Cape Town workshop

Future Earth regional workshop for Africa

As Future Earth is at an early stage of development, ICSU, on behalf of a broad Science and Technology Alliance for Global Sustainability - which also includes ISSC, the Belmont Forum of global change research funding agencies, UNESCO, UNEP, UNU and WMO as observer – is seeking inputs from the regions to help shape the initiative, drive regional partnerships and engage a broad range of stakeholders. To this end, a set of regional workshops sponsored by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) is organized as a first step in what we hope to be a long and successful engagement with the regions in developing and delivering Future Earth. The workshop in Cape Town is the first of this initial set of regional consultations.

The workshop will be held over 3 days with a number of interactive sessions in plenary and in breakout groups to discuss, challenge, regionalize and specify the initial design options on the global research framework for Future Earth and the governance structure that an international Transition Team of experts have been working on. The workshop will gather scientists working on global and regional environmental change across disciplines, development actors, educators and capacity builders, funders and individuals working at the boundary between science and policy.

• Date
  

31 October - 02 November 2012

• Venue

Protea Hotel Sea Point

Arthur’s Road, Sea Point 8005

Cape Town, South Africa

Tel: +27 (0) 21 434 3344

Web: http://www.proteahotels.com/protea-hotel-sea-point.html

• Report

Workshop report

• Practical information

1. Logistical arrangements for Sida-sponsored participants

2. Logistical arrangements for self-sponsored participants

• Background documents

1. General information sheet on Future Earth and the workshop

2. Workshop agenda

3. Panel discussion on Future Earth at the University of Cape Town (01 November 2012, 18:00 – 20:00)

3.1 Programme

3.2 UCT map

4. List of Participants

5. Overview of the Future Earth research framework

6. Overview of the governance framework and institutional mechanisms for Future Earth

7. A Strategy for Global Environmental Change Research in Africa

• Presentations

1. General presentation of Future Earth: history, objectives, design process - Tanya Abrahamse

2. Future Earth research framework - Martin Visbeck

3. Integrated strategy for GEC research in Africa - Coleen Vogel

4. Report of breakout session 1 - Group 1

5. Report of breakout session 1 - Group 2

6. Report of breakout session 1 - Group 3

7. Report of breakout session 1 - Group 4

8. Dinner talk: Future Earth, sustainable development and (Southern) Africa - Mark New

9. Report breakout session 2 - Group 1 (observation and data)

10. Report breakout session 2 - Group 3 (capacity building)

11. Future Earth governance structure - Heide Hackmann

12. UCT event - Future Earth research framework - Martin Visbeck

13. Presentation from the Belmont Forum - Andrew Kaniki

14. Presentation from Sida - Neda Farahbakhshazad

15. Report breakout session 4 - Group 1

16. Report breakout session 4 - Group 2

17. Report breakout session 4 - Group 3

18. Report breakout session 4 - Group 4

19. Roundtable on success for Future Earth - Contribution by Guy Midgley

20. What's next? - Steven Wilson

• Accommodation

Protea Hotel Sea Point