Ecosystem Services for Poverty Alleviation (ESPA) Policy Workshop, Hilton Hotel, Nairobi

A Policy Workshop will be held at The Hilton Hotel, Nairobi on 10th June,2013 (See http://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/kenya/hilton-nairobi-NBOHITW/index.html. The workshop has been organized by African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS) and Ecosystem Services for Poverty Alleviation (ESPA).

ESPA is an interdisciplinary research programme funded through a partnership between the Department for International Development (DFID), the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). The programme aims to deliver high quality, cutting edge research that will improve an understanding of the way ecosystems function, the service they provide and the relationship with the political economy and sustainable growth.

ESPA has funded a number of projects in East Africa. This half day workshop intends to share the results and experiences from these projects with potential beneficiaries and users including policy makers and development agencies. The objective of the workshop is to link research with policy-makers, decision-makers and potential users of research such as government, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and development agencies. The workshop will bring together researchers, policy stakeholders, development partners, NGOs, and Community Based Organizations (CBOs).

Ecosystem Services for Poverty Alleviation (ESPA) Researchers and Stakeholders Workshop, Whitesands Hotel, Mombasa

A second  policy workshop will be  held at Whitesands Hotel, Mombasa on 11th and 12th June, 2013 (See http://www.sarovahotels.com/whitesands/index.aspx). This  workshop is also  organized by African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS) and Ecosystem Services for Poverty Alleviation (ESPA).

The Executive Training Course on “The Art of Influencing Policy Change: Tools and Strategies for Researchers” May, 14-16 ,2013 , Kenya Agricultural Research Institute(KARI), Nairobi.

African Centre for Technology Studies(ACTS) in partnership with the Scinnovent Centre will be conducting a three-day executive training course on the theme: “Influencing Policy Change: Tools and Strategies for Researchers” on 14th – 16th May 2013 in Nairobi, Kenya. This training course is expected to coincide with and feed into the National Science Week, which will be held at Kenya International Conference Center (KICC) between the 13th– 17th May, 2013, being spearheaded by the National Commission on Science, Technology and Innovation (NCSTI).

The course aims to strengthen the capacities of the participants to bring objective and reliable data into policymaking as well as implementation of requisite projects and programmes. The training will be facilitated by both local and international experts. The invitation has been motivated by the content and the rationale to the focus of your organizational activities.
If interested kindly send an email stating your interest to participate or nominate someone to this executive training. Please confirm your availability to Faith Rono: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , Millie Ocholla This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or Dorine Odongo This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it call on +254 20 71226895/ +254 710 607210 facilitate in planning.

Attached, please find a tentative programme of the workshop and a poster for more information. Poster and Training Course Programme

CBA7: Seventh International Conference on Community-based Adaptation; Dhaka, Bangladesh 18-25 April, 2013

The International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) will hold the 7th Annual Community Based Adaptation Conference. The main purpose of the conference will be to tackle the questions; What are the latest approaches for mainstreaming community-based adaptation into international, national and local planning and processes

(CBA7) aims to provide the latest thinking from climate scientists, policy makers and practitioners to answer this question, and to share lessons learned. The activities during CBA7 will include ; three days of field visits to projects in Bangladesh (19 – 21 April) to see how communities living in different ecosystems have adapted to climate change, and three days of plenary sessions and interactive sessions at the conference in Dhaka, Bangladesh’s capital city.

For more information on the conference visit http://www.iied.org/cba7-seventh-international-conference-community-based-adaptation

Institute for Development Studies (IDS), University of Sussex, United Kingdom , Climate Change Knowledge Exchange Conference, 5th -6th March 2013

An ACTS researcher, Charles Tonui was invited by the Institute for Development Studies (IDS) at the University of Sussex to attend the above meeting. During this period there was a webinar that was held on the '.,3rd day o f the event. For more information see video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9k5hxhUkpo

“Promoting South-South Collaboration on Technology and Innovation Issues”, Hilton Hotel, Nairobi, on 12th March, 2013

The African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS) in partnership with United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) will hold a workshop “Promoting South-South Collaboration on Technology and Innovation Issues”. The half-day Workshop will be held at the Hilton Hotel, Nairobi, from 08:30 on 12th March, 2013.
The main objective of the workshop is to have a policy-based discussion on UNCTAD’s Technology and Innovation Report and its findings for Kenya. The Report is a reputed United Nations flagship series on technology, innovation and development issues. The workshop will bring together policy makers and other actors in the Science and Technology Innovation field. Dr. Padmashree Gehl Sampath, Chief, TIR Task Force at UNCTAD, Paris, will make a presentation of the report.

Post-Doha African Civil Society Meeting and Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) General Assembly Held at Maasai Ostrich Resort and Farm, Kajiado County, 12th -13th February, 2013

The above workshop was organized by Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) in collaboration with Christian Aid, UK. This was a follow-up consultation of the Pre-COP workshops and Africa’s Civil Society Organizations’ (CSOs) participation in Doha, to evaluate the outcomes UNFCCC COP18 negotiations, with a view to sharing information and identifying necessary actions that will enable climate change stakeholders from developing countries to effectively participate in subsequent international climate change and related dialogue process.

The CSOs then developed a climate position for Africa: the Nairobi Declaration, which will be used to lobby for implementation of the climate change demands made by developing countries in the UNFCCC COP 19.

Beyond 2015 Environmental Sustainability and Climate Change Workshop Held at Maasai Ostrich Report and Farm, Kajiado County, 14-15th February

The workshop was organized by Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) in collaboration with Christian Aid, UK and was a follow-up consultation on Post-Doha, Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Africa’s Civil Society Organizations’ (CSOs) participation in Beyond 2015. The African CSOs operates through a Working Group to reflect on the Monrovia High Level Panel (HLP) meeting on Post-2015, with a view to sharing information and identifying necessary actions that will enable CSOs from developing countries to effectively participate in subsequent post-2015 negotiations and related dialogue process.

The CSOs then developed a declaration which will be used to lobby for the integration of climate change and environmental sustainability into the post-2015 agenda.