Dear GNHRE community,

I hope this email finds you happy and well.

As you are aware GNHRE has this week released a draft Declaration on Human Rights and Climate Change, see attached doc and link: http://gnhre.org/gnhre-draft-declaration/

This document is on public exhibition until 19 February 2016, after which time we will review responses and proposed amendments, so we can develop the next draft.

In the interests of an inclusive engagement process, involving all people from across the world, we think it is very important to develop translated versions of the draft declaration in to as many language groups as possible, including indigenous languages.

We are looking urgently for volunteers to translate the draft declaration. To ensure that translations are faithful to the intent and content of the declaration, we are asking for people to work in minimum size groups of two on translating the document. So at a minimum, one person would translate and another would check that the translation is faithful to the English version.

Translators do not necessarily need to be part of the GNHRE community, they may be contacts you have. Feel free to send this email on to these contacts. You may volunteer to do the translation yourself, then have one of your colleagues check the translation for you.

Under each translated version we will acknowledge the translators names and affiliations, please remember to provide these at the bottom of the document, when you submit your translated version.

Under each translated version can you please include an invitation for the ‘in principle’ endorsement of the draft declaration by individuals and/ or organisations. It is important to include in your note  that we require endorsers full name, affiliations, and country of residence e.g. Dr Kirsten Davies, Macquarie Law School and Department of Environmental Sciences, Macquarie University, Australia. We also request their email contact, which will not be published on the GNHRE website but will be used in future correspondence with them as the declaration evolves. Endorsements and responses need to be sent to me please: Kirsten Davies : [log in to unmask]

To save any duplication of effort, e.g. six people working on a Spanish version, please email me as soon as possible, to let me know if you are prepared to volunteer to undertake this important task, including if you have identified a second person to work on the translation with you. I will then communicate with you and collate who has volunteered to work on which language group.

We are very keen to engage all people, children, the elderly, families, organisations, leaders etc. Of particular importance is the engagement of indigenous peoples, often they are the most affected communities by the impacts of climate change. They also have much to contribute in terms of understanding relationships between people and nature and thus the development of this declaration. We would be most interested to hear from any indigenous scholars/leaders/ community members and/ or  those working with indigenous communities as to how they believe we can best engage them in the  process of endorsing ( if they wish to ) and developing the declaration. If you would please undertake to consult with any indigenous people you are working with and then email through any responses and/ or endorsements, we would be most grateful.

As COP 21 will soon be upon us, it will be fabulous if we could have translated versions on the GNHRE website as quickly as possible.

Apologies for the urgency, all of this has happened very quickly, but it warms my heart to see the endorsements that are pouring in each day ( you can see these on the website under the Declaration), clearly demonstrating the need for securing human rights in the context of climate change.

Happy day/night

Kirsty (on behalf of the GNHRE community)

Dr Kirsten Davies Ph.D
Lecturer

Department of Environmental Sciences & Macquarie Law School
Room 505, Level 5, Building W3A
Macquarie University, NSW 2109, Australia

T: +61 2 9850 8334 | M: + 61 438 255 687 | E: [log in to unmask]
W: http://web.science.mq.edu.au/directory/listing/person.htm?id=kdavies

Co-ordinating Lead Author - Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, Asia Pacific Assessment  (IPBES)  see:  http://ipbes.net/

Recent publications

Davies, K., 2015 “Kastom, Climate Change and Intergenerational Democracy: experiences from Vanuatu” (pp 49-66),  "Managing Climate Change in the Asia-Pacific Region", Climate Change Management Series, Springer International Publishing

Davies, K., C. Doolan, R. van den Honert, and R. Shi, 2014, “Water-saving impacts of Smart Meter technology: An empirical 5 year, whole-of-community study in Sydney, Australia”, Water Resour. Res., 50

Davies, K.et al. 2014, “Lower Hunter Air Quality Community Research Project” report prepared for the NSW Environment Protection Authority

http://www.epa.nsw.gov.au/resources/epa/air-quality-lower-hunter-report.pdf

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