Virtual Sustainability Career Fair (EN)

 

Time and place: All Day, Online

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Registration Closed

 

Description:

The Sustainability Week Geneva Virtual Career Fair will give students and young professionals the opportunity to learn from and interact with experts working at various sustainability-oriented organizations across Geneva.

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Each organisation will present about the projects and positions related to sustainability at their organisation, while also providing tips on how students and young professionals can prepare themselves for a career in this field. Each organisation will also have a Q&A session to answer live questions from attendees.

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Participating Organizations:

• World Wildlife Fund (WWF)

• The Geneva Water Hub

• The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

• Think Pacific

• Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC)

• Impact Hub

• World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)

• The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)

• The Geneva Environment Network (GEN)

• UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN)

• Geneva Solutions

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Pre-Assembly: Introduction to Citizens’ Assembly (EN)

 

Time and place: 10:00 - 11:30, Online

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Moderator: Khaliun Purevsuren and Tobias Drilling, IHEID students

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Speakers: 

• Rodan Bury (FR speaker)  –  Occupational therapist, Extinction Rebellion Switzerland

• Karine Croquelois (FR speaker) - enseignante, Extinction Rébellion Lausanne

• David Laou (simultaneous FR-EN interpretation)  –  Co-founder of NVC (Nonviolent Communication) Geneva

 

Description:

Discussing our future together? Brainstorming ideas to prevent upcoming catastrophes? Democratically deciding on the planet our children will live in? The concept of the citizens’ assembly tackles exactly such processes, most known from France’s Convention Citoyenne pour le Climat deliberating recommendations on how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at least 40 percent by 2030 “in the spirit of social justice.” (https://europeanclimate.org/a-tale-of-two-citizens-assemblies/ ).

 

As citizen’s’ assemblies are part of a participatory democracy, they are processes by which citizens make political decisions. A representative panel of society learns in depth about the issues to be addressed, listens to experts and various stakeholders and then deliberate collectively to finally issue recommendations and take (legally binding) decisions that will then be implemented by the authorities.

 

Our pre-assembly discovers the concept in detail and introduces it to the participants who will later then participate in the People’s Assembly on March 26th. The purpose is to introduce academia to climate change grassroots movements and concepts, and through the pre-assembly, we would prepare them to firsthand experience the participatory democracy concept advocated by these movements.

 

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Sustainability and the Crisis of Value: Conversations between Bhutan and Switzerland (EN) 

 

Time and place:  12:00 - 13:30, Online

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Moderator: Anne Lee Steele, MA Candidate, Anthropology and Sociology, The Graduate Institute

 

Speakers:

• Phuntsho Wangyel - Senior Policy Analyst, Gross National Happiness Commission

• Jane Carter - Senior Advisor, Natural Resource Governance, Helvetas

• Thinley Choden - CEO, Center for Sustainability Studies Bhutan; Founding Curator of Global Shapers Bhutan, World Economic Forum

• Kasmira Jefford - Geneva Solutions, Editor-in-Chief; Sustainable Finance and Business, Editor

• Sonam Deki – Environmental Health Specialist, Gyaltshen Consultancy; Youth Climate Ambassador, Global Youth Climate Network

• Silvano Lieger - Executive Director, Sentience Politics; Catalyst, Collaboratio Helvetica; Board Member, Global Shapers Zurich

 

Description:

In 1972, Bhutan’s fourth king proposed “Gross National Happiness” (GNH) as an alternative to gross domestic product (GDP), calling the latter an inadequate measure of a country’s value. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic brought the world to its knees, bringing long standing issues of economic inequality, social justice, and environmental protection to the forefront. Switzerland has been no exception.

 

This panel brings together diverse voices from Bhutan and Switzerland to discuss how both the climate crisis and global pandemic have challenged sustainable development as we know it, and destabilized traditional notions of economic value, environmental protection, and cultural preservation. Taking the form of an interactive dialogue, speakers will engage with each other about what today’s “crisis of value” means for their respective cultures, countries, and industries. Can Bhutan’s GNH be applied within International Geneva? Where do the Bhutanese and Swiss approaches to s diverge, or alternatively, converge? 

 

This panel is meant to facilitate intergenerational dialogue between two countries with a long-shared history, and provide an opportunity for shared learning.

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Agents of Change for Sustainable Organizations (EN)

 

Time and place: 14:00 - 15:30, Online

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Moderator: Khaliun Purevsuren and Anne Lee Steele, IHEID students

Speakers:  

• Lise Van Long - Corporate Senior Sustainability Manager, International Olympic Committee

• Roland Widmer - Co-founder of CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) Geneva and Sustainable Finance Geneva initiatives

 

Description:

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In the face of overwhelming global challenges like climate change, can individuals in organizations make a difference through the implementation of Corporate Social Responsibility and other sustainable organizational practices? The speakers will help the audience understand these concepts and share their professional experiences on how their organizations are at the forefront of sustainable organizational practices. They will further give an insight into how the landscape of corporate social responsibility is changing, what the role of organizational leadership is in this and what improves this leadership. This is an event for students and other interested individuals to understand the opportunities and challenges faced by individuals within and outside the organization to push for sustainable organizational practices and our speakers’ personal motivations for being the sustainable champions in their fields.

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Panel on Environmental Racism (EN) 

 

Time and place: 16:00 - 17:00, Online

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In partnership with Black Conversations, Latin American Network Initiative and Student Initiative on Asia

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Speakers :

• Emilie Ferreira - Climate Strike

• Stacey Vigallon - Baldwin Hills Greenhouse Program and alumnis from the program The youth program helps urban youth have access to nature.

• Bezwada Wilson - Coordinator for the Southern Cone Conservation Chapter of the Society for Conservation Biology

 

Description:

The destruction of the world’s biodiversity and the effects of climate change are disproportionally felt by people of color living in developed and underdeveloped parts of the world. Environmental racism is connected to a continued, violent legacy of colonialism, slavery, and exploitation of land, resources, and peoples around the world.

 

The panel on environmental racism invites speakers to discuss their perspectives on what is of the most detrimental effects of environmental racism today, what work is being done to combat environmental racism, hold systems, leaders, and companies, and communities who contribute to environmental racism accountable, and how to push for equitable, just sustainability efforts. 

 

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‘Thank you for the Rain’ film screening and panel discussion (EN)

 

Time and place: 19:00 - 21:30, Online 

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Watch Here

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Moderator:

 

Panelists: 

• Hilary Heath - Climate Justice Resilience Fund Program Associate

• Julia Dahr - Lead Filmmaker 

• Kisilu Musya - Co director and ‘star’ 

 

Description: 

 

Thank you for the rain, highlights that those who have contributed the least to climate change, are often suffering the worst consequences of global warming. The film portrays  the issues surrounding climate justice, as it tells the story of how a Kenyan farmer struggles because of the impacts of climate change. This same farmer, Kisilu helps mobilise his community to find solutions. His story has since been used as a springboard for policy advocacy as it provides an example of how a personal climate story grounded in unique experience can engage audiences and inspire action.

 

At this event, we will collectively watch the film, then Anna will moderate an open discussion with the panelists and the audience. 

 

Find out more about the film here.

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