Sharing lessons and experience

The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed how the world works, communicates, and collaborates. The lockdown heightens problems of environmental degradation, environmental justice, and climate change adaptation. When Collaborating for Resilience and the Foundation for Ecological Security (FES) found their joint convening in Bhubaneswar, Odisha postponed, we had to strategically adapt. An interactive Virtual Commons Exchange was convened instead – the first of its kind for FES and its partners. The Exchange brought together 45 organizations from some of the most remote locations across eight states of India to strengthen the “Promise of Commons” initiative spearheaded by FES. What lessons emerged, both in the event design and priorities for action?

Dialogue is difficult. Listening deeply to people with radically different perspectives, searching for solutions that go beyond convention, taking responsibility for change rather than passing it off to others—none of these are easy. Because our work is inherently tough, CoRe tends to attract people whose experiences working with communities facing deep inequalities give them reason to persevere. “Where does CoRe come from?” is a question I’m asked frequently now.