AESS is excited to share information about the 2024 keynote address. This year, the Association has the pleasure of hosting Bimbika Sijapati Basnett, who plans to give a speech titled Community Resilience: Cultivating Courage to Address Global Environmental Change.

Bimbika Sijapati Basnett is a researcher and practitioner in gender and social development. Her PhD research at the London School of Economics and Political Science explored how gender dynamics at the household level influence Nepal’s forest governance and the role of government actors in these dynamics. Post-PhD, she joined the Center for International Forestry Research, 2013-2018, to coordinate their gender and social inclusion research, including studying the gendered effects of palm oil expansion in Indonesia and migration impacts on Nepal’s forested landscapes. As a practitioner, she advises governments and development partners on addressing systemic gender and intersecting inequalities. Her presentation will draw from her research and practical experiences to explore issues and potential solutions.
Abstract:
Agrarian landscapes in the Global South are undergoing significant transformations due to a multitude of factors including demographic shifts, migration, economic pressures, climate change, and political dynamics. These factors are fundamentally reshaping livelihoods and the social fabric of these communities. Concurrently, new opportunities are emerging both internally and externally. However, the extent to which individuals can seize these benefits is influenced by existing social relations and their modes of integration into these evolving dynamics. Drawing on her research from two distinct contexts, Nepal and Indonesia, both of which are experiencing substantial changes, Bimbika Sijapati Basnett will delve into the implications of these shifts for gender and social relations within communities. Donning her hat as a development practitioner, she will also examine the role policymakers can play in better understanding and addressing deeply entrenched inequalities and injustices.
Read more about Bimbika Sijapati Basnett here: https://www.cifor.org/research-staff/3592/bimbika-basnett
Bimbika will be giving the Keynote at the 2024 Virtual Conference Welcome on June 20, 2024, time TBD. Registration is open. View presenter bios and schedule at the event website: https://site.pheedloop.com/event/2024AESS/home/