Governance and Management Approach

Project Management by IGOs: Our Team respects the decision-making systems of each IGO involved in the project and these will be affirmed through the project. For example, rather than imposing the requirement for elected officials to make decisions about data sharing, we respect that those decisions may be made through ceremony or according to the authority of Indigenous elders. Recognition, learning about these unique systems of decision-making will be key in Yr.1-2 of the project. One example is the Cree approach, called the “Tipi Model”, which was described by Elders in the Confederacy of Treaty 6 First Nations; it is intended for use by these Nation for the governance of health, wellness and inter-societal relations. The Tipi is an aspect of Cree identity and offers lessons for decision-making and governance of our project. The model draws from the meanings of parts of the Tipi as a way of understanding the Cree system of decision making and collaboration. The intention to fund 146 PBR projects will mean significant plurality in how IGOs engage in Ărramăt from across Canada and around the globe. To simplify communication between IGOs and other structures of the Team, we also plan that regional leads will be confirmed or identified for each of the 44 regions. For example, in the case of northern Canada (Location 5 on PBRT Map), Sahtú elder Leon Andrew who is a respected elder among northern Dene, will serve as a lead and communicate with other Dene in the region through existing regional organizations (e.g., Northwest Territories Aboriginal Steering Committee). In India, Nicholas Barla of Indigenous Peoples Forum Odisha (IPFO) is the main point of contact. Other existing regional organizations and representatives will also be key to communication and decision-making. For example, interfacing with Indigenous Guardians Network [228] (i.e., about MT), will be facilitated through Val Courtois (Indigenous Leadership Initiative). IGOs will be responsible for creating/leading Place-Based Research Teams (PBRT) which will apply for funding for local projects. Their leadership in these projects will mean taking on responsibilities for carrying out work relevant to the objectives of the project but also:

  1. engaging in the co-design of MTs and their adaptation/use for their project
  2. liaising with GTPT in respect of how their work interfaces in one or more transformation areas
  3. recruitment and training of graduate students and other HQP
  4. financial reporting
  5. creation of health-safety plans, project evaluation
  6. creation and mobilization of knowledge in support of transformation in their regions

Advisory Circle (AC): The AC will serve as our major management structure for Ărramăt (if funded). The AC will operate in place of a Board of Directors but will make recommendations to an Executive Committee and the PIs of the project rather than have central decision-making authority.

These recommendations will be formulated by the AC through a process of consensus-building. They will meet quarterly through the life of the project and comprise multiple sub-committees. An interim AC served to guide proposal development. If funded, we will revisit the composition of the AC; members will be selected from among the Team with 10 being appointed by the PIs and 11 being nominated and elected by co-applicants and collaborators. 5 sub-committees will be created:

  1. The AC will make recommendations on financial administration to an Executive Committee (A-EC) comprised of 3 members of the AC, the Co-PIs and one member of the host institution (University of Alberta); they will be responsible for financial accountability of the project to the Team and NFRF. The A-EC will also be responsible for recruitment and management of staff, development of / compliance with Tri-Council ethics guidelines, as well as health, safety and risk management planning
  2. An EDI Sub-Committee will develop the guidelines and evaluate the progress and the success of the project in respect of inclusivity of IPs, those of diverse gender identities and disabilities
  3. Another sub-committee will be tasked with liaising with PBRT and GTPT in the work of project evaluation
  4. A sub-committee will oversee engagement and training of graduate students and other HQP
  5. Another will work on questions of transformation with the GTPT in support of IGOs

Methodological Toolbox (MT) Working Groups: were initiated in full proposal development and comprise a broad representation of IGOs and those from over 14 disciplinary niches. We will create 10 formal working groups in Yr. 1 of the project related to each of the pathways of transformation. GTPT leads will also lead these working groups and engage with representatives of IGOs seeking to develop PBR projects. They will be responsible for creating suites of tools related to each pathway and making those available/accessible to IGOs – PBRT. Other partners will also be invited to join where meaningful (e.g., members of the Indigenous Guardians Network [228] via Courtois (co-applicant).

Global Transformation Pathway Teams (GTPT): The GTPTs have two main roles. Support of PBR Projects – The GTPT will lead the co-design of “Methodological Toolboxes” (MT); the leads of each GTPT will be responsible for leading one of the MT-Working Groups. The leads will:

  1. work with PIs and IGOs to co-design the ToR for our directed Request for Proposals (RFP) for PBR projects (Yr. 1, 3) and supporting PBR in Yr. 2-5
  2. adjudicate PBR proposals submitted through the RPF process
  3. make recommendations to the Ărramăt Executive Committee (A-EC) about funding
  4. evaluate the progress of PBR projects
  5. assess risks and propose mitigations as necessary

Synthesizing and Scaling of Research Outcomes: The GTPT will also liaise with the leads of each PBRT to identity research outputs that are relevant to each pathway and work collaboratively to critically interpret and scale outcomes in ways that will be impactful and transformative to institutions such as IPBES, PAHO etc. They will also be responsible for supporting the training of graduate students, and each producing a major policy prescriptive output, a meaningful deliverable for IGOs (e.g., documentary film) and 10 peer-reviewed journal articles. The GTPT will be accountable to the AC and EC (based on bi-annual reports) for adherence to the Ărramăt Strategic Plan (e.g., by EDI, interdisciplinarity-transdisciplinarity, training and outputs).

Transformation Partners: A constellation of government departments, ENGOs and global organizations (e.g., World Bank) are engaged (See list of Collaborators). They will support our work by widening pathways for transformation and providing logistical supports (e.g., meeting space at the UNPFII) [8]. If funded we will initiate (in Yr. 1) an “Ărramăt Partners Network” (A-PN) to support PBRT /GTPT to co-create and implement an “Ărramăt Strategic Plan for Transformation (A-SPT) (i.e., following Table 4) that range in scale (e.g., Deh Cho First Nations versus UNPFII). Learning will be multi-directional. For, example, GNWT anticipates learning from PBRT in their jurisdiction, and seek to learn from elsewhere and can share out their own innovations (e.g., Protected Areas Strategy) with others. We know institutional learning will vary for numerous reasons (e.g. capacity).

Management and Operations Team: Daily management and operations of the project will be tasked to an Executive Committee comprised of the PIs and 3 members of the AC. The University of Alberta will be primarily responsible for financial administration (i.e., reporting to the funding agency). The Co-PIs will have overarching responsibilities for the project and will be supported by the AC, as well as an Executive Director, a project manager, 2 finance staff and 2 communications staff.

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