As conversations about climate and energy transition continue at COP31, today November 11, Ms Lydia Chibambo, the National Coordinator of PACJA National Designated Platform in Zambia joined the rest of experts to explore the conversation about rethinking equity in north -south Research Partnerships for Climate and energy transitions.
This COP31 side event takes place while the world is accelerating efforts towards climate action and sustainable energy transitions. It was an opportunity to explore who generates and who owns and who benefits from knowledge, as these questions are becoming increasingly important.
This conversation brought together experts and practitioners from research institutions, civil society organisations, and community movements to reflect on the inequalities that often characterise international research collaborations.
The conversation focused largely on the need to rethink traditional North-South research partnerships by recognising the knowledge, expertise, and lived experiences of communities and institutions in the global South, ensuring that they are not merely research subjects but equal partners in shaping climate and energy solutions.
The event was a platform to showcase the importance of recognising local knowledge, strengthening the leadership of Global South institutions, promoting meaningful communities’ participation and ensuring fair recognition and sharing of research benefits. Research partnerships were recommended as essential to ensuring that climate and energy transition are informed by the realities, priorities and aspirations of the communities most affected by climate change.