Dejusticia and the Atlantic Institute based at the Rhodes Trust in Oxford, UK, are honored to announce the Global Convening on Planetary Health and a Just Transition, to be held in Bogotá from October 14-18, 2024. This event will bring together 34 leading researchers and activists from around the world, who are all part of the Atlantic Fellows community, to build alternative narratives, exchange knowledge and share strategies. This event will bring together visions of the Global South for a just transition in a way that highlights the need for reforms at all levels to build more harmonious relationships with nature.

The climate crisis, biodiversity loss and other interrelated planetary crises require collaborative and effective responses. This global gathering proposes to build on the knowledge and experience of leaders whose work is focused on combating the multiple inequalities related to the climate emergency in their own contexts. Participants will build an action plan that fosters broader collaborations among the movements, organizations and networks of which they are a part.

“The group of people who will be in Colombia make up a diverse range of perspectives on how to address the climate crisis,” said Patronella Nqaba, Program and Impact Lead at the Atlantic Institute, adding, “These perspectives include: artistic creation and expression, incorporating a climate perspective into food and health policy, governance of water and marine systems, building and working with climate justice movements, implementing conservation projects and other responses to the climate crisis by indigenous peoples and other local communities, reforming the global financial architecture to align with climate commitments, among others.”

The event has a clear strategic objective: to prepare the ground to strengthen collective action in the face of the climate crisis and to influence the decisions that will be taken in multilateral spaces such as the climate and biodiversity COPs. “This global gathering is a call for collective action and shared responsibility,” said Khalil Goga, Associate Executive Director of the Atlantic Institute. “Together we seek not only to understand the challenges we face, but also to co-create solutions that put tackling inequalities at the heart of climate action.”

One week out from COP16—the most important multilateral space for the protection and restoration of biological diversity—which Colombia and the city of Cali will host, the participants who will gather at this preliminary meeting hope to dialogue with representatives of environmental and climate organizations and movements, public officials, journalists and other actors to find common ground with the work they are carrying out in their own countries. “For us, this is an exceptional opportunity to learn from the Colombian experience in order to find synergies with what is happening in the contexts we come from and to catalyze collaborations across borders,” said Atlantic Fellow, Lauren Burke, a participant in the event and organizer with more than 15 years of experience in climate and labor policy issues in the U.S.  

For Sergio Chaparro Hernández, International Coordinator of Dejusticia and an Atlantic Fellow for Social and Economic Equity, this event takes place at an ideal moment when the environmental and climate conversation occupies a central place in Colombia which, in turn, gives it credibility in speaking to the world about such issues. “In a global scenario fragmented and plagued by multiple crises, the dilemma is to cooperate in fairer conditions to address the climate emergency and other planetary crises or go down a dangerous path that exacerbates conflicts and injustices. If we want to make peace with nature as is the COP16’s call, collaboration between disciplines and movements on a global scale is no longer an option, but a necessity. That is precisely what this event is aiming at.”

We invite organizations, the academic community, the media, and the general public to closely follow the activities of the global convening and to participate in the public conversation that will take place at Dejusticia this Monday, October 14 between 4:00pm and 6:00 pm. To attend this space, please register in the following form.

Who are the 34 Atlantic Fellows and where do they come from?

1. Amanda Segnini, Brazil – Promoting systemic change and climate justice as the founder of Engajamundo, by building movements and facilitating community engagement.
2. Ambrose Carroll, United States – Addressing the root causes of racial inequality by leading the congregation at Renewal Worship Center and Green the Church, an organization at the intersection of the U.S. Black faith community and environmental justice.
3. Ariadne Gorring, Australia – Weaving local and global communities of practice to accelerate a just transition to a climate-resilient future as Co-CEO at Pollination Foundation.
4. Azeeza Rangunwala, South Africa – Working with health systems, organizations and facilities to address deep inequalities at the intersection of climate and health as the Africa regional coordinator of groundWork.
5. Pham Thi Ngoc Bich, Vietnam – Advocating for good, clean and fair food for all and green, open public spaces as founder of the Slow Food Community in Hanoi and the MuaVe Collective.
6. Brian Kamanzi, United States – Providing policy support to the international trade union movement around the just energy transition at Trade Unions for Energy Democracy, CUNY. 
7. Busisiwe Dlamini, South Africa – Creating sustainable models for social justice work and cross-sectoral collaboration, and facilitating dialogues focused on race and transformation.
8. Dany Sigwalt, United States – Cultivating leadership of movements and supporting youth power across the climate and racial justice movements as Managing director of Green Leadership Trust.
9. Dorah Marema, South Africa – Leading sustainability efforts in small-scale agriculture, climate change, renewable energy, gender and land rights at the South African Local Government Association.
10. Emi Kiyota, Singapore – Creating socially integrated communities that value elders through the not-for-profit organization Ibasho and consulting in the design of communities and cities.
11. Enamul Mazid Khan Siddique, Bangladesh – Working with others in the global south to decolonize the governance of environmental commons and investments for climate justice.
12. Fionnuala Sweeney, United Kingdom – Connecting with a wide range of people through her podcast series, “Dementia is Global,” which raises global awareness about brain health to change attitudes and policies.
13. Geminn Louis Apostol, Philippines – Generating evidence and translating it to policy, programs and innovations that protect the health of our planet and its people.
14. Georgia Nicolau, Brazil – Facilitating dialogues for civil society on culture, technology, politics and citizenship and leading initiatives on climate justice as general director of the Procomum Institute.
15. Gilberto Lopez, United States – Researching and developing interventions to reduce health inequities as an Assistant professor at the University of Arizona.
16. Haydeé Nancy Rumaldo, Peru – Developing comprehensive strategies to ensure health care for caregivers and children and promoting early childhood development at Partners in Health.
17. Ishrat Jahan, India – Working on forest conservation and restoration, centering Indigenous communities, as part of the World Economic Forum’s efforts to accelerate nature-based solutions.
18. Joanne Yuen Yie Ngeow, Singapore – Integrating genomics into routine health care to reduce the burden of chronic diseases and health care costs, with a particular focus on cancer.
19. Johnny Miller, South Africa/United States – Helping people communicate stories through traditional and new technologies, and focusing on how urban design, city issues, service delivery, and architecture relate to inequalities.
20. Jonatan Konfino, Argentina – Researching social medicine, pursuing health equity, and working toward guaranteeing the right to health as Under Secretary of Health for the Buenos Aires Province.
21. Khalil Goga, South Africa – Designing and implementing programs for global Atlantic Fellows and staff, fostering a connected, lifelong community.
22. Lauren Burke, United States – Training organizers to have the skills needed to win campaigns that build workers’ power and improve wages and working conditions.
23. Lisa McMurray, Australia – Supporting self-determining community development through Indigenous-led nature repair and climate solutions at the Aboriginal Carbon Foundation.
24. Madhumitha Ardhanari, United Kingdom, Inquiring into circularity in critical minerals and sediment extraction, and coaching organizations in the face of climate breakdown.
25. Madhuresh Kumar, France – Building the next generation of climate justice leadership and developing just, decentralized alternatives and movement networks to tackle the climate crisis.
26. Mafoko Phomane, South Africa – Advocating for environmental justice, working with the health sector and communities as Environmental health campaign manager at groundWork.
27. Myriam Hernandez, Bosnia and Herzegovina – Producing storytelling campaigns to address educational inequalities for Indigenous youth in Mexico and amplifying Indigenous voices on climate justice and biodiversity.
28. Patronella Nqaba, South Africa – Driving regional and continental initiatives while nurturing a global community as the program and impact lead (Africa) for the Atlantic Institute.
29. Peter Gan Kim Soon, Malaysia – Bridging health care, research and policy with public health by responsibly disrupting the system for a sustainable and equitable future. 
30. Renard Siew, Malaysia – Combating climate change, pushing for societal sustainability and promoting more sustainable and equitable opportunities for marginalized communities.
31. Sergio Chaparro Hernández, Colombia/United Kingdom – Working in international human rights organizations and forging alliances across movements and geographies to advance economic justice at a global level.
32. Tania Pouwhare, New Zealand – Disrupting the extractive economy by demonstrating an economy of mana, which benefits our biosphere and the self-determination of Indigenous peoples.
33. Tisa Rodriguez, United States – Leading initiatives as an environmental planner with expertise in transportation infrastructure focused on sustainability and conflict resolution.
34. Tshepo Mokhad, South Africa – Implementing sustainable initiatives in hospitals and the health sector to reduce the carbon footprint, lessen use of harmful chemicals and promote waste minimization strategies.