Grants talk:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Conference Fund/Tejiendo redes de conocimiento en América Latina:Conferencia sobre Justicia climática, voces indígenas y conocimiento abierto - Perú 2024

WMF review and feedback

Hi @Felino Volador and the WikiAcción Perú team,

(Español después)

Thank you very much for this proposal and for your initiative in organizing Conference on climate justice, indigenous voices and open knowledge - Peru 2024. I highly appreciate the time and effort you put into this proposal. I have reviewed your proposal and have some comments and follow up questions:

• Can you explain why Huaraz? As far as I know Huaraz is far less accessible for international travelers (requires a flight from the international airport or a 7 hours drive from Lima). Our request is that events take place at locations that are no more than 1 flight from a major international hub. Does that apply?

Other than that, I know that due to the height, it can be very challenging for international travelers and most people require some adjustment time.

• I really appreciate the regional collaboration between the wiki User groups. This is a great best practice to learn from and has a great potential for impact. I’m also happy to see that many of the COT members are well experienced past organizers.
• Can you please elaborate a bit about some of your ongoing or current activities and projects as a working group?
• Can you please explain what is the value of the Latin America focus? Why do you ask to focus specifically on the regional perspective rather than discussing this as a global platform? And why now? Why is this the best momentum to host such a conference?
• You said that one of the major needs and objectives is capacity building. Can you please share what are some of the capacities and skills that you identified as missing or required?
• I agree that partnerships and outreach is a key element in generating real impact for the issues you are targeting. Do you currently have any ongoing collaborations with non-wiki knowledge institutions of civil society organizations? If so - what are some of the projects or initiatives you are promoting with those partners?
• How will you select the non-wiki participants? Do you have any criteria, or require any level of wiki experience or engagement?
• 58 scholarships out of 100 participants - do you expect the rest will be local/ self-funded?
• Is there enough on-ground planning support in Peru? How many organizing team members do you expect to have?
• Thank you for the thorough learning objectives.

Budget:

• What is the ‘Board - 5 days’ budget item for?
• What languages do you intend to translate into? Was that a need that came from the community? I’m asking because it seems that the overall translation budget is quite high.

Thank you for this proposal and initiative and for the collaborative nature in which you are leading it. I have 3 major concerns that I would like to get your input on:

1. The location and the accessibility. If it was a local event, it wouldn’t have been such a concern. But because you are targeting this to be a regional event, I am worried about the location and the challenging journey it requires.

2. I understand the ‘Umbrella’ definition of ‘Climate Justice’, but I am also wondering if the areas of Climate change; indigenous voices and representation; Human Rights; Diversity, Equity etc, are not too wide to tackle at a conference. I do obviously see the connection between all, but I am not sure about the scope you have identified. I have a concern that it will be very easy to lose focus that way and that making an impact through this conference might be challenging when you are targeting such a wide net.

3. Lastly, I am wondering why not to have this as an IberoConf pre/post/ satellite conference? As we are trying to move more closely to regional collaboration and leadership structures, it is only natura;l for such an event to collaborate and to benefit from the regional gathering platform you already have. I am not sure I understand the need or impact of this being a ‘stand alone’ event when it can gain more coverage, more participation and more resources as a regional satellite event.

When you're able, please respond to the questions on meta and revise the proposal on Fluxx if needed (I have sent the application back on Fluxx so you can edit it, just don't forget to re-submit when you are done). These revisions will be due by March 5, 2024 after which the Conference Grant Committee will begin formal review of the proposal to make the funding decisions.

- Español -

Muchas gracias por esta propuesta y por su iniciativa de organizar Tejiendo redes de conocimiento en América Latina:Conferencia sobre Justicia climática, voces indígenas y conocimiento abierto - Perú 2024. Aprecio mucho el tiempo y el esfuerzo que puso en esta propuesta. He revisado su propuesta y tengo algunos comentarios y preguntas de seguimiento:

• ¿Puede explicar por qué Huaraz? Por lo que sé, Huaraz es mucho menos accesible para los viajeros internacionales (requiere un vuelo desde el aeropuerto internacional o 7 horas en coche desde Lima). Nuestra petición es que los eventos tengan lugar en lugares que no estén a más de 1 vuelo de un centro internacional importante. ¿Es aplicable?

Aparte de eso, sé que debido a la altura, puede ser muy difícil para los viajeros internacionales y la mayoría de la gente necesita algún tiempo de adaptación.

• Aprecio mucho la colaboración regional entre los grupos de usuarios de wiki. Es una buena práctica de la que aprender y tiene un gran potencial de repercusión. También me alegra ver que muchos de los miembros del COT son antiguos organizadores con mucha experiencia.
• ¿Podría explicarnos con más detalle algunas de sus actividades y proyectos en curso como grupo de trabajo?
• ¿Puede explicar cuál es el valor de centrarse en América Latina? ¿Por qué piden centrarse específicamente en la perspectiva regional en lugar de debatir esto como una plataforma global? ¿Y por qué ahora? ¿Por qué es este el mejor momento para celebrar una conferencia de este tipo?
• Ha dicho que una de las principales necesidades y objetivos es el desarrollo de capacidades. ¿Puede decirnos cuáles son algunas de las capacidades y aptitudes que considera que faltan o son necesarias?
• Estoy de acuerdo en que las colaboraciones y la divulgación son elementos clave para generar un impacto real en los temas que se persiguen. ¿Tienen actualmente alguna colaboración en curso con instituciones de conocimiento no wiki de organizaciones de la sociedad civil? En caso afirmativo, ¿cuáles son algunos de los proyectos o iniciativas que está promoviendo con esos socios?
• ¿Cómo seleccionará a los participantes ajenos a la wiki? ¿Tienen algún criterio o exigen algún nivel de experiencia o compromiso wiki?
• 58 becas de 100 participantes - ¿espera que el resto sea local/autofinanciado?
• ¿Hay suficiente apoyo de planificación sobre el terreno en Perú? ¿Cuántos miembros del equipo organizador espera tener?
• Gracias por los exhaustivos objetivos de aprendizaje.

Presupuesto:

• ¿A qué se destina la partida presupuestaria "Junta - 5 días"?
• ¿A qué idiomas se pretende traducir? ¿Fue una necesidad que surgió de la comunidad? Lo pregunto porque parece que el presupuesto global de traducción es bastante elevado.

Gracias por esta propuesta e iniciativa y por el carácter colaborativo en el que la estáis liderando. Tengo 3 inquietudes importantes sobre las cuales me gustaría recibir su opinión:

1. La ubicación y la accesibilidad. Si fuera un evento local, no habría sido tanta preocupación. Pero como usted pretende que este sea un evento regional, me preocupa la ubicación y el desafiante viaje que requiere.

2. Entiendo la definición “Paraguas” de “Justicia Climática”, pero también me pregunto si las áreas de Cambio Climático; voces y representación indígenas; Derechos humanos; La diversidad, la equidad, etc., no son temas demasiado amplios para abordarlos en una conferencia. Obviamente veo la conexión entre todos, pero no estoy seguro del alcance que ha identificado. Me preocupa que sea muy fácil perder el foco de esa manera y que lograr un impacto a través de esta conferencia pueda ser un desafío cuando se apunta a una red tan amplia.

3. Por último, me pregunto por qué no organizar esto como una conferencia previa, posterior o satélite de la IberoConf. A medida que intentamos acercarnos más a las estructuras de liderazgo y colaboración regional, es natural que un evento de este tipo colabore y se beneficie de la plataforma de reunión regional que ya tiene. No estoy seguro de entender la necesidad o el impacto de que este sea un evento “independiente” cuando puede obtener más cobertura, más participación y más recursos como evento satélite regional.

Cuando pueda, responda las preguntas en meta y revise la propuesta en Fluxx si es necesario (he enviado la solicitud de vuelta a Fluxx para que pueda editarla, pero no olvide volver a enviarla cuando haya terminado). . Estas revisiones vencerán el 4 de marzo de 2024, después de lo cual el Comité de Subvenciones de la Conferencia comenzará la revisión formal de la propuesta para tomar las decisiones de financiación. CAlmog (WMF) (talk) 23:25, 28 February 2024 (UTC)

Response

Dear Chen,

Thanks you for your comments and questions. With the Environmental Justice and Wikimedia projects working group we have reviewed and prepared the following response.

Q1. Can you explain why Huaraz? As far as I know Huaraz is far less accessible for international travelers (requires a flight from the international airport or a 7 hours drive from Lima). Our request is that events take place at locations that are no more than 1 flight from a major international hub. Does that apply?

Lima is a major international hub, offering flights to Huaraz in less than an hour.

Huaraz, a small city nestled next to the Cordillera Blanca, boasts the most extensive tropical ice-covered mountain range globally, with the Hualcan glacier covering an impressive 83.37 km2. It serves as a focal point for researchers studying climate change effects, akin to research conducted in the Arctic and Antarctic. Situated within Huascaran National Park, the Cordillera Blanca hosts numerous environmental national and international institutions, including The Mountain Institute, the National Institute of Glacier and Mountain Ecosystems Research, the Glacier Unit of the National Authority of Water, and UNASAM University.

Huaraz and Yungay have faced devastation from glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) in 1941 and 1970, respectively. Presently, Huaraz faces the looming threat of potential flooding, which could affect 20% of the city's population exceeding 20,000 residents. A notable case of climate justice involves a local indigenous farmer, Saul Luciano, who has attended the UN Climate Change conference (COP) twice and is suing a German energy company, RWE, for its role in climate change. See video by Deutsche Welle here. Other climate crisis impacts in Huaraz relate to the pollution of water sources with heavy metals caused by glacier retreat and the proliferation of social conflicts due to hydric stress.

We believe that it is important to hold this Conference in a place that is currently facing some of the challenges we’re trying to address with our work.

Moreover, organizing events in Huaraz is cost-effective compared to Lima or Cusco. Strategically, Huaraz's non-hegemonic cultural status, with a significant Quechua population (the largest indigenous culture and spoken language in South America) and its historical significance as one of the earliest Andean civilizations, makes it an ideal venue.

Also, choosing Peru and Huaraz is strategic as travel costs from other parts of South America are less expensive as Peru is located in the western central part of the continent with direct 2 to 5 hour flights from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, Paraguay and Uruguay.

Lastly, a member of WikiAcción Perú and “Justicia ambiental y proyectos Wikimedia” has spearheaded international events in Huaraz since 2014, leveraging over 25 years of residency. This individual and activist initiated Wikipedia edits in 2007 and commenced organizing Wikimedia activities in 2018, evidencing a robust presence of Wikimedia volunteers capable of supporting event organization in Huaraz.

Other than that, I know that due to the height, it can be very challenging for international travelers and most people require some adjustment time.

Huaraz, like other Andean cities situated 3000 meters above sea level such as Cusco, welcomes thousands of international travelers each year from all over the world. Acclimatization to high altitude requires adjustment time, particularly for travelers planning to explore the valleys and mountains. We anticipate that the majority of participants will hail from locations also at high altitudes, such as La Paz (at 3640 masl, Bolivia), Quito (at 2850 masl, Ecuador), Mexico City (at 2240 masl), and Bogotá (at 2670 masl, Colombia). Participants from countries like Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, and Central American nations, as well as those from coastal cities like Lima, Piura, or Trujillo in Peru, which are at sea level, may face challenges. In the event's application form, we will inquire whether individuals have prior experience with high altitudes and provide appropriate recommendations. The local organizing team and city institutions possess the necessary expertise and readiness to address any altitude-related issues.

Participants from the Global North may face a higher risk of digestive problems due to their unfamiliarity with the diversity and characteristics of Peruvian cuisine. To mitigate this risk, we will enlist the services of an experienced chef proficient in preparing healthy and safe food tailored to the dietary needs of such individuals.

Q2. Can you please elaborate a bit about some of your ongoing or current activities and projects as a working group?

"Justicia ambiental y proyectos Wikimedia," as a working group, has two other main activities planned for 2024:

• The WikiForHumanRights annual campaign, which will run from April 15th to June 15th. We are organizing discussion panels, editathons, workshops, photo walks, and photo contests with the objective of increasing the quality of content and volunteers related to environmental justice on Wikimedia platforms.

• Green Digital Skills course and internship, in partnership with the Inter-American Development Bank. The online course will take place from April 15th to May 15th. Following the online course, a group of participants will proceed to a 3 to 5-month internship with national members of the working group. The aim is to transfer digital skills through training in Wikipedia editing. Interns will map content that can be improved and created on Spanish Wikipedia, as well as facilitate workshops and monitor new editors.

This plan, including the organization of an event in Huaraz in November 2024, was discussed and decided upon during the Montevideo meetings held last November. These meetings were funded by a Green Catalyst Fund grant obtained by Wikimedistas de Uruguay.

We believe that holding this Conference will be a good way to reflect on the work that will be carried out in 2024, and to set 3-year goals for the working group. We have a good opportunity in preparation for COP30, which will be held in Brazil in 2025, to show the relevance of connecting the Wikimedia movement to the climate & environmental justice movement. Participating in such events require us to keep on strengthening our network and have a clear action plan, which can only come out as a result of our online & offline continuous engagement.

Q3. Can you please explain what is the value of the Latin America focus? Why do you ask to focus specifically on the regional perspective rather than discussing this as a global platform? And why now? Why is this the best momentum to host such a conference?

Each Latin American country is unique, but we share commonalities and challenges. With the exception of Haiti, all Latin American countries have a colonial history under Spain and Portugal, making Spanish and Portuguese linguas francas. The majority of the Wikimedia community in the region edits the Spanish and Portuguese Wikipedia. Due to our colonial past, many people in the region are impacted by the same international economic, social, and environmental policies, affecting their rights to a healthy, sustainable, and clean environment. Our countries primarily export agricultural products and natural resources such as gold, silver, copper, lithium, oil, beef, cacao, soy, coffee, avocados, fish, and more.

Furthermore, all of our countries are home to 522 indigenous groups, totaling a population of 42 million people. The majority of non-indigenous groups have mixed ancestry, with indigenous heritage being prevalent. These groups inhabit diverse ecosystems including the Andes, the Amazon, Patagonia, and the Chaco, among others. They possess Traditional and Local Knowledge Systems that are endangered and underrepresented on Wikimedia platforms. Historically persecuted and marginalized, these knowledge systems continue to face challenges. Research indicates that Latin America is the most dangerous region for individuals advocating for environmental protection. From activists and community leaders to journalists and politicians, those opposing deforestation, pollution, and other environmental threats face a high risk of violence.

More than a third of all murdered defenders of the environment were Indigenous, a problem particularly pronounced in the Amazon rainforest. Indigenous groups in this region confront immense pressure from legal businesses and criminal organizations seeking opportunities for mining, logging, and agriculture.

These issues are crucial to address primarily from a regional perspective. Taking a global outlook may dilute the depth of our discussions. We believe it's essential to engage in regional dialogue before expanding to a global platform. This momentum aligns well with the upcoming UN Climate Change conference (COP) scheduled for 2025 in Brazil, and follows from our previous in-person meeting in 2023 in Montevideo. We plan to participate in this event as a Wikimedia working group. Our activities this year will propel us toward this objective, showcasing Wikimedia platforms as relevant and neutral sources of information on environmental and climate justice in the region. Wikimedia contributors serve as valuable allies in tackling the greatest challenge humanity faces.

Additionally, this marks the inaugural international Wikimedia event organized by WikiAcción Peru and the Climate Justice and Wikimedia projects working group. We are the first group of campaign organizers that managed to have an in-person meeting; this is evidence of our readiness and capacities. We are committed to ensuring inclusivity and accessibility by leveraging the advantage that people from Latin American countries do not require visas to enter Peru.

Q4. You said that one of the major needs and objectives is capacity building. Can you please share what are some of the capacities and skills that you identified as missing or required?

We recognize that one of the capacities and skills we lack relates to collaboration and dialogue with non-Wikimedia civil society institutions, particularly indigenous ones. How can we bridge the knowledge gap in Spanish and Portuguese Wikipedia articles in an ethical and sensitive manner, without perpetuating knowledge colonization and exacerbating epistemic injustice? How can we forge alliances with underrepresented indigenous groups? Promoting knowledge equity on Wikimedia platforms requires engaging in dialogue with those who have historically been excluded from these spaces.

Furthermore, as a working group comprising seven Wikimedia organizations, we also need to enhance our approaches to designing, implementing, and evaluating our activities as a multi-stakeholder platform.

The loss of biodiversity, the climate crisis, and pollution lead to changes that affect millions of people striving to understand how to adapt and contribute to the creation of healthy, clean, and sustainable environments for all life forms. Having an encyclopedia with up-to-date, neutral, evidence-based, and openly accessible knowledge is essential to empower individuals and communities to educate themselves and make informed decisions in the face of the local-level changes they encounter. Additionally, we believe that by raising awareness of environmental defenders, we can contribute to their protection.

Q5. I agree that partnerships and outreach is a key element in generating real impact for the issues you are targeting. Do you currently have any ongoing collaborations with non-wiki knowledge institutions of civil society organizations? If so - what are some of the projects or initiatives you are promoting with those partners?

Brisa Ceccon, Senior Partnerships Manager for Latin America and the Caribbean at the Wikimedia Foundation, has been part of the meetings of the WikiForHumanRights Latin American campaign. She is part of the team and she will lead some sessions related to alliances between actors. Last year we co-organized with her a session where we presented the 2023 campaign to non-wiki environmental organizations. In Peru, an alliance with Sociedad Peruana de Derecho Ambiental resulted from that session.

As WikiAcción Perú, we have recently completed the implementation of a Wikimedia Alliance project in collaboration with CooperAcción (see approved proposal). The project involved organizing two courses on Climate Justice and Wikipedia in Cusco and Lima. Additionally, the proposal included the training and placement of two Wikimedians in Residence who worked at CooperAcción's headquarters in Lima.

In May, we will host two events in Lima in partnership with the Red de Acción en Agricultura Ecológica, Convención Nacional del Agro Peruano, Confederación Nacional Agraria, and Empowarmi. These events will feature workshops and editathons focusing on the agricultural crisis in Peru within the context of the climate crisis.

In July, we will organize a course on climate justice and ecological transition in Huaraz in collaboration with the Movimiento Ciudadano frente al Cambio Climático (MOCICC). Our goal is to train at least 20 new volunteers and enhance/create new content related to environmental justice.

Additionally, we will conduct Climate Justice and Wikipedia courses in Huancayo and Puno in partnership with local universities and Wikimedia communities that we have helped establish in those cities.

Furthermore, we have initiated Glam initiatives with a center dedicated to indigenous knowledge in the northern Amazon (as presented in Wikimania 2022, see here). We have also conducted workshops with personnel from environmental civil society organizations, organized panels with institutions such as the Sociedad Peruana de Derecho Ambiental, and engaged with indigenous leaders. Moreover, we have organized events (workshops, meditations, and photo walks) in collaboration with public universities, involving students and graduates from Environmental Engineering, Law, and Communication programs.

The other members of the working group have also engaged in similar collaborations with non-Wikipedia knowledge institutions.

Q6. How will you select the non-wiki participants? Do you have any criteria, or require any level of wiki experience or engagement?

Non-Wiki participants will be selected based on their experience and involvement in digital communication of environmental and climate justice issues. Additionally, another important criterion will be their comprehension of the potential of Wikimedia platforms and their prior engagement with Wikimedia activities. We are going to work with the Steering Committee of the Conference to develop a criterion that guarantees that these allies feel invited to be part of the movement after the Conference. Hence, another criterion will be the predisposition or potential to become a Wikimedian / ally to the movement.

We will be doing direct invitations to thematic specialists outside the movement to participate as key-note speakers.

We also have considered the inclusion of round-tables and discussion panels that will come out from an open request for proposals to the Wikimedia communities in the region. We are open to include some of our non-wiki allies to form part of these spaces.

Q7. 58 scholarships out of 100 participants - do you expect the rest will be local/ self-funded?

Yes, we expect at least 20 participants from Huaraz who are actively involved in environmental issues, coming from civil society organizations such as The Mountain Institute, and public institutions such as the National Institute of Glacier and Mountains Ecosystems Research, the Glacier Unit of the National Authority of Water, and UNASAM university. They will include activists, researchers, NGO personnel, and university students and graduates.

Another 20 participants will come from other cities in Peru and will represent civil society organizations (such as CooperAcción, Mocicc, Sociedad Peruana de Derecho Ambiental), activist collectives, indigenous organizations, and university students/graduates working on issues of climate justice. We are collaborating with Brisa Ceccon, Senior Partnerships Manager for Latin America and the Caribbean at the Wikimedia Foundation, to seek funding outside the Wikimedia movement to cover some of their expenses, such as travel, food, and accommodation.

Q8. Is there enough on-ground planning support in Peru? How many organizing team members do you expect to have?

In Huaraz, we will have three individuals from the Wikimedia movement residing there who will participate in the organization of the event and possess experience and knowledge in event planning.

Additionally, members of WikiAcción Peru will be involved in the organization, including the Communications Officer, Co-lead, and administrative personnel. Volunteers from the Wikimedia movement whom we have cultivated will also provide support in on-site planning.

Budget: What is the ‘Board - 5 days’ budget item for?

Board is food.

Budget: What languages do you intend to translate into? Was that a need that came from the community? I’m asking because it seems that the overall translation budget is quite high.

We intend to translate into Spanish and Portuguese. Yes, it came from the community, not only from the survey performed but from a lesson learned from organizing international events in the region. We will have two people translating synchronically for each language; it is not adequate for only one person to translate synchronically for 8 hours. Also, we plan to translate some of the main activities into the local language, Ancash Quechua. We believe this is an essential part of building bridges with indigenous communities.

Concern 1. The location and the accessibility. If it was a local event, it wouldn’t have been such a concern. But because you are targeting this to be a regional event, I am worried about the location and the challenging journey it requires.

Lima is a major international hub. It is possible to take a less than one hour flight to Huaraz from Lima. Huaraz is a small city, with a population of around 150,000 persons: this makes things easier in comparison to organizing an event in Lima or Cusco, and this will enable a greater impact of the event in Peru.

Organizing an event in Peru is strategic as travel costs from other parts of South America are less expensive as Peru is located in the western central part of the continent with direct 2 to 5 hour flights from the main cities of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, Paraguay and Uruguay. These flights are not challenging in comparison to flights of participants from Latin America to Wikimania in Singapore or Poland.

Concern 2. I understand the ‘Umbrella’ definition of ‘Climate Justice’, but I am also wondering if the areas of Climate change; indigenous voices and representation; Human Rights; Diversity, Equity etc, are not too wide to tackle at a conference. I do obviously see the connection between all, but I am not sure about the scope you have identified. I have a concern that it will be very easy to lose focus that way and that making an impact through this conference might be challenging when you are targeting such a wide net.

Yes, these topics are connected. In order to avoid losing focus we will organize the program in a a way that it is clear for everyone (Wikimedia communities, non-wiki partners and local assistants interested) how everything connects.

WikiAcción Peru since its creation in 2021 has three important thematic focuses: ecology, gender and culture. We depart from a feminine and indigenous vision where ecology, culture and gender are connected and intertwined. We have successfully organized events that brought different people from our country that had interests either in ecology, gender and culture, and clearly understood what we meant as this approach was not invented by us as a group but it is based in the traditional knowledge of the cultures of our territories.

There is no culture without nature, land or territory. Plants, animals, water, mountains, the sun, the moon and all the entities are part of the community and with all we should have respectful and harmonious relationships. One of the most internationally known Quechua words is Pachamama, Mother Earth. This vision described is the reason why many people talk and promote the rights of nature and of all the planet’s species, not only environmental rights, indigenous rights and human rights. The climate crisis is caused by a disconnection from this vision: the hegemonic cultural paradigm performs structural, symbolic and physical violence to nature, indigenous cultures and women.

This vision - this indigenous epistemology- might be one of the few that will allow us to move forward to the objective of achieving the human right to live in a healthy, clean and sustainable world. In order to put this vision into the conference program, we will be using six thematic focuses in order to group the different components of the program (key-note speakers, discussion panels, workshops and round-tables):

• Water, food and land rights
• Indigenous rights
• Nature rights
• Climate and environmental justice
• Epistemic justice and diversity
• Collective memory and the Wikimedia movement

The idea is to flow from experiences and understandings related to open knowledge, indigenous perspectives and Wikimedia activities into more complex ones. Climate change cannot be understood from just abstract thought: it must come from real and present realities. Water, soil and food are the basis for every living being and from there we begin the event. We finish with collective memory, understanding memory as something you act with, that has to be preserved, restored and acted.

Concern 3. Lastly, I am wondering why not to have this as an IberoConf pre/post/ satellite conference? As we are trying to move more closely to regional collaboration and leadership structures, it is only natura;l for such an event to collaborate and to benefit from the regional gathering platform you already have. I am not sure I understand the need or impact of this being a ‘stand alone’ event when it can gain more coverage, more participation and more resources as a regional satellite event.

IberoCoop is a platform that at the present is redefining its objectives and system of governance. Wikimedia chapters from Spain, Italy and Portugal are part of it and important actors for our conference, WikiMovimento Brasil and Mais Teoria da Historia na Wiki, are not part of Iberocoop. Our working group has a mission, vision and agenda. Iberocoop is not at that point yet, far from it as many discussions have to be advanced first such as defining its common interests, challenges and goals. How can we partner and engage in a relationship with a multi-actor platform that doesn't know where and how to go?

In the last Iberoconf in Colombia, a member of Wikimedistas de Peru commented that Iberocoop has a colonial legacy. This is true. We plan to include in our event indigenous persons who have been and still are victims of colonial and neocolonial institutions, public and private. The relationship with past colonial nations and legacies can be very sensitive and can impact our objective of creating a friendly and safe space for everyone at the conference. It is also our understanding that Iberoconf is being planned to take place in Spain in 2025, which would deepen this problem.

With this conference, we are trying to develop a framework for Wikimedia activities that are aligned to human rights, indigenous rights, the rights of nature. This framework has to be nurtured from and with indigenous perspectives in our region in order to ethically promote knowledge equity and reduce epistemic injustice in Wikimedia platforms. Iberocoop is using a western based framework of thinking and doing that doesn't align with this intention.

Best regards,

The Environmental Justice and Wikimedia projects working group. Felino Volador (talk) 21:33, 5 March 2024 (UTC)

Comments - Review Committee

Hello @Felino Volador: ; Climate change is a very pressing issue in the movement and we are glad to see more initiative and organizing efforts around the topic, and hope this will encourage other regional and global platforms as well. However, we think that the symbolic importance of hosting the conference in Huaraz is not convincing enough, a more accessible location can even allow more participation and to scale up the event in a more conclusive way. Taking into consideration the strong network you indicate you have in Huaraz, and putting aside the symbolic aspect, the committee wants to know: 1) What is the actual logistic justification of Huaraz over a more accessible city such as Lima? 2) Why can’t it happen anywhere else in the region? If it can’t, then what is the justification for the event in terms of potential impact? 3) What will the organizers or the event participants benefit from having it in Huaraz. If you have any very concrete objectives (such as in kind donations, specific costs etc) please elaborate on them.

In addition, we would like to know how the outcomes of the conference will impact the entire movement and how it can be enforced.

Would you please get back to us by Wednesday March 20th. Appreciate your cooperation.

Best; Mervat on behalf of the Review Committee Mervat (talk) 20:39, 17 March 2024 (UTC)

Response

Dear @Mervat: and other members of the Review Committee,

Thank you for your message and questions. We appreciate the latter as it makes us reflect and deepen our understanding of the reasons why we want to organize this event. Your questions are part of the Wikimedia community process that enriches the design and impacts of our proposal.

Q1. What is the actual logistic justification of Huaraz over a more accessible city such as Lima?

Huaraz is a small but touristic city, with the necessary infrastructure to host events such as the one we propose. The main coordinator of the event is based in Huaraz (since 1999), has experience organizing international events there, and has a strong network support in the city. The climate is pleasing, it is the closest Andean city to Lima, and costs such as accommodation and food are much lower than in the capital. As already recognized by the committee, there is a strong network, especially with local, national and international climate change researchers and institutions. Huaraz is an international hotspot for mountain research.

As a small city, organizing efforts will be much more efficient as moving around the city for meet-ups with partners and companies that will provide food and accommodation will take much less time than in Lima (which moving around for a sole meeting can take 2 hours). Also, reaching directors and key personnel of institutions in Huaraz will be much easier.

Choosing Huaraz has not only symbolic importance, it has economic and operational importance. And it has political importance. In 2025, the Climate Change Conference will take place in Belem, Brazil, despite cities like Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia and Sao Paulo being more accessible than Belem. The same applies in this case. The event is about climate justice and indigenous voices, it is politically, ethically and strategically sound to organize an event in a place like Huaraz where the Quechua native language is present and the majority of the population speaks it, and where the impacts of climate change are palpable.

Lastly, the majority of Peruvian contributions to Wikimedia platforms come from Lima. Articles in Wikipedia in Spanish about Peru have mainly an hegemonic perspective that comes from the colonial and neocolonial capital. Most knowledge gaps in Peru are related to the population, cultures and epistemologies outside Lima.

Cities and large conurbations like Lima are spaces that consume and concentrate natural resources, but their distance from the sites and communities that guarantee the existence and preservation of these resources prevent real awareness regarding the impact of the modes of consumption and understanding that are familiar to them. Climate justice, indigenous voices and open knowledge discussions have to be taken to peripheral locations such as Huaraz.

From Lima, flights to Huaraz last less than an hour. As a regional event, there are direct 2 to 5 hour flights to Lima from from all the main capital cities of South America: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, Paraguay and Uruguay. So, in order to reach the event in Huaraz, participants from Latin American countries will take two flights: one from their capital city to Lima airport (2 to 5 hours) and one from Lima to the airport that is outside Huaraz (less than an hour). From the airport outside Huaraz (Anta airport), participants will then take a shuttle (van) to Huaraz.

2) Why can’t it happen anywhere else in the region? If it can’t, then what is the justification for the event in terms of potential impact?

The decision to hold the conference in Huaraz was made collectively by the working group that is driving this effort regionally.

In Peru, the second best option could be Cusco. The main coordinator has also organized an international event there, the Wikimedia movement is growing strong there, Amazonian populations are closer, we have institutional allies there and the city is easy to move around. The problem with Cusco is that it is as expensive (or more) as Lima. If we change the event to this location, as in Lima, operational, accommodation and food costs will at least double.

Outside Peru, an option could be Colombia but as the executive director of Wikimedia Colombia (and member of the Environmental justice and Wikimedia projects working group) argued, the option will not be Bogota but another city with the objective of decentralizing Wikimedia activities in the country. There is interest and the possibility of organizing the conference in Colombia, but as a continuation of the agreements reached at the conference in Peru.

We want to reflect on how close we are to the mission of making all human knowledge accessible to all human beings if we are not approaching the non-Western communities, ways of life, non-extractive practices that have been guaranteeing the provision of resources and reproduction systems of life. We hope that the movement in general continues to focus on human beings, and that we can be a more diverse movement every time. We seek to meet in Huaraz to listen to the communities in their realities, in their territories and with their proposals, and in a truly open and horizontal dialogue. We believe that it is an event model that can be replicated in other contexts, and that can create a greater capacity for dialogue and questioning from different territories. The travel to Huaraz we will make is no different from those trips made by community leaders seeking answers to their claims.

Finally, one of the most important cases of climate justice in the world is based in Huaraz: Saul Luciano vs RWE, an energy company from Germany. He is one of our keynote speakers. We plan to look for institutional and funding support from organizations that are linked to these type of cases, for example Germanwatch, Carbon Disclosure Project, Stiftung Zukunftsfähigkeit and similar. This strategy makes sense if our Wikimedia conference is located in Huaraz.

3) What will the organizers or the event participants benefit from having it in Huaraz. If you have any very concrete objectives (such as in kind donations, specific costs etc) please elaborate on them.

Organizing the event in Huaraz will benefit participants in the sense that sharing time and space during the conference between the participants will be much greater and with less effort/energy for everyone. We will have more time and energy to concentrate and discuss the conference topics. It is a small city and has a pleasant climate and inspiring natural landscapes. The city is located beneath the Cordillera Blanca and the highest mountains of Peru. From an Andean perspective, mountains are not just landforms: they are sacred, have spirits and communities develop relationships with them. This may not make sense from a Western point of view, but from American indigenous perspectives this makes a lot of sense.

Holding the event in Huaraz will also allow participants to see first-hand the impacts of climate change on one of the region's main ecosystems: The Andes and Huascaran, the fifth-highest mountain in the Americas.

In addition, we would like to know how the outcomes of the conference will impact the entire movement and how it can be enforced.

With this conference, we are trying to develop a framework for Wikimedia activities that are aligned to human rights, indigenous rights, the rights of nature and climate justice. This framework has to be nurtured from and with indigenous perspectives in our region in order to ethically promote knowledge equity and reduce epistemic injustice in Wikimedia platforms.

One of the objectives that will impact the entire movement is to develop a climate emergency plan for Wikimedia affiliates in the region that can be replicated in other continents. How can Wikimedia activities align to the climate crisis? What will be the priorities in terms of contents, methodologies and evaluation in the climate emergency plan? How Wikimedia affiliates and their activities approach climate and epistemic justice? We plan to develop answers for this questions during the process of implementing this conference.

Best regards,

On behalf of the Environmental Justice and Wikimedia projects working group. --Felino Volador (talk) 02:30, 21 March 2024 (UTC)

Thanks for the thorough clarification. All the best. Mervat (talk) 20:17, 24 March 2024 (UTC)