REMINDER: CALL FOR ABSTRACTS
BEYOND FIREWOOD: EXPLORING ALTERNATIVE FUELS AND ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES IN
HUMANITARIAN SETTINGS
The Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children would like to
kindly remind you about the upcoming conference: "Beyond Firewood:
Exploring Alternative Fuels and Energy Technologies in Humanitarian
Settings." Beyond Firewood will be the first-ever major international
research conference on firewood and alternative cooking fuels and energy
technologies in humanitarian settings. It will be held on December
11-12, 2008 in New Delhi, India.
The conference steering committee is now soliciting abstracts and
technology demonstrations for presentation at the conference. Please
find the call for abstracts attached herewith. Further details and the
abstract submission website are available through the conference website
at www.fuelnetwork.org/conference
<https://webaccess.theirc.org/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.fuelnetwork.org/conference>
Please note: The submission deadline is September 15, 2008.
Please check the conference website often, as additional logistical
information about the conference will be continually posted. Specific
questions related to the conference should be addressed to
[log in to unmask]
We hope to see you in New Delhi in December.
The Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children
Fuel and Firewood Initiative
This conference is generously supported by USAID and AJWS
+--------------------------+
CALL FOR ABSTRACTS
International Research Conference
Beyond Firewood
Exploring Alternative Fuels and Energy Technologies in Humanitarian Settings
ABSTRACTS WILL BE RECEIVED THROUGH SEPTEMBER 15, 2008
Background
The Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children is an advocacy and
expert resource organization working on behalf of refugee and displaced
women, children and adolescents around the world. The Women’s
Commission, based in New York, conducts research, documents findings,
provides technical assistance and undertakes advocacy. One key focus of
the Women’s Commission’s work since 2005 has been on ensuring safe
access by displaced women and girls to appropriate cooking fuel.
As part of its Fuel and Firewood Initiative, the Women’s Commission will
be hosting the first-ever major international research conference on
firewood and alternative cooking fuels and energy technologies in
humanitarian settings on December 11-12, 2008 in New Delhi, India.
The conference will bring together developers, practitioners and users
of alternative fuels, energy technologies and physical protection
strategies appropriate for use in humanitarian settings from around the
world. The aim is to share experiences and create new linkages among
researchers and practitioners, and build an empirical basis for
fuel-related interventions in humanitarian settings. In addition, the
conference will link technical experts with humanitarian staff in sites
and regions that are urgently in need of such interventions.
The Women’s Commission’s conference steering committee is now soliciting
abstracts for presentation at this conference. Abstracts will be
selected from submissions from developers, implementers and/or
users/beneficiaries of such interventions in the following three categories:
1. Case studies, evaluations and/or documented research on household
energy¹ interventions from or applicable to humanitarian settings.² This
category includes
* Improved stoves/cookers and/or other cooking technologies;
* Alternative³ cooking fuels or energy sources including but not limited
to: solar energy, ethanol, liquefied petroleum gas, biomass
briquettes/pellets and biogas;
* New and/or underutilized household energy interventions applicable to
use in humanitarian settings that could benefit from examination by a
diverse audience.
2. Case studies, evaluations and/or documented research on protection,
environment, food and/or health and safety interventions related to the
collection, provision or use of household energy in humanitarian
settings, particularly those that have measured the impact of a
household energy related intervention on the health/safety of women and
girls. This category includes:
* Direct provision of fuel/cooking technologies to beneficiaries;
* Physical protection strategies for firewood/fuel collectors, including
patrols, escorts, use of peacekeeping forces, etc.;
* Environmental programs/interventions designed to reduce reliance on
wood/biomass as a primary source of cooking fuel and/or to increase the
availability of such materials through reforestation, alternative
construction materials, etc.;
* Alternative fuels/cooking technologies/shelter designs, etc.
implemented to reduce the incidence of indoor air pollution and/or of
fires/burns caused by cooking fuels.
3. Case studies and/or evaluations of fuel-related livelihoods
interventions. This category includes:
* Projects implemented to provide a substitute to fuelwood-intensive
livelihoods activities such as brick-making, charcoal-making, etc.;
* Projects implemented to provide alternatives to/reduce reliance on the
sale of firewood or fuel rations for income-generation purposes.
In addition, individuals or agencies with specific technologies
available for demonstration are invited to apply for a demonstration
slot. Procedures for doing so are the same as for abstracts.
All submissions must be limited to 400 words or less and must be
submitted in English via the online abstract submission Web site
www.fuelnetwork.org/conference. Submissions received in any other manner
will not be considered. All information requested on the submission Web
site must be provided and submitted with your abstract before your
abstract will be considered. If an applicant wishes to submit an
abstract based on an already-published paper, it will be the
responsibility of the applicant to obtain all necessary permissions in
advance of the conference.
Abstracts must introduce the study, program or technology in question;
the region(s) of implementation; the intended beneficiaries; the results
of technical studies and performance evaluations; and the overall impact
of the project. More specifically, abstracts should seek to address the
following points:
* Background: Briefly describe the context for the work and explain why
the study, program or technology was needed. [40 words]
* Objectives: What goal is/was this study, program or technology
intended to achieve? [50 words]
* Study, Program or Technological Design and Methods: Describe the key
activities that define the work. For example, provide information that
answers questions such as: How was the program designed? Who were the
key beneficiaries and implementers and how was this population
identified/selected? What were the key aspects of the intervention
(i.e., design/production/dissemination of technologies, training, etc)?
[100 words]
* Findings: What was/is being discovered from doing this work? Describe
the monitoring and evaluation framework (i.e., what is the justification
for the claims?) [160 words]
* Conclusion: What can you conclude about this study, program or
technology? How might this information be used by other organizations?
[50 words]
Submission of an abstract represents a commitment by the applicant to
attend the conference should that abstract be selected for presentation,
to present a finished paper according to the conference presentation
standards and format, and to answer questions from conference
participants regarding the presentation.
Abstract submissions will be received between August 12 – September 15,
2008. All abstracts will then be reviewed by the conference steering
committee and applicants notified of the committee’s final decision by
October 1, 2008.
Sponsorship
A limited number of sponsorships are available for qualified applicants,
with preference given to refugee/internally displaced applicants.
Sponsorship applicants must further complete the sponsorship application
form which will be available on the conference Web site, beginning
September 1, 2008. Sponsorship applications received in any other manner
will not be considered.
Sponsorship for the conference will include the cost of travel to and
from New Delhi, India; ground transportation within New Delhi; hotel
accommodation; and meals and incidentals. Sponsorship applicants who are
also submitting abstracts are urged not to register for the conference
until a decision has been made regarding your abstract submission.
All sponsored participants whose abstract has been accepted for
presentation will further be expected to attend a one-day practice and
review session in advance of the conference, on December 10, 2008. All
other presenters are also invited to attend this practice session.
Contact information
Additional information regarding the call for abstracts and conference
details may be found on the conference Web site and will be continually
updated. Applicants are therefore requested to check the site regularly.
All questions and requests for further information should be sent to
[log in to unmask]
We look forward to seeing you in New Delhi in December.
The Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children, Fuel & Firewood
Initiative
NOTES
¹ “Household energy interventions” in this context refers primarily to
fuels/technologies used for cooking at the household level. Where the
same fuel/technology may be used for heating or lighting purposes at the
household level, they may be included as well. Where institutional
cooking fuels/technologies may be used to serve a broader humanitarian
purpose in camp settings, they may be included as well. Collective
and/or urban heating and lighting schemes will not be considered for
this conference.
² “Humanitarian settings” in this context includes both
conflict-affected and natural disaster settings. “Applicable to
humanitarian settings” means that such interventions are appropriate for
use in large-scale, resource-poor, often remote environments such as
refugee or internally displaced persons camps or temporary and/or
transitional settlements created in the wake of natural disasters.
³ “Alternative” in this case refers to non-firewood cooking fuels.
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