Windhoek
The University of Namibia (Unam) will host its seventh annual public research conference next week that would, among others, discuss papers on poverty and the influence of climate change on poverty.
Leading the symposium would be Unam’s Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. Faculty chairperson Wilhelm Uutoni said they have over the years held a series of seminars as platforms for academics and the wider community to share research findings and discuss ongoing research activities at the university.
“There will be 21 presentations and three poster presentations done by students,” he said, while inviting UNAM staff members, students of tertiary institutions, members of government and non-governmental organisations to attend the conference.
The conference’s theme is ‘Poverty Eradication, Community and Citizen Empowerment’ and will be held at the Library Auditorium at Unam’s main campus.
Uutoni said they have international and local participants, such as economist Martin Mwinga, participants from the Namibia Statistic Agency and others attached to various local institutions.
He said the conference would cover 12 sub-themes, including geography and climate impact on poverty, minorities and poverty, history of poverty and socio-political influences on poverty, as well as poverty eradication. “We have a faculty journal wherein the best papers will be published at the end of the conference”, he said.
Uutoni noted that last year’s research agenda focused on gender-based violence and a number of students, civil society stakeholders and lecturers participated.
He said a high-ranking official from the Ministry of Poverty Eradication would officiate the conference. United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator and UN Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative, Kiki Gbohe, would also attend the conference, which is being co-hosted by the UNDP and New Era newspaper.