether  it's at the agenda setting level 00:13:00.400 --> 00:13:06.000 to implementation to including different  plural knowledge systems or representing   00:13:06.000 --> 00:13:11.320 different needs and priorities of different  actors, also the marginalized communities. 00:13:11.320 --> 00:13:17.920 Second, despite the call for  reforms on equity implementation. 00:13:17.920 --> 00:13:21.800 The dominant practice or the dominant  ways through which gender and social   00:13:21.800 --> 00:13:26.200 equity mainstreaming is usually applied  across environmental organizations,   00:13:26.200 --> 00:13:30.040 including in climate change practice has highly remained problematic. 00:13:30.040 --> 00:13:34.040 They show a trend where equity  aspects remain highly superficial,   00:13:34.040 --> 00:13:38.400 often done just to tick the box  and to match the funding request. 00:13:38.400 --> 00:13:41.520 But by doing so, they often  create a space where equity   00:13:41.520 --> 00:13:44.920 specs are depoliticized, they become devalued. 00:13:44.920 --> 00:13:48.360 And remain inadequately accounted within project   00:13:48.360 --> 00:13:54.920 designs and outcomes. And this really leads  to limited outcomes for social change. 00:13:54.920 --> 00:13:59.240 So if we really combine these two patterns,  then it really looks like a very serious issue,   00:13:59.240 --> 00:14:01.640 right? And what can we really do around that? 00:14:01.640 --> 00:14:05.720 The question then becomes, how can  we really do equity implementation   00:14:05.720 --> 00:14:10.040 right in restoration programs  and what would enable that? 00:14:10.040 --> 00:14:15.480 So today I really invite you to learn,  discuss and consider how we can do that. 00:14:15.480 --> 00:14:18.840 I would like to share with you two  examples from the Global Restoration   00:14:18.840 --> 00:14:26.040 Initiative where I and a lot of champions  from my team engage in this process and 00:14:26.040 --> 00:14:29.160 supported equity implementation  within those two programs. 00:14:29.160 --> 00:14:34.480 The first program, the first example  is about Terra Fund for AFR100 program. 00:14:37.440 --> 00:14:43.280 So Terra Fund for AFR100 program is basically  terra fund is a fund. It's a blended finance fund. 00:14:43.280 --> 00:14:48.640 It aims to incentivize restoration on the  ground through finance, data, and partnerships. 00:14:48.640 --> 00:14:55.080 It supports implementation of restoration solution  across Africa, including in three key landscapes. 00:14:55.080 --> 00:15:00.520 The Great Rift Valley in Kenya, Lake Kivu, and  the Rasuji Basin, and the Ghana Cocoa Belt. 00:15:01.400 --> 00:15:06.200 WRI's role in this space is that WRI  co-creates the design and delivery   00:15:06.200 --> 00:15:09.640 with the partners through a  platform called Terra Match. 00:15:09.640 --> 00:15:12.120 It offers funding, data, platform,   00:15:12.120 --> 00:15:16.480 policy, and equity support to the  partners to implement restoration. 00:15:32.040 --> 00:15:37.160 So TerraFund is basically a blended finance  fund. And why TerraFund was important is because 00:15:37.160 --> 00:15:41.120 Some of the money, the traditional  pocket of money or funding that   00:15:41.120 --> 00:15:45.320 goes into restoration and climate  change, it is very less and limited. 00:15:45.320 --> 00:15:51.760 A lot of dependency alone will actually  create a dependency syndrome of countries 00:15:51.760 --> 00:15:56.120 Always looking out for money so can  the money be used in a way that it   00:15:56.120 --> 00:16:00.120 can really incentivize the economy that  is based on restoration on the ground. 00:16:00.120 --> 00:16:02.040 And that was the vision that Terrafund took. 00:16:02.560 --> 00:16:05.720 In order to do that, it really  wants to mobilize private finance   00:16:05.720 --> 00:16:09.560 to support restoration economies on the ground. 00:16:09.560 --> 00:16:13.920 And it wants to do it in a way that it  remains locally relevant, equitable,   00:16:13.920 --> 00:16:16.880 and that it provides secure jobs and livelihoods 00:16:16.880 --> 00:16:21.760 to the communities we actually do restoration  on the ground. And to do that, for now,   00:16:21.760 --> 00:16:25.280 what it does is that it provides  targeted funding, direct funding   00:16:25.280 --> 00:16:32.280 to profit and nonprofit organizations that  undertake restoration projects in Africa. 00:16:32.280 --> 00:16:37.720 And these restoration projects grow trees,  restore land, and generate social impacts. 00:16:37.720 --> 00:16:41.000 The demand for this program  is huge. We have received,   00:16:41.000 --> 00:16:44.920 we launched this program since September 2021. 00:16:44.920 --> 00:16:50.560 And until now, we have received  almost more than 3,000 application   00:16:50.560 --> 00:16:55.480 and we're able to fund only 198  projects in 27 countries in Africa. 00:16:55.480 --> 00:17:02.120 And we have dispersed 32 million to support  restoration implementation on the ground. 00:17:05.360 --> 00:17:18.120 So how does equity really come into  integration within a fund like terra fund? 00:17:18.120 --> 00:17:24.080 So the process of equity integration or  implementation in Terrafund really begin with. 00:17:24.080 --> 00:17:26.400 I think me working with the team,   00:17:26.400 --> 00:17:30.320 understanding the nature of their program,  what the program really wants to deliver. 00:17:30.320 --> 00:17:34.960 And then bringing some of my social  skills to conduct the social gender   00:17:34.960 --> 00:17:40.440 and social data analysis and finding some  really key gaps and priorities and then 00:17:40.440 --> 00:17:45.040 throwing that back to the bigger  team for discussion and deliberation. 00:17:45.040 --> 00:17:48.080 Here, in addition to the data  sharing and deliberation,   00:17:48.080 --> 00:17:52.480 what really happened is I think I was  also able to translate some of the 00:17:53.120 --> 00:17:56.800 equity data and concepts around  gender and social equity,   00:17:56.800 --> 00:18:02.240 gender gaps, rights and power dynamics  within the concept of running a fund. 00:18:02.240 --> 00:18:05.920 What does that really look like  to the fund in very simple terms? 00:18:05.920 --> 00:18:12.120 In simple terms, equity efforts  were really placed in two areas. 00:18:12.120 --> 00:18:14.160 The first area is at the funding label because   00:18:14.160 --> 00:18:16.720 terra fund is essentially a  fund. It disperses the funds. 00:18:17.280 --> 00:18:23.520 The first step is to really examine whether or  not Terra Fund is able to disperse this funding   00:18:23.520 --> 00:18:28.240 to the groups that actually face more  constraint barriers to access funding. 00:18:28.240 --> 00:18:31.960 So when we did that research, we  find that especially woman-led   00:18:31.960 --> 00:18:37.360 and youth-led enterprises often face much  more constant barriers to access funding. 00:18:37.360 --> 00:18:41.720 Therefore, we prioritize them  in our funding allocations. 00:18:41.720 --> 00:18:47.000 Second, restoration ultimately wants  to incentivize local economies,   00:18:47.000 --> 00:18:49.400 local jobs and livelihoods at the ground. 00:18:49.400 --> 00:18:53.640 And therefore, it is important that  we really position people as a key   00:18:53.640 --> 00:18:58.200 element within restoration  practice. This means that   00:18:58.920 --> 00:19:04.640 restoration projects generate benefits such  as jobs, livelihoods, trainings, networks. 00:19:04.640 --> 00:19:10.360 and more, and that these benefits  also go and reach to disadvantaged   00:19:10.360 --> 00:19:14.800 groups within those communities  at the local level, such as 00:19:14.800 --> 00:19:20.720 to smallholder farmers, women, youth,  indigenous communities, and so on and so forth. 00:19:20.720 --> 00:19:24.600 So with these ideas, we solidified  these goals. We really created some   00:19:24.600 --> 00:19:27.720 specific criteria into the waiting criteria. 00:19:27.720 --> 00:19:31.640 We evaluated project application  based on those criteria. We selected   00:19:31.640 --> 00:19:35.760 a diverse team of local and global  experts with diverse expertise. 00:19:35.760 --> 00:19:40.520 Who can evaluate the proposal so that the  evaluation scores remains fair and balanced. 00:19:40.520 --> 00:19:46.960 And then we also equipped Terrafund's data and  monitoring system through TerraMatch so that 00:19:47.520 --> 00:19:53.000 we can capture disaggregated information, analyze  that over time, and make timely improvements on   00:19:53.000 --> 00:19:58.640 where the gains are being made and what needs  to be improved within our team and strategies. 00:20:02.680 --> 00:20:07.000 So if we really look at the early  results, the early results actually   00:20:07.000 --> 00:20:13.080 show that terrafund delivers results, both  environmental, social and financial results. 00:20:13.080 --> 00:20:19.520 Over 50% of the terrafund funding where  supported women and youth-led organizations 00:20:19.520 --> 00:20:24.240 And it created significant land  restoration jobs and livelihoods at scale. 00:20:24.240 --> 00:20:29.680 So this is huge. This is equity at scale kind  of result that is delivered by Terra Fund. 00:20:30.640 --> 00:20:35.480 And one of the interesting innovation that  happened here is that while we evaluated 00:20:36.040 --> 00:20:42.040 project applications through the waiting criteria  and conducted some interviews to understand 00:20:42.040 --> 00:20:45.800 different type of power dynamics  and engagement model they use. 00:20:45.800 --> 00:20:48.920 What really came out interestingly is to   00:20:48.920 --> 00:20:52.840 realize that there are already  some organizations in Africa 00:20:52.840 --> 00:20:57.640 that are very serious about gender and social  equity. They were very innovative in terms of   00:20:57.640 --> 00:21:04.720 crafting their engagement model to reach out  to local farmers, poor farmers, pasturalists. 00:21:04.720 --> 00:21:11.520 And then some of the businesses really had their  business proposition model built in a way that 00:21:11.520 --> 00:21:15.400 More than 80% of their  businesses are catering to women,   00:21:15.400 --> 00:21:18.600 right? So women ended up getting  jobs, youth ended getting jobs. 00:21:18.600 --> 00:21:23.600 So there's a lot of potential and  untapped opportunity that exists 00:21:23.600 --> 00:21:28.520 around these projects, which we have not analyzed  yet, right? And that's what we really want to do   00:21:29.800 --> 00:21:31.480 moving forward. 00:21:31.480 --> 00:21:36.320 So from Terra Fund in Africa, now  let's move to the 2020 initiative  00:21:36.320 --> 00:21:39.720 that focuses in Latin America and the Caribbean. 00:21:41.000 --> 00:21:44.560 The Initiative 2020 is a regional  partnership that aims to bring more   00:21:44.560 --> 00:21:50.280 than 50 million hectares of degraded land  into conservation and restoration by 2030. 00:21:50.280 --> 00:21:54.920 Within Latin America and the  Caribbean, AFOLU or Agriculture,   00:21:54.920 --> 00:21:58.760 forestry and Land Use Sectors, is  a key sector in the region that 00:21:58.760 --> 00:22:04.280 is set to achieve climate targets of adaptation,  mitigation, land degradation and restoration. 00:22:04.280 --> 00:22:09.880 And in this role, in this space, WRI serves  as the Secretariat of the 2020 initiative and   00:22:09.880 --> 00:22:16.200 provides engagement, convening, technical support  and also provide supports to mobilize funding. 00:22:19.000 --> 00:22:22.880 The nature of 2020 initiative is a  bit different than the Terra Fund   00:22:22.880 --> 00:22:25.280 because Terra Fund is a fund, 2020 is a platform. 00:22:25.280 --> 00:22:32.160 So for 2020 initiative, engagement and partnership  is key element to its design and delivery. 00:22:32.160 --> 00:22:34.600 It deliberately aims to ensure diversity   00:22:34.600 --> 00:22:38.360 of partnerships to create an  inclusive engagement process 00:22:38.360 --> 00:22:42.480 is a matter of fact, part of the success  of this initiative is measured by the   00:22:42.480 --> 00:22:48.240 members of the community and how they feel  about this the whole engagement process. 00:22:48.240 --> 00:22:51.880 Till date, the initiative  engaged with 18 countries,   00:22:51.880 --> 00:22:55.680 136 technical partners, 32 financial partners 00:22:55.680 --> 00:23:00.520 And it has very dedicated tax force on  technical topics such as biodiversity,   00:23:00.520 --> 00:23:02.680 assisted natural regeneration. 00:23:02.680 --> 00:23:05.840 carbon markets and investment  ecosystem, monitoring,   00:23:05.840 --> 00:23:09.200 policy and incentives and so on and so forth. 00:23:09.200 --> 00:23:14.040 Here, WR's role is that WRF facilitates  this space, is the secretariat. 00:23:14.040 --> 00:23:20.160 And as such, equity became a criterion  that could be really important to club   00:23:20.160 --> 00:23:22.720 within the stakeholder engagement processes. 00:23:25.800 --> 00:23:29.840 More specifically, how equities  brought into 2020 is through this 00:23:30.640 --> 00:23:36.280 four elements. First, we really identify  diverse partners that are with very   00:23:36.280 --> 00:23:39.960 different type of experience to  participate in this initiative. 00:23:39.960 --> 00:23:44.840 And these partners really share and  play a decisive co-creative role in   00:23:44.840 --> 00:23:48.080 how restoration agendas are set and implemented. 00:23:48.080 --> 00:23:51.200 So this is a central element of sharing the power   00:23:51.200 --> 00:23:56.160 of decision making with the partners  that really makes it equitable. 00:23:56.160 --> 00:24:01.600 Second, I think problems are really identified  from the ground and then they are brought 00:24:02.280 --> 00:24:07.080 through to this platform. And then  WRA also supported partners in terms   00:24:07.080 --> 00:24:10.360 of data-driven research and collaboration so that 00:24:10.360 --> 00:24:13.560 Some key emerging priorities  are kind of validated through   00:24:13.560 --> 00:24:17.160 data and collaborative processes on the ground. 00:24:17.160 --> 00:24:24.280 We are also in discussion to design and  establish a dedicated tax group that is   00:24:24.280 --> 00:24:28.800 going to focus on equity, mainly on gender  and social equity aspects of restoration. 00:24:28.800 --> 00:24:34.120 And this is done because we realize that while  a lot has been done through the engagement   00:24:34.120 --> 00:24:40.840 processes, I think if we really center the gender  and social equity as one dedicated pillar element, 00:24:40.840 --> 00:24:46.920 it will really give them the visibility  and the privilege of being positioned as   00:24:46.920 --> 00:24:51.560 a central element and it will be easier  to run the discussions around that. 00:24:52.560 --> 00:24:57.760 Fourth I think the initiative creates regular  knowledge exchanges among partners. So it   00:24:57.760 --> 00:25:01.920 treats the partners as people who  have knowledges, good knowledges to 00:25:01.920 --> 00:25:05.560 share with the wider group. So  this knowledge exchange also   00:25:05.560 --> 00:25:10.360 creates a loop of learning and positive  influence among different partners. 00:25:10.360 --> 00:25:15.600 And because partners choose on-ground issues  and solutions through collaborative processes,   00:25:15.600 --> 00:25:19.760 most of those solutions include  both technical and social results. 00:25:23.920 --> 00:25:28.600 So if we really look into the early results again  with the 2020, this shows impressive results.   00:25:28.600 --> 00:25:34.680 2020 has supported 17.5 million hectares of  restored land in Latin America and Caribbean. 00:25:34.680 --> 00:25:38.320 It also had links to multiple  impressive social results. 00:25:43.840 --> 00:25:45.840 The social results here are in terms of knowledge   00:25:45.840 --> 00:25:48.680 transfer through community of  practice, which is really key. 00:25:48.680 --> 00:25:52.640 It also accelerated some of the  funding through the platform. 00:25:52.640 --> 00:25:58.320 It also enables some of the strategic planning and  help many different countries in preparation to 00:25:58.320 --> 00:26:01.040 the National Restoration  plan that includes measures   00:26:01.040 --> 00:26:04.240 to increase positive social impacts as well. 00:26:04.240 --> 00:26:10.320 But if I really look at it as an equity person  from far, I really feel that within 2020   00:26:10.320 --> 00:26:15.960 initiative, there's a strong sense of ownership  and engagement and deliberation of partners. 00:26:15.960 --> 00:26:18.400 that is very unique to the initiative itself. 00:26:19.000 --> 00:26:24.120 I see that as a reflection of the  success of an equitable engagement   00:26:24.120 --> 00:26:30.280 process that is plugged within how  2020 is designed, governed, and run. 00:26:32.800 --> 00:26:36.800 So what do we really make out  of for this example right like 00:26:36.800 --> 00:26:39.160 We can look at these examples  from very different angle,   00:26:39.160 --> 00:26:42.160 but for today's session, where  I really want to bring you 00:26:42.160 --> 00:26:46.920 is that I really wanted you to  see that equity integration in   00:26:46.920 --> 00:26:53.160 both Terra Fund and 2020 initiative  give us different important takeaways. 00:26:53.160 --> 00:26:58.280 I think one of the most important takeaway for me,  and I think I want to leave that to you as well,   00:26:58.280 --> 00:27:04.200 is that equity implementation or  mainstreaming when it's done right. 00:27:04.200 --> 00:27:07.680 it can yield significant social, environmental,   00:27:07.680 --> 00:27:13.280 financial impacts that matter to people, that  matter to climate, that may matter to nature. 00:27:13.280 --> 00:27:17.600 It's a win-win strategy because it  helps to innovate projects design,   00:27:17.600 --> 00:27:22.280 create inclusive engagement spaces,  mitigate gender and social gaps 00:27:22.280 --> 00:27:26.240 and achieve social results that  really matter to the people who   00:27:26.240 --> 00:27:28.160 really need these benefits and opportunities. 00:27:30.040 --> 00:27:34.000 Second, I also think that mixed  knowledge of technical and social   00:27:34.000 --> 00:27:39.400 sciences is hugely helpful  for equity implementation. 00:27:39.960 --> 00:27:45.080 Because it creates shared  understanding, trust and openness. 00:27:45.080 --> 00:27:50.000 among the team, which is sometimes  very helpful to navigate disagreements,   00:27:50.000 --> 00:27:51.600 to navigate tension points, and 00:27:51.600 --> 00:27:57.800 to find out the reason of why other person  is not really moving forward with one idea,   00:27:57.800 --> 00:28:01.080 right? Sometimes that's not plain resistance. 00:28:01.080 --> 00:28:04.920 Sometimes it's like the person is  not really familiar with what this  00:28:04.920 --> 00:28:08.880 process really entails in terms  of actual actions and activities   00:28:08.880 --> 00:28:12.280 and why that is important for this project. 00:28:12.280 --> 00:28:13.440 This knowledge, I would say,   00:28:13.440 --> 00:28:21.480 is also very useful to identify champions  both within the team and outside the team. 00:28:21.480 --> 00:28:27.160 Why that is important is because I think the mixed  knowledge really puts you in a space where you 00:28:27.160 --> 00:28:29.840 can see where the other person is coming from,   00:28:29.840 --> 00:28:33.600 right? Either the person is a  trend forester, what is really 00:28:33.600 --> 00:28:37.120 important to that person, why that  person is analyzing certain issues in   00:28:37.120 --> 00:28:41.640 that way. And also from the social science  perspective, sometimes we really feel that 00:28:41.640 --> 00:28:45.240 Why the right issues are so important  to bring into this discussion. And if   00:28:45.240 --> 00:28:48.640 that doesn't happen to the extent  that social scientists always want,   00:28:49.240 --> 00:28:53.840 why that also creates a sense of frustration  with the pace and the quality of integration. 00:28:53.840 --> 00:28:59.440 So for me, I always find that this knowledge  has been hugely helpful for me to bridge bond 00:28:59.440 --> 00:29:05.200 and engage with the right champions. And without  champions, we cannot really move it forward. 00:29:05.200 --> 00:29:06.800 And also, I think along with this,   00:29:06.800 --> 00:29:10.800 I would like to leave a message  that whenever we are thinking about 00:29:10.800 --> 00:29:15.040 You know, like climate change  solutions or environmental issues 00:29:15.040 --> 00:29:19.920 please always think them as a holistic solutions.  We need holistic solutions. We don't need   00:29:19.920 --> 00:29:25.200 technical solution or social solution or financial  solution. We need all the three integrated. 00:29:25.200 --> 00:29:28.280 And there, I think the  knowledge needs to come through   00:29:28.280 --> 00:29:32.320 is integrated and solutions needs to  come through as integrated as well. 00:29:32.320 --> 00:29:35.760 What really helped in this process  to me is some enablers apart from   00:29:35.760 --> 00:29:39.040 the knowledge and the team and champions, is that 00:29:39.040 --> 00:29:43.480 Having budget does help because at the end  of the time we are trying to move projects   00:29:43.480 --> 00:29:49.960 on the ground. So resource is a huge, huge  enabler and then champions are hugely useful. 00:29:49.960 --> 00:29:55.880 Without champions, we cannot really  move it forward. Some barriers that   00:29:56.400 --> 00:29:58.920 I experienced in this process is that 00:29:58.920 --> 00:30:02.800 Sometimes we speak very different languages  and use very different type of terms. 00:30:02.800 --> 00:30:08.440 So it takes a lot of time and effort to  understand that though we use different terms,   00:30:08.440 --> 00:30:14.000 we are basically meaning the same things. But most  of the people really don't want to move forward 00:30:14.000 --> 00:30:16.960 Beyond the terminologies, they don't  want to talk about substance. And   00:30:16.960 --> 00:30:22.000 so how do we really cultivate that  kind of, you know, language bridge 00:30:22.000 --> 00:30:25.560 that always remains a challenge. Someone  really has to pick that conversation,   00:30:25.560 --> 00:30:29.280 be that conversation maker.  And that takes a lot of 00:30:29.280 --> 00:30:34.320 time and effort, which is always  unseen and unaccounted for. 00:30:34.320 --> 00:30:37.400 It also requires a lot of patience  and perseverance because people are   00:30:37.400 --> 00:30:40.080 coming from very different technical paradigm of 00:30:40.080 --> 00:30:45.880 what restoration is and should be. And  sometime on a very subconscious level, I think 00:30:45.880 --> 00:30:49.600 Our forestry degrees sometimes can  also make us very egoistical and   00:30:49.600 --> 00:30:54.520 blind to understand what is actually  happening and needed in the field. 00:30:54.520 --> 00:31:01.160 And examining yourself on a very personal  level, it does feel vulnerable, right? 00:31:01.160 --> 00:31:05.720 And so I think it requires a lot of  patience and time for people to kind   00:31:05.720 --> 00:31:12.240 of allow that space and for them to, you  know, build some understanding around that. 00:31:12.240 --> 00:31:16.600 And because equity implementation always is about   00:31:16.600 --> 00:31:20.240 discussion and deliberation  and decision making sometime 00:31:21.160 --> 00:31:25.920 if there are not spaces that allow equitable  decision making and sharing of power,   00:31:25.920 --> 00:31:27.920 even within team members, then that means 00:31:28.440 --> 00:31:33.240 One aspect might get weighted more than  the other. And that's another challenge. 00:31:33.240 --> 00:31:35.640 So I think I want to move forward and really like   00:31:35.640 --> 00:31:39.160 bring this back to the audience  that I'm speaking with you today. 00:31:39.160 --> 00:31:41.680 So how can we really think through these   00:31:41.680 --> 00:31:45.040 learning points and some of the  enablers and barriers, right? 00:31:45.560 --> 00:31:50.880 If I were a forest student, like some  of you are 15 years ago, you know,   00:31:50.880 --> 00:31:54.240 like I was a first student  like you. What would I say? 00:31:59.840 --> 00:32:07.600 I would really encourage all the students that  you know like first degree is a STEM degree. You   00:32:07.600 --> 00:32:12.760 might have your own inclinations  and aspirations of why you chose 00:32:12.760 --> 00:32:17.880 to study forestry. So be proud of that  identity. Build on the forestry knowledge,   00:32:17.880 --> 00:32:24.000 right? But then don't hold yourself limited by it. 00:32:24.000 --> 00:32:28.000 Be open and curious to also  understand multiple scientific   00:32:28.000 --> 00:32:31.200 perspectives, right? So I think being  openness and curious is key here,   00:32:31.200 --> 00:32:34.960 especially if you're a student and  you are engaging in this space. 00:32:34.960 --> 00:32:39.160 Second, if you ever get a chance to  learn directly from a local community,   00:32:39.160 --> 00:32:41.720 consider that your golden opportunity, right? 00:32:41.720 --> 00:32:47.080 Because if you just go and talk to a community  member, either with the forest dependent   00:32:47.080 --> 00:32:53.200 community or indigenous people, and the way  they associate forest and natural resources. 00:32:53.200 --> 00:32:59.320 And the way we learn about forests and natural  resources in university, there's a huge divide. 00:32:59.320 --> 00:33:02.440 But learning both will really make you wise,   00:33:02.440 --> 00:33:08.160 right? And so I think please consider that as a  golden opportunity. Seek for those opportunities. 00:33:08.160 --> 00:33:12.000 The third thing I would always  say is that ground your views on   00:33:12.000 --> 00:33:15.400 real world conditions. And this  is extremely important, right? 00:33:17.000 --> 00:33:20.880 My curiosity began when I started  to notice that on-ground conditions   00:33:20.880 --> 00:33:23.680 of forest practice in Nepal did not really match 00:33:23.680 --> 00:33:26.400 some of the curricula that was  being given to me through the   00:33:26.400 --> 00:33:28.840 first universities and i become curious. 00:33:28.840 --> 00:33:29.880 But at the end of the day,   00:33:29.880 --> 00:33:35.800 if you really wanted your knowledge to  be contributing to the field of praxis. 00:33:35.800 --> 00:33:41.040 Simple logic is that it needs to be  relevant to the real world conditions,   00:33:41.040 --> 00:33:43.920 right? And so if so ground  your views in the real world   00:33:43.920 --> 00:33:47.800 condition and think how can forestry  knowledge and practice can help me 00:33:47.800 --> 00:33:52.800 to deliver and to address those real world  issues and condition. And in that process,   00:33:52.800 --> 00:33:57.720 please be open for relearning. That's  extremely important and growth. 00:33:59.560 --> 00:34:04.760 I think embracing some level of openness,  adaptability and respect to diverse views,   00:34:04.760 --> 00:34:07.800 knowledges and people is extremely important. 00:34:07.800 --> 00:34:13.640 This especially is important because I  think in some universities and contexts,   00:34:13.640 --> 00:34:16.280 forestry or STEM degree is seen as 00:34:16.280 --> 00:34:19.320 kind of a little bit, you know,  like degree that require more   00:34:19.320 --> 00:34:23.480 intellect or that is considered  a little bit of a more hierarchy 00:34:23.480 --> 00:34:27.040 Compared to other topics such as  in social sciences. And I get to   00:34:27.040 --> 00:34:30.080 hear that personally from a lot  of my forester friends that, oh,   00:34:30.080 --> 00:34:34.360 now you become a social scientist. You are  not anymore a forester, for example, right? 00:34:34.360 --> 00:34:37.400 So I think let's not reach  there. That's a very limited   00:34:37.400 --> 00:34:43.560 field to be in. So please resist that  subconscious tendency to be encumbered. 00:34:43.560 --> 00:34:48.480 by the burden's limit or ego of  your science knowledge paradigm. 00:34:48.480 --> 00:34:51.200 And don't be encumbered, right? Carry it. 00:34:51.200 --> 00:34:54.680 We do, but then be open to make it wider. 00:34:54.680 --> 00:34:57.760 This is my message to the forest  students and to forest faculty   00:34:57.760 --> 00:35:03.800 and academia or to the Alma Mater. I would  like to say some of these points as well. 00:35:08.240 --> 00:35:10.760 I would also see that first universities like   00:35:10.760 --> 00:35:15.760 Virginia Tech can also play a  huge important role around here. 00:35:15.760 --> 00:35:19.680 And this can take shape in many  different forms. For example,   00:35:19.680 --> 00:35:23.080 universities can really diversify  and teach curricula that reflects   00:35:23.080 --> 00:35:27.120 the on-ground situation and needs  of forestry practice on the ground. 00:35:27.760 --> 00:35:32.200 This can be done in different ways. I think  you can curate inclusive spaces of belonging,   00:35:32.200 --> 00:35:35.680 representation, and voices of  diverse genders and actors. 00:35:36.280 --> 00:35:40.280 in being invited into this  space is one example of that. 00:35:40.280 --> 00:35:44.360 You can also foster action research  with mixed methods and knowledge   00:35:44.360 --> 00:35:46.440 exchanges because that's extremely important. 00:35:48.840 --> 00:35:53.400 We foster that type of critical inquiry  that comes from field of practice and   00:35:53.400 --> 00:35:55.280 comes through different type of knowledge systems. 00:35:55.280 --> 00:36:01.040 So the students are equipped to embrace that  kind of knowledge and see the value around it. 00:36:01.840 --> 00:36:06.560 And I think if we can also do something  that would really help the students 00:36:07.160 --> 00:36:13.920 to do critical inquiry, but with self-reflexivity  and power sharing. That is hugely helpful. 00:36:13.920 --> 00:36:15.840 I'm saying this because I think as a forester,   00:36:15.840 --> 00:36:24.520 I always felt that forest fraternity is mostly  in many countries implementing is paramilitary 00:36:24.520 --> 00:36:28.080 And most of the foresters really hold  that power to themselves that, oh,   00:36:28.080 --> 00:36:32.040 they are the ones who are going to manage  the forest and all the people that don't 00:36:32.040 --> 00:36:37.480 Listen to them are kind of outsiders and they  need to be treated with penalty and as such. 00:36:37.480 --> 00:36:43.040 And I think that really reflects on where that  kind of connotation came from. Most of those   00:36:43.040 --> 00:36:49.400 connotations came from early forest universities  that really focused on traditional conservation, 00:36:49.400 --> 00:36:53.360 a little bit of neocolonialistic Western models of   00:36:53.360 --> 00:36:57.160 what forests to ease and how  forests should be managed. 00:36:57.160 --> 00:36:59.560 But then forced practice has  evolved since then. We have   00:36:59.560 --> 00:37:02.760 learned a lot about community  forests, indigenous peoples. 00:37:02.760 --> 00:37:05.880 ways of looking at forests, how that are also very   00:37:05.880 --> 00:37:09.840 useful ways of managing the  forest and forest resources. 00:37:09.840 --> 00:37:15.240 But we have not really in cultivated  the virtue of self-reflexivity within   00:37:15.240 --> 00:37:19.240 foresters. And this is something that  universities really need to think through. 00:37:19.240 --> 00:37:25.720 I find foresters who are excellent technical  experts, but they lack zero empathy. 00:37:25.720 --> 00:37:31.920 And universal skills. And I don't think, you know,  the job market really needs that type of people. 00:37:31.920 --> 00:37:36.680 So I think in order to, you  know, like mitigate that gap,   00:37:36.680 --> 00:37:41.440 we really need to think about cultivating  those kind of aptitude skills as well. 00:37:41.440 --> 00:37:45.600 And last but not least, and this is  a difficult one because I feel like 00:37:45.600 --> 00:37:47.560 Whenever we think about all my matter,   00:37:47.560 --> 00:37:53.800 back to all the first universities  that I went to, I really wish they have 00:37:54.480 --> 00:37:59.120 taught me forestry in a very  wider and holistic ways. 00:37:59.120 --> 00:38:03.720 What I really mean to say here is that I think  forestry curriculum is still very traditional. 00:38:03.720 --> 00:38:08.600 It has not expanded to the extent  it should have expanded. And that's   00:38:08.600 --> 00:38:11.360 kind of a disservice because we  already know that there are so 00:38:12.040 --> 00:38:18.480 useful mechanisms, local indigenous  practice around forestry that exist. 00:38:18.480 --> 00:38:23.240 So how do we bring those back within  this creative thinking and curriculum   00:38:23.240 --> 00:38:28.640 making process and redefine  and pluralize forest science. 00:38:28.640 --> 00:38:31.040 And I think that's really important because if we   00:38:31.040 --> 00:38:35.800 really want to tackle the urgency of  climate change, environmental crisis, 00:38:35.800 --> 00:38:40.680 We cannot do with the science or analysis  system, which is very sectoral and which is   00:38:40.680 --> 00:38:45.320 very narrow and which is far from  meeting the needs on the ground. 00:38:49.920 --> 00:38:54.800 I want to thank you and I also want to  thank some of my team members from the   00:38:54.800 --> 00:38:59.160 World Resource Institute, especially from  the Global Restoration Initiative, namely 00:38:59.160 --> 00:39:05.840 Adena Zamora, who leads the 2020 initiative,  Will Anderson, who leads the AFR100 initiative,   00:39:05.840 --> 00:39:10.120 and Sean David, who manages the  Global Restoration Initiative. 00:39:10.120 --> 00:39:14.000 This is a collective effort.  And so thank you. And again,   00:39:14.000 --> 00:39:18.280 thank you to Maria Elisa Christie  and the university for having me. 00:39:18.280 --> 00:39:27.680 Thank you. Over to you. And I'm  happy to answer any questions. 00:39:27.680 --> 00:39:31.480 Okay, wow. Thank you, Kalpana. That was great. 00:39:31.480 --> 00:39:33.320 It's very exciting to see. 00:39:33.320 --> 00:39:38.160 You know, it was like 15 years ago that you and I  started working on gender and forestry in Nepal. 00:39:38.160 --> 00:39:42.640 So it's really exciting to see that  you're now working with WRI and all the 00:39:42.640 --> 00:39:45.160 different things that you're doing.  And thank you for so many messages   00:39:45.160 --> 00:39:47.720 to our students and faculty here at Virginia Tech. 00:39:50.880 --> 00:39:55.200 I want to say there was an oversight. I forgot  to say at the beginning, it's very important. 00:39:59.640 --> 00:40:04.680 This talk is also co-hosted by Diverse  Voices and Perspectives lecture series. 00:40:04.680 --> 00:40:09.960 So that's very important. And because we are  also part of International Education Week,   00:40:09.960 --> 00:40:13.080 which is not only here at Virginia Tech, but 00:40:13.920 --> 00:40:17.920 So hopefully that brought  some audience to our thing   00:40:17.920 --> 00:40:21.440 today that wouldn't have heard about it otherwise. 00:40:21.440 --> 00:40:27.000 So, okay, so now we have time for  questions. I didn't see very many in the   00:40:28.280 --> 00:40:33.200 questions, but if you want to raise  your hand, then I can call on you. 00:40:33.200 --> 00:40:46.640 If you want to make a comment or have a  question, that is how we would proceed now. 00:40:48.760 --> 00:40:53.400 Yes, I see a question. Okay, let's see. Am I  still on mute? Yes. Okay, from Bonnie Zaire. 00:40:54.440 --> 00:40:58.240 And Bonnie's our director here at Virginia  Tech, our director of Women's and Gender and   00:40:58.240 --> 00:41:01.920 Sexuality Studies. Bonnie, are you wanting to  speak yourself? Do you want me to read this? 00:41:01.920 --> 00:41:03.240 I'd be happy to read it. Thank you. 00:41:03.240 --> 00:41:04.040 Okay, great. 00:41:05.280 --> 00:41:06.840 Thanks so much for being here. 00:41:06.840 --> 00:41:09.080 I was wondering to what degree you feel you're   00:41:09.080 --> 00:41:12.840 directly taking on capitalist  policy as you do this work? 00:41:12.840 --> 00:41:16.440 Do you see your work, and then  part two, do you see your work   00:41:16.440 --> 00:41:20.680 fitting into a transnational feminist  perspective where you're working across   00:41:20.680 --> 00:41:25.440 borders and keeping the excesses of  hyper capitalist policies in mind? 00:41:25.440 --> 00:41:30.160 Or do you see it more as third world  feminism where you're looking more at   00:41:30.160 --> 00:41:36.600 the local context and listening to the people  and using that as sort of the springboard? 00:41:36.600 --> 00:41:41.320 Thank you. Thank you so much. I think that's a  very difficult question, but thanks for asking. 00:41:42.960 --> 00:41:46.600 To begin with, what I would really  like to say is that I am a strong   00:41:46.600 --> 00:41:50.520 believer of justice and rights. I  consider myself a huge feminist,   00:41:50.520 --> 00:41:55.840 right? And I do call out issues when  I see some wrongdoings around that. 00:41:55.840 --> 00:42:00.880 But also, I think I would need to reflect that I  work in a development practice, which is highly   00:42:00.880 --> 00:42:06.600 based on institutions and structures that  is neo-colonistic in nature, right? And so 00:42:06.600 --> 00:42:12.080 And third is whenever you are working with  topics like restoration, you are engaging   00:42:12.080 --> 00:42:17.280 with local communities and that really  brings me into this blended spaces where 00:42:17.840 --> 00:42:23.360 I think the utility of one principle doesn't  hold value. What really holds value is what   00:42:23.360 --> 00:42:29.680 is the need of the local communities, where do  they really want themselves see going, right? 00:42:29.680 --> 00:42:32.560 And if they really need jobs  and livelihood and they wanted   00:42:32.560 --> 00:42:35.720 more local economies coming out of restoration,   00:42:36.360 --> 00:42:42.520 do we really think that is a translation  of neoliberal or neo-capitalistic model 00:42:42.520 --> 00:42:45.720 Or do you rather think that  is something that local people   00:42:45.720 --> 00:42:50.560 really want and that they really want  it to move their life forward, right? 00:42:50.560 --> 00:42:55.400 And I think these questions therefore also needs  to be thought from the practical perspective. 00:42:56.120 --> 00:43:00.240 How do we bring it on the ground?  What are we really seeing it 00:43:00.240 --> 00:43:05.280 And it's a gray area. I would totally  admit that sometimes it might feel that,   00:43:05.280 --> 00:43:07.320 oh, maybe it's a very heavy model, right? 00:43:08.120 --> 00:43:13.720 We have been very conscious and intentional in  our efforts in global restoration initiative to 00:43:13.720 --> 00:43:19.560 not simply borrow that idea, but really  engage the local actors and communities to 00:43:19.560 --> 00:43:21.000 understand what they are coming from,   00:43:21.000 --> 00:43:24.960 what kind of modality might be the  best modality to work around that. 00:43:24.960 --> 00:43:29.600 One way we do that is we do not  really fund large scale restoration,   00:43:29.600 --> 00:43:33.960 right? Like large companies going  there and just engaging communities is 00:43:33.960 --> 00:43:39.960 extractive laborers, we don't do that. We rather  made a decision to fund a small organization that   00:43:39.960 --> 00:43:44.680 do quality type of work on restoration,  but do generate some markets and money. 00:43:44.680 --> 00:43:48.080 Because that is also essential  to create jobs and give back   00:43:48.080 --> 00:43:51.320 to the communities. So this is, I would say. 00:43:51.320 --> 00:43:54.480 I do not see those areas as  very divergent, you know,   00:43:54.480 --> 00:43:59.440 because of this experience now. Before I was  like, no, I don't want to engage in that space. 00:43:59.440 --> 00:44:03.400 But now I feel that in the practice, conceptually,   00:44:03.400 --> 00:44:09.120 there are huge divides between finance  and equity. The science doesn't even meet. 00:44:09.120 --> 00:44:13.720 But then in practice. You realize that  they actually come together. And I   00:44:13.720 --> 00:44:22.800 think that's how I would like to really frame it. 00:44:22.800 --> 00:44:26.760 Any more questions or comments? 00:44:26.760 --> 00:44:32.200 I saw that Bonnie also put in the chat, please  be open for relearning is a great message. 00:44:35.720 --> 00:44:40.200 I made a note of something about you  said how you know different paradigms   00:44:40.200 --> 00:44:43.680 require patience since I work in a  multidisciplinary environment and 00:44:43.680 --> 00:44:49.400 Virginia tech is doing work in  restoration and it is, you know,   00:44:49.400 --> 00:44:52.400 different experts from very different fields so. 00:44:52.400 --> 00:44:56.240 The idea that you need patience  and also respect for each other  00:44:56.240 --> 00:45:01.040 in this kind of hierarchical thing is  really important. So I appreciated that. 00:45:01.040 --> 00:45:08.520 Yeah, I think on that, I really wanted to say that 00:45:12.160 --> 00:45:15.680 I think before, you know, like if  you really met me 10 years before,   00:45:15.680 --> 00:45:19.440 I think I would really get angry  on those kind of interfaces. 00:45:19.440 --> 00:45:23.520 I did not really have the skills it developed  on how do you actually navigate through   00:45:23.520 --> 00:45:26.680 that. So I would also say that that's a  huge skill set that would develop as a 00:45:26.680 --> 00:45:31.560 is a person working on transdisciplinary  or interdisciplinary teams 00:45:31.560 --> 00:45:34.520 And that requires effort. It doesn't just come by,   00:45:34.520 --> 00:45:38.120 right? Like I think you go through  the process, you reflect on it. 00:45:38.120 --> 00:45:43.600 For me, what really helped, I think the  mix of knowledges always helped me because 00:45:43.600 --> 00:45:46.200 if let's say a forest minister say that,   00:45:46.200 --> 00:45:50.200 oh, I really don't understand why they  are always talking about human rights. 00:45:50.200 --> 00:45:53.240 I really don't get like we are  doing forest protection and local   00:45:53.240 --> 00:45:55.760 communities engagement. What more do they want? 00:45:55.760 --> 00:45:59.840 then I know that for this person, first  protection is the main area that they're   00:45:59.840 --> 00:46:04.640 concerned about, right? They don't really can  even bring them to think about human rights. 00:46:04.640 --> 00:46:06.680 They are like human rights  should be done by someone else,   00:46:06.680 --> 00:46:09.640 not by forestry Ministries, right? So that's the 00:46:09.640 --> 00:46:14.480 a level of thinking and space that they're  operating from. And so when you know that. 00:46:14.480 --> 00:46:17.640 You cannot be angry with them  anymore. Rather, you would say,   00:46:17.640 --> 00:46:22.560 okay, here we are using different terms,  but where does the connection actually comes 00:46:22.560 --> 00:46:24.640 close to both sides of the world,   00:46:24.640 --> 00:46:31.480 right? So sometimes I feel that kind  of translation of perhaps did not um 00:46:31.480 --> 00:46:36.320 Simplifying the bigger concepts  of equity, human rights, feminism  00:46:36.320 --> 00:46:42.280 within some simple terms that  sound digestible to the other   00:46:42.280 --> 00:46:46.560 sector might be helpful to open up conversation. 00:46:47.680 --> 00:46:50.160 Yeah, but sometimes I also  feel that the challenge is   00:46:50.160 --> 00:46:53.840 there. Sometimes you also feel  that you're hitting the wall. 00:46:53.840 --> 00:46:59.720 There's no, you know, like windows out there  to open up. And at times you feel that you   00:46:59.720 --> 00:47:04.720 are not with the right people and right  team to even initiate those conversations. 00:47:07.040 --> 00:47:12.280 Yep. 00:47:12.280 --> 00:47:16.120 We have several comments in the chat.  I hope people are reading the chat. 00:47:16.120 --> 00:47:18.240 They're not questions, so  I'm not going to read them,   00:47:18.240 --> 00:47:20.280 but please feel free to  keep putting your comments. 00:47:22.440 --> 00:47:27.200 I want to say since we're coming to the end,  I do want to say, I think Pratirakshya has   00:47:27.200 --> 00:47:30.280 already put the link for the survey and  we'll also send it when this is over. 00:47:31.240 --> 00:47:38.440 I want to let you know that we have a great lineup  also for the Spring, including presentations on 00:47:38.440 --> 00:47:46.760 on India as a megacity, on Colombia, and in  April, a final presentation looking at the   00:47:46.760 --> 00:47:50.320 Andes in Appalachia from a food geography perspective. 00:47:52.880 --> 00:47:57.360 When you do the survey, you have the option  to sign on to our WGD listserv and then you   00:47:57.360 --> 00:48:01.240 will get the information about that. Or you  can just come back and look at our website. 00:48:01.240 --> 00:48:04.600 But our next event won't be till February. 00:48:06.280 --> 00:48:11.600 So if we don't have more questions, I'm  gonna ask Kalpana, is there anything? 00:48:12.240 --> 00:48:14.520 I actually thought of this in our last speaker,   00:48:14.520 --> 00:48:16.960 and it was the first time I thought  of it, but I want to ask you,   00:48:16.960 --> 00:48:23.960 is there anything else you'd like to say that  crammed into your 20, 25 minute presentation. 00:48:25.000 --> 00:48:27.800 Not so much on the content, but  I think I just wanted to leave a   00:48:27.800 --> 00:48:31.320 message back to the team and to  you, Maria Elisa Christie, that 00:48:31.320 --> 00:48:35.640 Sometimes, you know, you  don't um how should I put it? 00:48:35.640 --> 00:48:39.800 You don't plan everything, you  know, like a strategist, right? 00:48:39.800 --> 00:48:44.400 I think if I really recall the connection  we made to do the work in Nepal,   00:48:44.400 --> 00:48:48.680 it was a very impromptu connection  that we made. And we said, okay, let's 00:48:48.680 --> 00:48:53.840 do a small research and find out  how women foresters feel about  00:48:53.840 --> 00:48:56.800 their choices and experiences in forestry. 00:48:56.800 --> 00:48:59.120 And we connected from there.  We published some data,   00:48:59.120 --> 00:49:02.080 did a research and things like that right and then 00:49:02.080 --> 00:49:04.040 In between, we connected. 00:49:04.040 --> 00:49:06.400 And then later, when I moved to US,   00:49:06.400 --> 00:49:09.920 then we connected again and now I'm  here, right? So sometimes I think 00:49:09.920 --> 00:49:16.400 To students, I would also say that I  mean, if my PhD has taught me one thing,   00:49:16.400 --> 00:49:22.480 it is to trust on my vibe's  or on my feelings, right? 00:49:22.480 --> 00:49:27.080 Because I think the more depth you go,  you identify yourself more clearly.   00:49:27.080 --> 00:49:29.840 Who are you as a person? What do you want? 00:49:29.840 --> 00:49:32.960 What kind of networks and mentors  you want to be associated with,   00:49:32.960 --> 00:49:37.280 what kind of people really consume your  energy and you don't want to be around that. 00:49:37.280 --> 00:49:44.280 So I think I want to say this, especially if  there are students listening to this, is that 00:49:44.280 --> 00:49:49.960 Don't spend too much time in over planning and  being a strategist, right? Go with the flow. 00:49:49.960 --> 00:49:53.760 Allow yourself the space to be you and then 00:49:53.760 --> 00:49:59.920 through your job, through PhDs, you know, through  different new jobs and experiences that you own 00:50:00.680 --> 00:50:03.240 discern what you like and what you don't like,   00:50:03.240 --> 00:50:07.040 right? And if you like certain  networks and groups and people 00:50:07.040 --> 00:50:11.240 be in touch, right? And you don't really  have to send like 10 emails for that,   00:50:11.240 --> 00:50:16.920 but just like an occasional hello and appreciating  the readings and papers. I think that's how you 00:50:16.920 --> 00:50:20.280 create very real authentic relationship 00:50:20.280 --> 00:50:22.560 And now I just want to reflect that because I   00:50:22.560 --> 00:50:27.000 think I and Maria Elisa Christie  connected because of one thing. 00:50:27.000 --> 00:50:32.920 And now I'm here again reconnecting, I think after  10 years on this space with all of you, right? 00:50:32.920 --> 00:50:38.320 And so please take this as the virtue or the 00:50:38.320 --> 00:50:42.800 you know is the feel of collaboration and  the need of connecting to the right people   00:50:42.800 --> 00:50:46.120 and networks. And I think eventually  that will bring you into a space where   00:50:46.120 --> 00:50:50.840 you feel more comfortable, you are  supported by the mentors and peers. 00:50:50.840 --> 00:50:54.040 And they are also your go-to  people when you feel like 00:50:54.040 --> 00:50:58.840 Nothing is moving. There's a wall heating  and things like that, right? So I think 00:50:58.840 --> 00:51:03.200 I just wanted to flag that and also say  thank you to Marie Alyssa Christie for   00:51:03.200 --> 00:51:07.680 the partnership we formed and for bringing  me into this space yet again. Thank you. 00:51:07.680 --> 00:51:12.320 Well, thank you, Kalpana. I see that we  have a new message and we still have a few   00:51:12.320 --> 00:51:15.880 minutes. So Maureen, I asked, but you  didn't answer my text. Do you want to   00:51:15.880 --> 00:51:18.560 read it out loud? Otherwise, I'm going  to go ahead and read it for you. I'll   00:51:18.560 --> 00:51:26.800 give you a minute to unmute yourself  if you'd like to read it yourself. 00:51:26.800 --> 00:51:31.000 Okay, I'm going to go ahead and read it.  And the question for Maureen Agada is,   00:51:31.000 --> 00:51:33.680 what strategies have you found most effective? 00:51:33.680 --> 00:51:37.120 for opening up conversations  and breaking down walls with   00:51:37.120 --> 00:51:43.200 team members who may not be initially  receptive to equity-focused discussions. 00:51:43.200 --> 00:51:48.520 Yeah, I think that's really interesting.  What really helps is I think one is pick   00:51:48.520 --> 00:51:52.640 the conversation, right? So for example, if  I feel like some people are really not keen,   00:51:52.640 --> 00:51:55.480 I say, hey, can we actually talk over coffee? 00:51:55.480 --> 00:52:00.120 And have a chat around that. So I think be the  one who picks on the conversation, first of all,   00:52:00.120 --> 00:52:06.160 right? Don't be afraid to do that. Don't feel  like resistance and don't plan things too much,   00:52:06.160 --> 00:52:10.360 right? Don't overthink and say that I just  want to go and have a chat with this person. 00:52:10.360 --> 00:52:13.160 And if the person are coming  from very different sectors,   00:52:13.160 --> 00:52:15.920 like financial sectors, technical sectors. 00:52:16.680 --> 00:52:21.120 You know, like allow yourself to also think  that they might not be knowing anything about   00:52:21.120 --> 00:52:25.600 equity and the thing that you're making  is not making sense to them right and so 00:52:25.600 --> 00:52:30.120 go with that kind of openness in  your mind. So that always helps.   00:52:30.120 --> 00:52:33.960 So be the conversation starter,  pick that conversation. Second. 00:52:33.960 --> 00:52:36.440 Help them. Second, I think 00:52:36.440 --> 00:52:41.360 Leave the jargons and focus on the substance,  right? That's what I always say because 00:52:41.360 --> 00:52:44.960 In equity, like if we really talk  about women's right and all that,   00:52:44.960 --> 00:52:48.840 we use the term economic  empowerment of women a lot, right? 00:52:48.840 --> 00:52:52.120 But if you really go to finance people,  they are like, okay, I understand economic,   00:52:52.120 --> 00:52:56.200 but what is this empowerment? This  looks so difficult, right? And so 00:52:56.200 --> 00:53:01.160 But they do talk about financial inclusion.  They do targeting, you know, and so I think 00:53:01.160 --> 00:53:04.400 The more you talk, you start to  identify that there are certain   00:53:04.400 --> 00:53:09.560 commonalities in substance  that each sector has or have. 00:53:09.560 --> 00:53:14.360 And then your job is to really identify  that and bring it together. That's second. 00:53:14.360 --> 00:53:17.680 But at times, sometimes you find that  some people are really not giving you   00:53:17.680 --> 00:53:22.360 the vibe of discussion and conversation and  you really don't have the patience and energy. 00:53:22.360 --> 00:53:24.360 take a break, right? 00:53:24.360 --> 00:53:29.400 I always say, okay, let's  revisit this after two weeks. 00:53:30.160 --> 00:53:33.640 And that helps hugely, right?  Because I think sometimes we 00:53:33.640 --> 00:53:39.000 We all have, and especially in development  space, I would say people are so 00:53:39.000 --> 00:53:41.080 kind of busy with the work and they have always   00:53:41.080 --> 00:53:44.720 some deadlines and reports and all  that coming on and sometime when 00:53:44.720 --> 00:53:48.080 we pick on this conversation,  the timing needs to be right,   00:53:48.080 --> 00:53:50.800 right? And if you feel that  people are not really responding. 00:53:50.800 --> 00:53:53.560 They could also be really pressed  between deadlines and they really   00:53:53.560 --> 00:53:56.560 don't want to think about a new topic. So in those 00:53:56.560 --> 00:54:00.120 Moments allowing yourself  and that person the space 00:54:00.120 --> 00:54:02.160 And say, let's revisit this 00:54:02.160 --> 00:54:03.960 It's super helpful. 00:54:04.520 --> 00:54:07.200 So I think be that person and then you will find   00:54:07.200 --> 00:54:10.400 that people actually open up  and they also want to find 00:54:10.400 --> 00:54:13.680 ways to work with you. It's both ways. I think   00:54:13.680 --> 00:54:16.680 most of the people want to  work together but sometimes 00:54:16.680 --> 00:54:24.880 they don't really have the, I think, patience  language and skill set to bridge that space. 00:54:24.880 --> 00:54:28.280 That is wonderful. I love that. You know, as a 00:54:28.280 --> 00:54:32.040 Director of Women and Gender,  I have students often ask me. 00:54:32.040 --> 00:54:34.680 my strategy, you know, how to be successful 00:54:34.680 --> 00:54:36.960 And what you said first about basically   00:54:36.960 --> 00:54:40.960 following your instinct and what's  important and maintaining networks 00:54:40.960 --> 00:54:46.600 I think are in developing and building  networks are things that I always say but 00:54:47.120 --> 00:54:49.480 Patience is something that I  usually put in my New Year's   00:54:49.480 --> 00:54:52.520 resolution every year. It's been many, many years. 00:54:52.520 --> 00:54:55.760 I haven't achieved it yet, but I think 00:54:55.760 --> 00:55:00.840 That's also a great strategy and to have  informal conversations with people and   00:55:00.840 --> 00:55:06.120 to realize that they don't actually understand  where you're coming from. So breaking it down to 00:55:07.800 --> 00:55:12.600 smaller ways of describing what you do  and being patient with other people who   00:55:12.600 --> 00:55:14.920 don't understand. I think those  are just wonderful strategies.   00:55:14.920 --> 00:55:17.680 I'm sure they're serving you well  at the World Resources Institute. 00:55:18.440 --> 00:55:25.800 I want to congratulate you for your wisdom,  you're not that old but you're becoming very wise 00:55:25.800 --> 00:55:29.080 And I hope you're becoming very  effective in your work there. 00:55:29.080 --> 00:55:35.160 Thank you so much. Thank you. Yeah, wiser. And  I think I'm easing beautifully, I would say. 00:55:35.160 --> 00:55:36.800 Well… 00:55:36.800 --> 00:55:42.040 But I always feel that I think the learning  of both technical and social sciences helps   00:55:42.040 --> 00:55:45.160 a lot. So I would also say like if  you're a student or even a faculty,   00:55:45.160 --> 00:55:49.040 read a lot about the other  person's work as well, because 00:55:49.040 --> 00:55:51.160 like that nowadays I read so much about finance,   00:55:51.160 --> 00:55:54.560 right? About this neocolonialistic  models, right? And I'm like. 00:55:54.560 --> 00:55:59.400 okay how do I, you know, like breeze this  like this is a gray area and things like   00:55:59.400 --> 00:56:02.480 that. So I think reading helps a  lot. At least it gives you some   00:56:02.480 --> 00:56:05.480 conceptual awareness of where you are landing in. 00:56:05.480 --> 00:56:09.360 And then use some of the strategies  that I think I and Maria Alicia shared. 00:56:09.360 --> 00:56:10.520 Yep. 00:56:10.520 --> 00:56:13.880 Yeah, and my team is good. I would  say that in Old Resource Institute,   00:56:13.880 --> 00:56:17.200 I was able to do this work because of one. 00:56:17.200 --> 00:56:20.400 People really want to do this work,  but they simply didn't know how,   00:56:20.400 --> 00:56:23.400 right? So really creating  that niche was very helpful. 00:56:23.400 --> 00:56:28.520 And second, there are champions who really  are committed on these issues, right? 00:56:28.520 --> 00:56:33.640 So I think identifying who the champions  are and mobilizing them forward is a team   00:56:33.640 --> 00:56:39.400 and putting collective efforts really  made the efforts possible, basically. 00:56:39.400 --> 00:56:43.240 Wonderful. Well, thank you for  your professional presentation   00:56:43.240 --> 00:56:46.400 and your personal advice. I think a lot of people 00:56:47.760 --> 00:56:49.800 Not only listening today, but as I say,   00:56:49.800 --> 00:56:52.920 this will be recorded. So people  will come back and listen to it. 00:56:52.920 --> 00:56:57.600 Again, so thank you so much. And thank  you everybody who joined us today. 00:56:58.400 --> 00:57:01.400 Have a wonderful day. Hope to  see you in the spring. Kalpana,   00:57:01.400 --> 00:57:04.840 I hope you will join us also for  check our topics in the spring. 00:57:04.840 --> 00:57:08.440 Maybe there'll be something that's  interesting to you. So thank you,   00:57:08.440 --> 00:57:10.320 everybody. And thank you so much.