Evaluating in the Polycrisis – the interconnectedness of all things
Monday, May 25, Eriel Tchekwie Deranger
Canadian policy-makers are facing a polycrisis driven by many factors, including climate change, social and economic inequities, and questions about the validity of evidence. How do evaluators break down silos and provide relevant and impactful advice that meets the challenges of a complex world? Eriel Deranger will draw on her many years of experience as an Indigenous climate champion and address why Indigenous peoples’ rights and knowledge systems are critical to developing solutions to the climate crisis and achieving climate justice. She will explore how Indigenous knowledge and values can inform policy in a way that breaks down silos and allows us to embrace the power of “AND”, and how we can move beyond metrics that are grounded in colonial world views to ensure that evaluation is meaningful in today’s world.
Eriel Tchekwie Deranger is a Dënesųłiné member of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation (ACFN) and President and founder of Indigenous Climate Action (ICA) and The Woven Project. 2024 Winner of the Climate Breakthrough Global award, Deranger is an active member of the International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change, and sits on various boards including Bioneers, It Takes Roots Leadership Council, Climate Justice Resiliency Fund Council of Advisors, and was a founding member of the Global Indigenous Youth Caucus.
Deranger is recognized for her role as the spokesperson for her community (ACFN) in the international Indigenous Tar Sands Campaign and for spearheading the Tar Sands Healing Walk. This work included developing one of the first Indigenous rights-based divest movements; lobbying government officials in Canada, the US, the UK and the EU; supporting and leading mass mobilizations against the fossil fuel industry & climate change; and bringing international recognition to issues in her territory with celebrities and politicians alike. Eriel has worked alongside Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Gabor Mate, Noam Chomsky, Bill McKibbon, Al Gore, Clayton Thomas Muller, Melina Laboucan-Massimo, Jade Begay, Janene Yazzie, Kyle Whyte, Winona LaDuke, Tom Goldtooth, Neil Young, Leonardo DiCaprio and many others.
Eriel was selected for the Climate Breakthrough Award program in 2024, exploring the launch of a globally coordinated effort that allows for effective and resourced participation of Indigenous peoples in bringing forward climate solutions. Despite the landmark adoption of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in 2007, Eriel is acutely aware that Indigenous peoples continue to be sidelined in global negotiations and decision-making processes.
Deranger has written for the Guardian, Yellowhead Institute, The National Observer, and has been featured in podcasts and documentary films including Elemental (2012); is regularly keynoting high level conferences and events, and is regularly interviewed for national and international media outlets including Democracy Now!, Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN), and CBC.
Conference details and registration