Conveners in Action
The theme of Trees, Water and People’s 25th anniversary year has been People over Projects - which recognizes that the processes we undertake are ongoing, and depend on people with stable economic and social footing to get done well.
We started off 2024 with three major gatherings that brought together people to think big about the work we do, the goals we’re trying to achieve, and how to best approach our role in the work as the world changes.
ETHOS scholarship recipient Dr. Victoria Cortés, Director of the biomass energy lab at Zamorano Panamerican University in Honduras and Sebastian Africano, Trees, Water & People Executive Director.
Our first conference was the annual ETHOS gathering in late January, which brings together researchers, practitioners, investors, policy makers and forestry experts to discuss the state of the clean cooking sector. TWP is the current board chair, and we were able to host 120 global participants to discuss policy shifts, new research, potential funding sources, inspiring advances in technology, and highlights from the lab and field.
Co-host and Summit co-sponsor John Waconda, Indigenous Partnerships Program Manager, The Nature Conservancy New Mexico
Immediately afterward, TWP traveled to New Mexico to co-host the first ever Tribal Forest and Fire Summit, which brought together 170 individuals from over 25 Tribes and restoration groups in the southwest. The conference was organized by Native Americans for Native Americans - all concerned about the state of forests in the region. The climate risks facing the US southwest can’t be overstated, and Tribes need to be at the forefront of any proposed restoration efforts.
Finally, as we convened folks around the U.S., our Central America team has been busy visiting half a dozen Indigenous groups and organizations working on climate resilience in rural Mexico. We’ve been cultivating partnerships in Mexico over the past year, and received a grant to provide capacity building services to small organizations in Puebla, Veracruz and Oaxaca through a local network that convenes under resourced rural organizations.
What better way to start the year than to have face-to-face conversations with hundreds of allies committed to confronting climate change with hard work, collaboration, and grassroots effort. This is the essence of what we mean when we say People over Projects, and how we plan to keep showing up in the world.
Keep following TWP to track all the exciting work that will come from these amazing gatherings.
