Lysa Wini

AREA OF EXPERTISE: Lysa collaborates with Indigenous communities in the Solomon Islands, focusing on incorporating Indigenous knowledge into decision-making processes. She is using interdisciplinary approach to examine how working colonial maritime legacies shape the present issues in ocean governance.

AFFILIATION: One Ocean Hub / University of Strathclyde (UK) and Niatero Foundation (US)

Impact

Growing up in the Solomon Islands, Lysa has experienced the legacies of inherited maritime laws along with Indigenous customs that regulate the people and their marine environment. This background has motivated Lysa to reconnect with her Indigenous heritage while engaging in policy processes, embarking on a journey of learning from her community. Through this, she has been able to generate knowledge that has the potential to contribute to transforming ocean governance in Solomon Islands.

“This experience has been transformative. It has empowered me as a woman to articulate and represent the perspectives of my people in national dialogues and international forums” Lysa notes.

Notably, Lysa has taken part as a speaker at COP27 at the event titled ‘Ocean and Climate Frameworks – Overview of Synergies and Discussion on Capacity Gaps and Opportunities’ at the Capacity-building Hub in the Blue Zone. She also participated as a speaker at the Ocean Decade Conference in Barcelona in April 2024 (see a clip of her presentation here). “This transformative journey has inspired a commitment to be intentional in ensuring the ocean governance work in Solomon Islands integrates Indigenous realities — a dimension historically neglected in the formulation of policies and laws in the Solomon Islands”, Lysa says.

Making waves

Lysa is a guest speaker in the Hub Podcast series episode six ‘The Island Stories: Colonial pasts and policies of the present’. Listen to the episode here.

Recent publication

Meg R. Keen, Anne-Maree Schwarz, Lysa Wini-Simeon, Towards defining the Blue Economy: Practical lessons from pacific ocean governance, Marine Policy, Volume 88, 2018, Pages 333-341

Lysa on leadership

“Collaborating with the One Ocean Hub and others who have supported my journey has empowered me to lead in bringing Indigenous perspectives to national dialogues and international forums, including COP27 and the Ocean Decade 2024 Conference.”

Lysa’s advice to fellow Early-career researCheRs

“My advice to fellow early-career researchers working on global development projects in areas inhabited by Indigenous peoples is to recognise that the production of knowledge is a deeply social process. It involves investing time in building genuine relationships with the communities we engage with. It’s crucial to adopt approaches that are not only appropriate but also meaningful, ensuring that our interactions contribute positively without causing harm or disempowering the communities we work with.”

Read Lysa’s Spotlight interview – here >>

Artwork: Margherita Brunori