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TOR055: Protecting Tanzania’s Environment With Adam Anthony

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Adam Anthony is a Program Officer at ForumCC, or the Tanzanian Civil Society Forum on Climate Change, which is an association of civil society organizations committed to working on climate change through individual and collective program initiatives. Previously, Adam worked with YUNA, a youth-based United Nations awareness organization, Norwegian Church Aid, and Africa Unite, a South-African based NGO working on human rights. Adam is the 2011 Anzisha Prize semi-finalist, winner of the JGI Global Award for Youth leadership in 2011 and the 2013 winner of the Under-30 Youth Awards in Tanzania for the social impact category. You can connect with Adam here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamthony https://twitter.com/adamthony

IN TOR 055 YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

  • The work Adam has been involved with, first with youth for YUNA, and then ForumCC.
  • What each of the organizations does, their differences and similarities in terms of work, consensus building and funding.
  • The ways Adam learned to seek agreements and obtain compromises.
  • How ForumCC managed to build one front out of diversity to impact climate change policy at the national level and in the global arena of COP.

OUR CONVERSATION INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING:

Organizations

Topics

  • Youth
  • Climate change
  • Coalitions and consensus building
  • Policymaking

Places

  • Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

EPISODE CRIB NOTES

From YUNA to ForumCC Previously, focused on youth. Bringing youth closer to the UN. School clubs, internships, involving them in agendas. Work on multiple subjects, as the UN does. Now, a coalition of civil societies focused on climate change. The switch: Climate Change is his current interest. Also there is a lot of ground work with farmers on adaptation, in forests with officers. It used to be a lot of office work. ForumCC’s measure of success Engagement of actors in policymaking and capacity, through lobbying, advocacy and community organization. Looking to influence national governments’ agendas on climate change, ensuring local participation (farmers, fishermen) into the policy discussion. On achieving coalition consensus It depends on the subject. ForumCC needed to show as one position to COP20. ForumCC involves local and international partners including the UN itself, embassies and civil and community societies. At the end of the day there was no unanimous consensus, but priorities arise before, like adaptation over mitigation. There are difficulties during the early consultative stages. It is done with all actors in the same room. Private sector (coal) as well as fishermen and farmers. Consensus was very difficult. Both parties needed to compromise. Differences and similarities in funding processes YUNA: Projects are built, then funding is sought. Looked into alternative sources of financing, nationally. They devised services like consulting, through the social enterprise model. On National Model UN, there were agreed upon sources of financing. Then donors pulled out. YUNA learned the lesson, started depending on different sources, also ways to work, resourcefulness. ForumCC: More straightforward project writing and funding from established donors. There are program officers and more people dedicated to write and fulfill donors’ criterion. Instance of failure “I didn’t expect things like donors pulling out happen. I should have.“ About coordination, independence. Practical virtues become valuable learning experiences. Advice Passion and commitment develop over time. “You don’t wake up one day and say: I’ll do this.“ Learn the dynamics, the people, how systems, organizations and communities work. Challenge yourself, be open to them, to learn a lot and understand when a situation requires a new set of skills. Think a lot. Let your friends who work in development convince you, and convince your other friends.

Please share, participate and leave feedback below!

If you have any feedback you’d like to share for me or Adam, please leave your thoughts in the comment section below! I read all of them and will definitely take part in the conversation. If you have any questions you’d like to ask me directly, head on over to the Ask Stephen section. Don’t be shy! Every question is important and I answer every single one. And, if you truly enjoyed this episode and want to make sure others know about it, please share it now:
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