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Eva Willmann de Donlea, MBA Director 1EARTH Pty Ltd L2, 175 Macquarie Street Sydney NSW 2000 Australia P +61 2 92292711 M +61 (0) 41111 9323 mailto:[email protected] Executive Director 1Earth Institute Inc. – EIN 81- 421820 4770 Biscayne Blvd, Suite 1280 Miami, FL 33137 USA P +1 321 396 5744 [email protected] www.1earth-institute.net April 1, 2018 INPUT to the TALANOA DIALOGUE

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Page 1: TABLE OF CONTENTS - UNFCCC  · Web view2020. 3. 17. · Tuvalu, Kiribati and the Marshall Islands, for example, ... Australian First Nations’ word for deep listening is ‘dadirri’,

Eva Willmann de Donlea, MBA

Director1EARTH Pty LtdL2, 175 Macquarie Street Sydney NSW 2000 AustraliaP +61 2 92292711M +61 (0) 41111 9323mailto:[email protected]

Executive Director1Earth Institute Inc. – EIN 81-4218204770 Biscayne Blvd, Suite 1280Miami, FL 33137 USAP +1 321 396 [email protected]

April 1, 2018

INPUT to the TALANOA DIALOGUE

TABLE OF CONTENTSOur Input to The Talanoa Dialogue.......................................................................................2

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Where are we?......................................................................................................................3Where do we want to go?......................................................................................................4Informal linkages and dialogue.............................................................................................5How do we get there?...........................................................................................................6PROCESS 1 - Needs analysis and 'deep listening' – people to people....................................7PROCESS 2 - Dialogue Circles...............................................................................................8PROCESS 3 – Joint decision making process........................................................................10

Our Input to The Talanoa DialogueWe are grateful for the opportunity to present our thoughts and our input on the TALANOA DIALOGUE briefing and the TALANOA DIALOGUE ’s objectives.

We propose that consultation, participation and equal inclusion of Indigenous peoples and community leaders is an essential part of how to reach global climate goals.

Since TALANOA is a Fijian concept, we are using the example of the Pacific Islands nations in our input to work through a suggested step by step approach on how to move the global climate agenda forward.

1Earth Pty Ltd is the consulting arm of 1Earth Institute Inc. We work globally and are incorporated in the USA as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with offices in the USA & Australia. What makes 1Earth Institute Inc. unique is that our Directors Board and our Advisory Board consist of a balanced Indigenous-non-indigenous representation.

Our focus is on integration of sustainable solutions from a shared knowledge base. At the heart of our 1Earth Institute educational programs & corporate training is inspiring the reclamation of a wiser consciousness to inform corporate and policy decisions. We want to form the building blocks for a common language that bridges cultural barriers and decolonizes our thinking, because the transfer of understanding across knowledge systems is fundamental to any true cross-cultural partnership.

We aim to present a gentle, and yet effective, input to the TALANOA DIALOGUE which above all is inclusive and honors the spirit of TALANOA which “… fosters stability and inclusiveness in dialogue by creating a safe space that embraces mutual respect for a platform for decision making for a greater good.”

Through the example of the Pacific nations, we respond to the three set topics: Where are we? Where do we want to go? How do we get there?

Eva Willmann de Donlea, 2018 2

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Where are we?The TALANOA DIALOGUE is a dialogue on common challenges, in that no country is an island on its own; we are all interconnected through the waters of the sea and the Earth’s prevailing climatic conditions.

The Pacific region is significantly threatened by climate change; it is an existential threat to the Pacific. There are many climate change related issues Pacific Island nations must deal with, such as increases in extreme weather events and natural disasters.

Here are four examples:

FOOD & WATER SECURITY - Climate change has a ripple effect on food and water security in the Pacific. Storm surges, unpredictable precipitation patterns and floods impact the integrity of ground and rain water systems, which are used by most PIC communities for drinking water and irrigation. As such, water insecurity is a significant concern impacting on public health in Pacific regions. Tuvalu, Kiribati and the Marshall Islands, for example, are nations barely three meters above sea level, which makes them particularly vulnerable to storm surges and rising seas.

SEEPING OF RADIOACTIVE WASTE - A corollary of climate change is the radioactive waste accumulating on and around many islands. Sea level rises caused by climate change has the waters of the Pacific Ocean seep into US nuclear waste dumps on low-lying Pacific atolls, flushing out radioactive substances left behind from atomic weapons tests 1.

CLIMATE CHANGE RISK IN BUSINESS - Climate change risks across the region are regarded seriously from a business point of view. There has been a marked shift in the approach to climate change risk as presenting a significant financial risk. What was once seen as an ethical, non-financial issue, today’s business has increasingly less tolerance for climate change denialism as their investors, their insurers, and their customers are concerned about it.

Where do we want to go?1. Contribute to economic development and good governance in the Pacific

by creating the opportunity to work on common issues and develop long-term relationships through shared experiences.

2. Cultivate meaningful long-term relationships between UN agencies, governments, and NGOs with Pacific individuals and organizations;

3. Expand and strengthen Pacific connections by developing new networks through facilitating 'Second Track' dialogue on issues of mutual interest and

1 Mark Willacy, 28 November 2017 Foreign Correspondent ABC, “A Poison in Our Island’ http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-11-27/the-dome-runit-island-nuclear-test-leaking-due-to-climate-change/9161442

Eva Willmann de Donlea, 2018 3

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leveraging existing forums.

Eva Willmann de Donlea, 2018

Climate Change Partners

hip

Climate Change UN

AGENCIES

Government agencies

NGOs

Community self sufficiency

Traditions & culture

Education and interchange

WOMEN LEADERS

Business

Investments

Renewable Energy

Regional Security

Disasterrelief

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Underlying the TALANOA DIALOGUE initiative is a step change towards Pacific nations to lead away from the boilerplate commitments supporting ‘stability and prosperity’ in the climate change debate, and instead to foster a strong focus on developing a new balance between aspirations of leadership and partnership.

An emphasis on partnership is a commitment to deepen people to people links, and

to strengthen linkages between international and Pacific Island governments, business and community groups;

to foster continuing partnerships;

to develop leadership and dialogue on common challenges;

and to build on existing relationships and connections, or establish new ways of engaging existing or emerging Pacific leaders in their fields.

Informal linkages and dialogueWhilst governments play a central role in meeting the challenge of sustainable development, the TALANOA DIALOGUE brief encourages greater dialogue and long-term linkages, recognizing that leadership in the Pacific is manifested through both formal and informal institutions.

We want to consider how to match current or emerging Pacific leaders – across government, business, public service, sport, arts and culture, church and community sectors – to international leaders to forge long-lasting personal connections and mutually beneficial relationships.

The link between human well-being (environmental, social, cultural and economic) and ecological processes continues to be often overlooked in climate change mitigation.

There is a need to consider local context and to recognize social and cultural knowledge. The Pacific region has a cultural heritage which is over 50,000 years old, and the Indigenous peoples of the nations in this ‘sea of islands’ are deeply connected and stand in solidarity to one another.

We suggest that it is paramount to success that traditional indigenous and local knowledge is actively incorporated in the planning and implementation processes of the TALANOA DIALOGUE.

Eva Willmann de Donlea, 2018 5

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How do we get there?The TALANOA brief clearly identifies that stability and inclusiveness are to be fostered in dialogue “…by creating a safe space that embraces mutual respect for a platform for decision making for a greater good.”

The emphasis is on establishing and maintaining long-term continuing partnerships between the international parties and the Oceanic nations’ representatives.

Long lasting personal connections, mutually beneficial relationships and a partnership between nations and peoples, all these are based on trust, and trust is not gained by unilateral actions and solutions, and it may take some time to establish.

The fundamental premise to these partnerships must be that

1. the parties recognize their equal standing and embark on a joint decision making process,

2. and it is recognized that Indigenous, local Pacific islander knowledge is equal in value and is complementary to Western science and knowledge.

A process of inclusive, participatory and transparent dialogue on common challenges is required. If we are serious about partnership building, we urge all parties to move beyond rhetoric and initiate a process of ‘deep listening’ with community leaders and Indigenous elders of the Pacific Nations2.

As a first process, we see the parties’ decision makers sit down with people from Oceanic nations to listen and initiate dialogue.

The Talanoa brief specifies that its purpose is “…to share stories, build empathy and to make wise decisions for the collective good”.

Once to elders and community representatives have been heard and able to identify their needs, we see a collaborative process towards culturally and situationally appropriate solutions to be instituted via a joint decision making process.

2 Australian First Nations’ word for deep listening is ‘dadirri’, which is the practice of being silent and listen (rather than concentrating on a response/solution) and it is based on respect.

Eva Willmann de Donlea, 2018 6

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We propose that the format of this partnership is be approached in the following manner:

PROCESS 1 - NEEDS ANALYSIS & DEEP LISTENING – people to people We suggest that this NEEDS ANALYSIS & DEEP LISTENING phase of this process is established through visits to each the islands to meet with community leaders, women and elders by a delegation. The TALANOA brief clearly states that “the process … involves the sharing of ideas, skills and experience through storytelling”. We suggest that the ‘Listening’ party is always accompanied by an Indigenous elder of the area (and/or a neighboring region).

This constitutes a fundamentally different level of discourse to one led by a political, business, or university representative. When elders speak to other elders and community leaders, trust is (usually) a given. It will include spiritual perspectives towards the environment and climate change which are fundamental to Oceanic peoples and are often overlooked in its management.

This will assist in providing opportunities to identify women and youths as future leaders of the region and to promote the role of women in the Pacific. It is important to foster gender equality in the Pacific, including women’s economic empowerment, women’s leadership and reducing violence against women. We recommend that all programs prioritize indigenous knowledge, and engage women as agents of change.

What makes 1Earth Institute Inc. unique and able to provide such services is that we are an Indigenous-Western partnership, and we work globally. Our Directors Board and our Advisory Board consists of a balanced Indigenous-Non-indigenous representation.

We suggest that we make use of our joint existing resources and global Indigenous and Western networks to effectively deliver programming, and we will bring in partners and consultants to assist us. We can provide a list of proposed partners and advisors on request.

Eva Willmann de Donlea, 2018

2. Dialogue Circles

3. Joint decision making process

Pacific Islanders

International parties

Polynesia

Mcironesia

Melanesia

PARTNERSHIP

1. Needs Analysis - Deep

Listening

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PROCESS 2 - Dialogue Circles

“Talanoa is a traditional word used in Fiji and across the Pacific to reflect a process of inclusive, participatory and transparent dialogue”.

Different cultural ‘understandings’ often do not translate well; and this is not conducive to mutual understanding.

For example, the intricate interrelationship between the land, the sea, and the natural environment perceived by traditional and Indigenous peoples cannot be explained readily in commercial or policy terms. And yet, the transfer of information and understanding across knowledge systems is fundamental to the development of a partnership.

Dialogue circles are an effective way of bridging cultural complexities and giving voice to disparate understandings of an issue. They are an elegant way of dealing with different assumptions and opinions.

Defending and challenging assumptions often can give rise to discussions with elevated emotional charges. David Bohm3, the eminent physicist, recalls that Albert Einstein and Niels Bohr developed such a dislike of each other because each believed they held the unique truth as they defended rigid positions. In this way, they remained separate and the fertile ground for dialogue and scientific interchange was not established.

Dialogue circles deal with such hard stances in creating a space in which listening to all opinions is promoted. An essential part of dialogue circles is that they reveal assumptions.

3 On Dialogue by David Bohm - http://sprott.physics.wisc.edu/Chaos-Complexity/dialogue.pdf

Eva Willmann de Donlea, 2018

Dialogue Circles Joint decision making process

Pacific Islanders International

parties

Polynesia

Mcironesia

Melanesia

PARTNERSHIP

Needs Analysis - Deep Listening

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It is not necessary to convince one another. During the process, each will see the other side’s position which will allow the two polarized groups to talk to each other. Dialogue circles are processes which explore assumptions, perspectives and beliefs and which allow the space for fresh and original insights to emerge. 

We suggest that DIALOGUE CIRCLES are used as the process for networking and dialogue meetings prescribed by the TALANOA DIALOGUE brief:

to strengthen linkages between UN bodies, governments, business and community groups.

to foster continuing partnerships to develop leadership and dialogue on common challenges.

to encourage greater dialogue and long-term linkages through both formal and informal institutions.

In intercultural meetings with Pacific and international leaders – across government, business, public service, sport, arts and culture, church and community sectors to forge long-lasting personal connections and mutually beneficial relationships.

In meetings that leverage and mobilize existing private and community sector support and participation as sources of technical expertise, host partners and networking opportunities.

We suggest that we will have always two dialogue leaders, one Indigenous and one non-Indigenous, to facilitate language transfer and maintaining the trust in the processes.

1Earth Institute Inc. has just run a highly successful cross-cultural dialogue circle on 28/29 October 2017 in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA, which was moderated by our Director and Arhuaco Elder Mamo Calixto Suarez Villafane and Dr Glenn Parry, author of the seminal book on dialogue circles.

We suggest that we make use of our existing resources and networks to effectively deliver dialogue circles, and we will bring in partners and consultants to advise and assist.

Eva Willmann de Donlea, 2018 9

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PROCESS 3 – Joint decision making process

The decision-making process will evolve from the previous two phases and on joint advice from the cross-cultural dialogue leaders.

In this phase, it would be conducive to apply the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a template to this process. The SDGs are measurable, internationally accepted and consider the mutuality of communities and the environment.

We want to achieve meaningful collaborations and strong partnerships in the Pacific region, then the Sustainable Development Goals provide a comprehensive framework for harmonizing human wellbeing with environmental policy and management across cultures.

Eva Willmann de Donlea, MBA

Eva Willmann de Donlea, 2018

Dialogue Circles Joint decision making process

Pacific Islanders

International parties

Polynesia

Mcironesia

Melanesia

PARTNERSHIP

Needs Analysis - Deep Listening

10