Panel

VI EuroSEAS Conference, Gothenburg, Sweden (26-28 August 2010)

LOOKING THROUGH GENDER LENSES:

RETHINKING LOCAL COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION IN NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN THE LAO PDR

It is widely accepted that gender aspects play an important role in the context of participation in and management of natural resources. The vast amount of scientific and research literature, internationally agreed standards, as well as national legal and institutional frameworks reflects this shared perspective and highlights a strong commitment from a wide range of actors.

Whereas dedication seems to be high and standpoints seem to be consistent at the apex and theoretical level, this view can be challenged from a more local and practical perspective. Within the practices of natural resource management gender as a cross- cutting issue still appears to be insufficiently operationalised: while general recognition of the importance of the issue is growing, knowledge and skills of how to translate a commitment towards gender equality in both participation and benefit-sharing remains coarse and scattered among involved country agencies, the local population but also practitioners in international cooperation projects.

The situation of gendered power structures, hierarchies and marginalisation and efforts to address these in natural resource management in the Lao PDR is a case in point for this argument. Disposing of a complex, so called national machinery for the advancement of women (as an approach to gender equality and empowerment), accommodating a wide range of IGOs and INGOs that are committed to gender equality against the background of a high ethnic diversity, relatively static perceptions of gender roles and relations and a socialist one-party-system, the biggest challenge is to transform good will and good documents into good action on the ground.

This panel is based on the assumption, that past approaches and ambitions that encompassed gender as a cross-cutting issue failed to challenge marginalisation, unequal participation and decision-making at the local level. It further argues that future developments in natural resource management in Laos will lack sustainability, equity and efficiency, if gender aspects are not given adequate consideration.

Against this background, the panel seeks to identify, analyse and discuss realistic and practical gender responsive approaches,local participatory methods and strategies in the context of natural resource management in the Lao PDR. Thereby the panel aims to bring together different approaches of dealing with these challenges and constraints in order to comprehensively rethink local community participation in natural resource management in the Lao PDR in a gender responsive manner.

Interested paper contributors please send their proposals in the length of not more than 400 words by November 30th to:

Linda Wünsche, Institute of Asian and African Studies, Humboldt- University, Berlin, mielinda@gmx.de

Dr. Timo Menniken, menniken@mrcmekong.org