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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