Szilvia Csevár
Szilvia Csevár is a lecturer in Public International Law at The Hague University of Applied Sciences (THUAS). She also holds a researcher position within the Centre of Expertise Global and Inclusive Learning (GIL). Her current research is focusing on environmentally fuelled (sexual) violence against Indigenous women with a particular focus on the interaction between environmental factors, colonialism and the root causes of conflict. She was one of the contributing authors of the UN report Gender, Climate and Security, coordinated by the UN Environment Programme. She also explores various elements of human security, lately focusing on the aspect of food security in more detail.
Ms. Csevár worked with the UN-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone for several years as a Legal Researcher. Other professional activities included serving as Registrar with the International Peoples Tribunal on Crimes against Humanity in Indonesia 1965, as well as chairing the working group International Protection of Human Rights of the Dutch section of the International Commission of Jurists.
Session
As the effects of the climate crisis become increasingly evident, it is imperative to recognize our collective responsibility in fostering spaces where those on the frontlines—who not only bear the brunt of environmental challenges but also hold essential solutions—are meaningfully included in decision-making.
United Rising, an organization dedicated to environmental protection and fundamental human rights, presents a workshop on Intersectional and Storytelling Approaches to the Climate Crisis. This session will explore how intersectionality provides a holistic framework for understanding how overlapping identities shape individual experiences—highlighting the ways structural inequalities such as patriarchy, racism, colonialism, and capitalism intensify systems of oppression and exclusion. Storytelling, deeply embedded in Indigenous cultures, has long served as a powerful tool for truth-telling, resistance, and the preservation of communal memory across generations. This workshop will explore how narrative-based advocacy can amplify marginalized voices, challenge dominant power structures, and drive transformative climate action. Through interactive discussions and participatory activities, participants will gain practical insights into how intersectional storytelling can reshape climate discourse, ensuring that those most affected by environmental injustices are not only heard but centered in solutions.
An educational institution can benefit from this workshop by equipping students and educators with critical tools to deconstruct dominant, Western-centric narratives on the climate crisis. It challenges traditional academic knowledge by centring grassroots perspectives, lived experiences, and Indigenous storytelling as valid and essential sources of insight. For teachers outside the sector, the workshop offers practical methods to integrate intersectionality into their teaching, helping students recognize their own positionality and biases while fostering a deeper sense of responsibility toward just and inclusive climate action. The goal is not to diminish the value of academic knowledge but to address persistent gaps that traditional scientific knowledge alone cannot fill.