Forums and Festivals

Forums and festivals serve as catalysts for change, sparking conversations that can shape policies, influence public opinion, and inspire collective action. By actively participating in these events, PLANET 2024 aims to leverage the reach and influence of such gatherings to promote concrete initiatives for nature restoration. Our collaboration with these forums is not only about sharing our vision but also about fostering partnerships, sparking discussions, and mobilizing individuals and organizations to join us in the vital mission of preserving and restoring our planet’s ecosystems. Together, we can turn awareness into action and make a lasting impact on the future of our planet.

About the COP28 UAE : The UAE is a global hub and growth engine for sustainability, technology, business, commerce and tourism. The country is uniquely positioned to build bridges and foster consensus to accelerate inclusive climate progress.

The science is clear: to preserve a livable climate, the production of coal, oil, and gas must rapidly decline, and global renewable power capacity – including wind, solar, hydro and geothermal energy – needs to triple by 2030. At the same time, financing for adaptation and investments in climate resilience need a quantum leap.

COP28 brings together leaders from governments, businesses, NGOs and civil society to find concrete solutions to the defining issue of our time.

SELECTIONS IS A PLATFORM DEDICATED TO SHOWCASING THE ARTS OF THE ARAB WORLD. IT AIMS TO CONNECT A DIVERSE AUDIENCE OF ART ENTHUSIASTS AND COLLECTORS, AND REACHES OUT TO HIGH NET WORTH INDIVIDUALS.

SELECTIONS speaks to the top segment of consumers who engage with brands and services in a sophisticated way. This readership includes decision-makers and cultural influencers, while the majority are avid consumers of ultra-high-end products and experiences that carry cultural kudos. SELECTIONS reaches out to a network of 1700 high-net-worth individuals through the print edition across the Gulf. ACTIVITIES: Creative Agency; Art Advisory; Specialized Books; Cultural Narratives; Selections Viewing Rooms

At the heart of the bustling COP28 fairground in Dubai, ADCB invites visitors to embark on a transformative journey towards sustainability and environmental consciousness.

‘I AM THE EARTH’ Video Screened at the Sustainable Oasis

The I AM project, created by Free Spirit Foundation, gives a voice to nature in several languages and dialects. Indeed, this project highlights the beauty of nature. The video has been screened at the sustainable oasis during the COP28 to raise public awareness on nature conservation.

ABOUT THE AREA

The spacious circular area is an oasis of calm amidst the fairground’s hustle. Viewers can relax on benches, surrounded by the soothing sounds of rain, birds, and wind. Above, a projection on a convex dome portrays a stark vision of a world affected by environmental neglect, underscoring the need for collective action. Contrastingly, an oxygen-rich garden below grows with moss and oxygen-generating greenery symbolising sustainability and a healthier future.

International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) offers a high quality line-up of carefully selected fiction and documentary feature films, short films and media art. The festival’s focus is on recent work by talented new filmmakers. However, there is also room for retrospectives and themed programmes. IFFR actively supports new and adventurous filmmaking talent through its co-production market CineMart, its Hubert Bals Fund, Rotterdam Lab and other industry activities. IFFR creates opportunities for the independent filmmaking community from across the globe, to reach broad and diverse audiences. Through its visionary programming, year-round activities and forward-looking initiatives, it is a haven for the plurality of voices, audiovisual formats and storytelling, and an essential destination for film professionals and film lovers. IFFR seeks to challenge people’s views of the world and each other through film.

We recognise climate and ecological emergencies and are acutely aware that there is an urgent need to reduce our footprint, as well as making the festival as a whole more sustainable. We realise that, with a great reach and impact like IFFR’s, we can play a role in creating awareness about environmental issues. The greatest challenges we face in reducing CO2 emissions demand a sector-wide approach, but all efforts should start with the individual.

The collaboration with the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) presents an incredible opportunity for PLANET 2024 to reach a vast and diverse audience. With around 290.000 visits per edition, IFFR provides a unique platform for us to amplify our message on nature conservation and restoration. The festival’s commitment to showcasing innovative and impactful content aligns perfectly with our mission. Through their narrowcasting channels, we have the chance to deliver a powerful video, ensuring that our cause receives the attention it deserves. This partnership with IFFR not only enhances our visibility but also allows us to connect with a community that values artistic expression and global issues, fostering a shared commitment to creating positive change for our planet.

Launched in 2007, the Balipara Foundation takes a community based approach to conservation through a proprietary concept Naturenomics™(Nature+Economics). Building on the principle of ecology is economy, we equip indigenous & forest fringe communities in the Eastern Himalayas to manage their natural assets, creating resilience against the climate crisis for both biodiversity and people.

The Foundation’s multidisciplinary team of over 50 people passionately collaborates with indigenous & forest-fringe communities to achieve this through Rural Futures: a model for creating incomes through rewilding forests and agricultural lands.  Through the enriched natural capital, communities in the Eastern Himalayas access & deliver universal basic assets such as education, healthcare, renewable energy, etc.

REWILDING FORESTS : Habitat restoration by turning natural capital regeneration in to a livelihood opportunity for forest fringe communities, enabling them as stewards of their natural capital.

REWILDING LOCAL ECONOMIES : Community-centric agroforestry programmes, mushroom spawning, homestay-based mindful tourism and local arts & crafts to develop sustainable livelihoods that enhance and reinforce action for natural capital regeneration.

THE EASTERN HIMALAYAN NATURENOMICS FORUM: An international & regional multidisciplinary platform bringing together conservationists, academics, communities and businesses to foster partnerships and knowledge sharing, for catalyzing the Naturenomics  agenda for putting ecology in economy.

BIODIVERSITY AND ETHNOBOTANY RESEARCH : In-depth field based research through biodiversity assessments, scientific studies and ethnographic research to document traditional ecological knowledge among indigenous communities and the existing floral biodiversity to enhance our rewilding programmes.

Building on conversations from the 10th edition of the Eastern Himalayan Naturenomics™ Forum, the 11th Eastern Himalayan Naturenomics™ Forum will take place on 18th-19th December 2023 in Guwahati on the theme of The Great People’s Forest 2030 to drive actions for restoration-linked climate resilience programmes in the Eastern Himalayan region, creating holistic wellbeing for ecosystems, wildlife and people in the region.

The Forum will focus on four key aspects:

• Closing the regional gap through data
• Building regional capacity for rewilding through people
• Incentivizing restoration through policy, business and economy
• Creating the right conditions for transformation through policy

‘I AM THE EARTH’ Video Screened at the 11th Eastern Himalayan Naturenomics Forum

The I AM project, created by Free Spirit Foundation, gives a voice to nature in several languages and dialects. Indeed, this project highlights the beauty of nature. The video has been screened at the sustainable oasis during the COP28 to raise public awareness on nature conservation.