Proceedings Rights of Nature Geneva Forum 2024

Proceedings of the International Annual Conference on the Rights of Nature for Peace and Development of Tuesday 10 december, Geneva.

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Geneva - Tuesday, December 10, 2024, Afternoon

13th International Annual Conference on the Rights of Nature for Peace and Development

Program

SCHEDULE AND SPEAKERS

Schedule
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM: Welcome to the room and one-on-one meetings
3:00 PM: Conference Opening, Introductory Notes and Protocol, Session Introduction
M. Thomas EGLI, Host of the Geneva Forum (Geneva Forum) and Session Chair, Switzerland
3:15 PM - 4:10 PM: Pitch Round (6 min. max. per speaker)
THEME 1: The Principle of Protection as a Lever to Achieve the Rights of Nature Within Legal and Economic Frameworks.
Adeline SCHWAB, Tchendukua, Switzerland

When Ancestral Knowledge and Scientific Expertise Dialogue to Heal the Earth: A Cross-Diagnostic of the Rhône’s Territorial Health

Summary



In autumn 2023, the Tchendukua association organized a cross-diagnostic of the Rhône’s territorial health in Geneva. Five spiritual Kogi authorities (an indigenous people from the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in Colombia) traveled to Geneva to assess the health of this river alongside thirteen Swiss and French scientists.

This world-first initiative involved studying a territory by merging ancestral knowledge and scientific expertise. Over fifteen sites along the Rhône were studied, a dozen conferences were held, and several mayors (including Alfonso Gomez, former Mayor of Geneva) and ministers met with the Kogi delegation.

The primary objective was to open up to new ways of thinking and living, to collectively invent new paths while reconnecting our alliance with the living world. Scientists and Kogi spiritual authorities worked together to develop solutions for healing and regenerating the territory.

This dialogue also questioned how Westerners relate to the living world, highlighting the differences in the Kogis’ ontology compared to ours. For example, the Kogis have an empathetic and sensitive approach to life. To them, a territory functions like a human body, where imbalances in one area have repercussions elsewhere: everything is connected.

This human body-territory analogy also reflects the Kogis’ view of the Earth as a living organism, an entity always considered a subject, never an object. Unlike modern societies, they do not separate humans from nature.

These differences emerged during the diagnostic, raising profound questions and challenging our utilitarian relationship with natural resources. The Kogi worldview encourages us to question our anthropocentric relationship with the living world, which enables the exploitation of natural resources.

This project illustrates a way to build collective reflection and adopt a non-anthropocentric perspective. Through informal education in the field (learning from each other by mobilizing different knowledge to study the same territory), scientists were enriched by the Kogi way of thinking and their perception of a territory.

These exchanges provided many invited scientists with insights into regenerating the relationship between humans and nature. Furthermore, this project offers an educational format that values the precious ancestral knowledge held by the Kogis (4,000 years of uninterrupted transmission).

The Kogis propose reconnecting to a memory we may have forgotten in our "development." They invite us to remember that despite our urban and modern lifestyles, we are living beings among living beings.

Given their empathetic connection with "Mother Earth," their message is like a cry from the Earth. The Kogis observe ecological imbalances and encourage us to rethink our relationships with each other and with nature.

Tanguy BLONDEL, Participant in a participatory research expedition organized by the OSI PANTHERA Participatory Research Program, France

The Snow Leopard: Its Study and Conservation

Summary



The snow leopard, being a species heavily impacted by human activities, is the focus of scientific expeditions conducted by the OSI Panthera program. These expeditions implement scientific protocols to enrich the NGO’s databases.

The protocols aim to better understand snow leopard populations in the Sarychat-Ertash Reserve in Kyrgyzstan. In addition to their scientific aspects, these expeditions have notable human and naturalistic field components.

Given the decline in snow leopard populations and other species within its ecosystem, studying and protecting this species is crucial today. Including it in the Rights of Nature and giving it equal value to humans could lead to a better understanding of the species and concrete actions for global conservation.

This presentation aims to provide a detailed account of actions taken for this species and explore how to include it in legislation.

Sylvie NKOLOMONI, Association of Congolese Women Lawyers, Association La Voix du Savoir (Lavos), DR Congo

Review of the Request by the DRC Government to Reopen the Rome Statute to Introduce the Crime of Ecocide into the Crimes Prosecuted by the International Criminal Court in The Hague

Summary



In 2016, Thomas EGLI, who had been advancing the Rights of Nature through various initiatives over the years and collaborating with African, European, and American jurists, decided to begin the groundwork for requesting the reopening of the Rome Statute by the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

He asked his long-time partner, Mr. Moussa MUSAVULI MBUTHO (Kinshasa Forum 2003), to organize a meeting or dinner with relevant ministerial and legal officials in Kinshasa. This launched an 18-month journey marked by numerous jurist meetings to establish the documentation necessary to empower the DRC government to make this request.

Among these jurists, Ms. Sylvie NKOLOMONI successfully led and facilitated the small group established by Mr. Thomas EGLI. She reflects today on the testimony of these formative years at the origin of a significant change we all hope for.

THEME 2: Informal Education Towards a Non-Anthropocentric Relationship With Nature.
Béatrice MONNERIE

PowerfulStars: Merging Design and Nature to Regenerate Our Ecosystems

Summary



The "PowerfulStars" project aims to create an innovative bamboo structure nestled in the heart of a circular bamboo garden. Imagine stepping into a haven of peace, located in the city or countryside, where nature and design harmoniously merge.

This project is not merely a green, aesthetic, harmonious, and sustainable space but also an alternative to conventional architecture. By combining ecosystem regeneration and human well-being, this garden will serve as a biodiversity reserve and a flagship destination, offering a unique and enriching experience for all.

Maria-Mercedes SANCHEZ, former coordinator of the United Nations "Harmony with Nature" program, Michèle WACHS, Thomas EGLI

Catalog of Best Practices in Non-Anthropocentric Education on Nature

Summary



To understand and promote a non-anthropocentric approach to nature education.

- Objectives: Promote paradigm shifts in various fields (education, scientific research, legal frameworks, etc.) to adopt a non-anthropocentric perspective on nature.

We will emphasize the importance of informal education, provide examples of non-anthropocentric activities, and encourage the integration of diverse associations and experts from around the world to enrich and validate the proposed approaches.

4:10 PM - 4:20 PM: Presentation of the question to work on
4:20 PM - 5:25 PM: Group Work Sessions
5:25 PM - 5:50 PM: Interactive Roundtable (Feedback Session)
5:50 PM - 6:00 PM: Closing Remarks
6:00 PM: End of the Workshop
7:00 PM: Geneva Forum Networking Dinner


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