Western Sydney University and Minority Rights Group International host water justice symposium
Nyikina Man Nelson follows the River to its source on Ngarinyin Country. Manning Creek, Ngarinyin Country. Lachie Carracher. Supplied by Minority Rights Group.
Western Sydney University and Minority Rights Group International (MRG) will host the Water Justice in Australia and The Pacific Symposium on Friday, 13 October at the Parramatta City campus.
The event will launch the Minority and Indigenous Trends 2023: Focus on Water report (opens in a new window) by MRG, which features global case studies and contributions from Indigenous knowledge keepers, activists belonging to minority communities and the United Nations’ Special Rapporteur on Water.
Keynote addresses will be delivered by Nyikina Warrwa Elder Professor Anne Poelina, Chair of the Martuwarra Fitzroy River Council; Co-Chair of Indigenous Studies, Nulungu Research Institute, University of Notre Dame, and Mr Sandy Sur, water music practitioner from Vanuatu and Director of Leweton Cultural Experience, an organisation devoted to the ancient customs of the Islands of Gaua and Mere Lava, who will discuss their contributions to the report in relation to Australia and The Pacific.
The event will include a Darug Yarning with Western Sydney University Elder on Campus Chris Tobin as well as a Yarning with D’harawal Traditional Descendants and Knowledge Holders Circle, including Elders Aunty Fran Bodkin and Uncle Gavin Andrews. It will also feature an open conversation about water justice and rights globally, with researchers, students, Traditional Owners and Custodians, and partners across western Sydney and beyond.
Professor Gawaian Bodkin-Andrews, Director of Indigenous Research at Western Sydney University, who will deliver the opening remarks, said the University was pleased to partner with MRG, an international non-governmental organisation.
“The symposium will bring together leading experts and provide an important platform for discussion and engagement around a human rights-based approach to water policy and governance, highlighting minority and Indigenous voices,” said Professor Bodkin-Andrews.
“It will also be an opportunity to share the leading research and initiatives Western Sydney University is delivering in relation to climate change, water security and Indigenous leadership.”
For the second consecutive year, Western Sydney University has been ranked number one in the world for its social, ecological, and economic impact in the Times Higher Education (THE) University Impact Rankings.
The University through its Sustainability and Resilience Decadal Strategy (opens in a new window) is focused on revitalising partnerships based on a spirit of strengthened global solidarity, including embracing Indigenous Knowledges for pathways to sustainability and Caring for Country.
Minority Rights Group International is an international human rights organisation, headquartered in London, with offices in Budapest and Kampala. The organisation's mission statement is to secure the rights of ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities and indigenous peoples globally.
For more information about the Water Justice in Australia and The Pacific Symposium, please visit the website (opens in a new window).
ENDS
10 October 2023
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