The first U of A UNESCO World Chair supports the Ărramăt project

UNESCO has awarded a new chair in “Collaboration for Indigenous-Led Biodiversity Conservation, Health and Well-being” based in the Department of Resource Economics and Environmental Sociology in the Faculty of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sciences (ALES). There are 30 UNESCO Chairs at 27 universities and colleges in Canada. This is the first chair awarded to the University of Alberta.

The chair position is shared by Brenda Parlee, Mariam Wallet Aboubakrine and Danika Billie Littlechild. The co-chairs will focus on building partnerships and learning opportunities as part of the Ărramăt project, which supports Indigenous-led research on biodiversity, health and well-being. 

"We are honoured the faculty has received this international support, which will undoubtedly further the important work professor Parlee and Ărramăt partners have underway,” said Stan Blade, dean of ALES.

The co-chairs aim to support other team members in decolonizing research and policy by affirming and celebrating Indigenous leadership and ways of knowing (Indigenous Knowledge) and supporting equity, diversity and inclusion of peoples of diverse Indigenous cultures, genders and physical capabilities. Through their work, they seek to support UNESCO in their mandate to “build inclusive, just and peaceful societies by promoting freedom of expression, cultural diversity, education for global citizenship and protecting heritage.” 

“​​The Ărramăt Project is about respecting the inherent dignity and interconnectedness of peoples and Mother Earth; life and livelihood; identity and expression; biodiversity and sustainability; stewardship and wellbeing,” says Wallet Aboubakrine, who is the former president of the United Nation Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and a co-chair.

The revitalization of Indigenous languages, which are under significant threat in Canada and worldwide, is another core area of interest. Wallet Aboubakrine is also the co-chair of the Global Task Force for making the International Decade of Indigenous Languages 2022-2032, which emphasizes the need for urgent action to support of Indigenous Peoples who developed critical knowledge in their languages and whose lands, livelihoods, culture and health are under threat. Because cultural diversity and biodiversity are strongly interconnected, this work is important in addressing the combined biodiversity, climate and health crisis acknowledged by Canada and other nations in the Global Biodiversity Framework developed at COP15 in Montreal. 

“We will not give up on Mother Earth and the possibility of renewing, strengthening and elevating the health and well-being of Indigenous Peoples, their lands and waters, and all beings who rely upon them,” Littlechild, co-chair and assistant professor at Carleton University told us.