Activist-Academic Alliances project launch exploring collaboration across research, policy and activism to advance inclusive solutions for gender equality and climate justice.
Gender equality and climate justice are inextricably linked. Yet, we will be unable to understand and respond to the full scale and depth of their interconnection if knowledge production does not bridge three key divides: 1) gender equality policy versus climate change policy; 2) arts and social sciences versus STEM research; and 3) activist versus academic spaces.
The Activist-Academic Alliances for Gender and Climate Justice (AAAGCJ) project seeks to challenge and disrupt unhelpful distinctions between the university as a ‘traditional’ site of knowledge production on the one hand; and on the other, that non-government organisations (NGOs) or activist movements are advocacy spaces ‘only’.
Building on the intersectional frameworks and methodologies developed by Pacific movements co-led by DIVA for Equality (Fiji), the project aims to nurture networks as basis for sustained dialogue and collaboration, and where diverse academic and activist perspectives and practices are equally valued for concretely identifying areas of policy response, reform and influence.
Join us for the project launch and opening dialogue, exploring why activist-academic collaboration is essential to advancing gender equality and climate justice.
Chair: Maria Tanyag is an Associate Professor in the Department of International Relations, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs and an Australian Research Council DECRA Fellow.
This research is supported by the Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Award (DE240101244) and ANU Gender Institute Enhancing Gender Justice through Transdisciplinary Research grant.
Event Speakers
Noelene Nabulivou
Noelene Nabulivou is co-founder and International Adviser of DIVA for Equality and Adviser to the Pacific Island Feminist Alliance for Climate Justice. She also co-chairs the Oceania Steering Committee for Women Deliver 2026. Her work spans feminist climate justice, peacebuilding, SRHR and ecological justice.
Viva Tatawaqa
Viva Tatawaqa is a grassroots feminist organiser in Fiji and the Pacific. She works with DIVA for Equality and co-founded a peer support group focused on SRHR, mental health and wellbeing. She is also active in the Pacific Feminist SRHR Coalition, with a strong commitment to addressing injustice and advancing feminist organising.
Emily Rudland
Emily Rudland (she/her) manages the Inclusion and Equality Fund at the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, supporting LGBTQIA+ civil society. She has worked in international development since 2008, specialising in gender equality, disability and social inclusion. She holds a PhD from the Australian National University.
Simon Niemeyer
Simon Niemeyer is Professor and co-founder of the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance at the University of Canberra. His research focuses on deliberative democracy and institutional design. He has led over 20 major projects and held roles at Uppsala, Birmingham, Cambridge and CSIRO.