Denise Senmartin

Professor, Faculty of Social Sciences, National University of Cordoba, Argentina

Over 15 years of on-the-ground knowledge management experience with multilateral, public, non-profit, and academic stakeholders from different countries in Latin America, Europe, Southeast Asia, West Africa, and the US.

Sustainable development frameworks and approaches driven by donors are learning from evidence demonstrating the positive impact of localisation, bottom-up, and multiple knowledges considerations in projects and investment efforts. However, declarations such as the SDGs are yet to become assertive in advocating and recognising that widespread approaches and proposed solutions to development challenges are still rooted in inequalities of power cemented over historical circumstances. A slow shift in discourse and action is happening, witnessing calls for decolonizing development approaches and integrating creative and innovative ways for local and external agents to work constructively leveraging local and multiple, intersectional knowledges. Addressing the impact of global challenges in ways that responses are shaped at the local level is a complex quest that requires heartfelt commitments from all stakeholders, including an effort to learn from what is not working, and change course. Let´s do it!

Keywords: decolonisation , multiple knowledges, sustainable development, bottom-up