Lusaka Conference on Poverty Reduction and Climate Resilience
International Conference organised in collaboration with the Chronic Poverty Advisory network hosted at the Institute of Development studies, Indaba Agricultural Policy Research Institute, Institute of Economic and Social Research, and the Southern African Institute for Policy and Research.
Hosted by Indaba Agricultural Policy Research Institute (IAPRI), Mulungushi International Conference Centre - KK Wing, Lusaka, May 13th - 15th 2025
The Chronic Poverty Advisory Network (CPAN) and its Zambian and southern and eastern African partners are organising a conference on Poverty Reduction and Climate Resilience in Lusaka, May 13-15, 2025, to inform political and policy processes in Zambia and the region (especially Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania and Zimbabwe). In the 25th year of focused work on poverty dynamics1, the conference will also review global progress on poverty reduction. The conference will include keynote speakers, and parallel panel sessions on the following potential themes. Papers on political economy, food security, environmental change and gender equality are welcome as cross-cutting if they fit under one of the headings below and address poverty reduction and/or climate resilience.
We invite paper on the following themes:
1. Micro-economic development and climate resilience
• Agriculture and rural development as both an escape route from poverty, key to food security and a site for climate adaptation and mitigation.
• What to do about the neglect of urban poverty reduction, urban vulnerability to climate change and the urban informal economy as a potential escape route.
• Developing a financial services ladder out of poverty and in favour of resilience to climate change.
• Combatting energy poverty.
2. Human development in the context of climate change
• Social protection and the move to climate resilient ‘cash +’.
• Education as an escape route in the context of climate change.
• UHC and health insurance to prevent impoverishment amidst climate related crises.
• Nutrition, Food Security, and Climate Resilience: Synergies for Poverty Reduction.
3. Environmentally sustainable policy making: macro and micro issues
• Disaster risk management to prevent impoverishment in the context of recurrent droughts and floods.
• Governance and policy reform – devolution, subsidies, political economy/representation of poor people’s interests in inclusive and environmentally sustainable policy making.
• Programming and finance for adaptation, resilience, and poverty reduction.
• Natural resources management and poverty, specifically soil fertility, water, impacts of deforestation on agriculture and vice versa (low productivity ag leading to expansion and deforestation.
4. Global poverty reduction and climate resilience
• How to turn around the limited progress on climate resilience and poverty reduction: round table.
• State of global institutions mandated with climate and poverty objectives – a bottom-up view.
We invite abstracts (up to 300 words) that include the paper’s key contribution, research question, data and methods, empirical findings, policy implications, and a brief author bio (up to 100 words). Please specify the relevant theme for your paper. We welcome full papers (8-10,000 words) based on existing research. Limited funding is available for presenters from outside the region; if financial support is needed, please indicate whether your attendance depends on it.
Key dates:
• Abstracts to be submitted by 13 January 2025
• Invitations will be issued by 7 February 2025
• Draft papers to be submitted by 8 April 2025
• Final papers of up to 10,000 words should be submitted after the conference.
The conference will be conducted in English. Please ensure that your paper has a copyright license that allows it to be distributed and circulated. The conference will be hybrid, so papers can be presented remotely. However, preference will be given to papers which can be presented in person. Please note, applicant details will be shared amongst the steering committee and conference registration is by invitation only.
Submissions should be sent to: chronicpoverty@ids.ac.uk
Deadline: 13 January 2025
