The Baker Institute International Symposium

Who Pays The Price?

Resource Extraction and Environmental Inequity

With funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Baker Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies hosts a symposium examining the local and global impacts and legacies of environmental resource extraction. 

October 6-7, 2025

 

Zoom Webinar Link for October 7th International Panel: 

The Baker Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies is pleased to host its Fourth International Symposium, “Who Pays the Price? Resource Extraction and Environmental Inequity.” Supported in part by Juniata College's Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Grant, this two-day event will bring together international scholars, regional practitioners, and students to explore the local and global impacts of extractive industries.

The symposium will begin with a focus on Appalachian Pennsylvania’s fossil fuel legacies, then expand to examine how mining, drilling, and resource extraction shape conflicts, environmental justice, and community resilience worldwide. Through panels and dialogue, participants will engage pressing questions:

• How do extractive industries deepen environmental inequities?
• What roles do colonial legacies and global trade play?
• How can communities resist harm and promote sustainable practices?

The symposium is free and open to the public, welcoming the Juniata community and international guests to join in this critical conversation.

 

Symposium Overview

The Baker Institute symposiums aim to engage scholars and practitioners of peace and conflict resolution through dialogue on pressing issues facing the world in the 21st century. Expert panelists will share their perspectives and scholarship with symposium participants. Symposium moderators will facilitate the sharing of knowledge and reflections among panelists and participants. The symposium is open to the Juniata campus community and the broader United States and international community.

Past Symposiums
2022 - The War in Ukraine: Global Perspectives - 6 speakers and 70 participants
2023 - The New Cold War?: Strategic Competition and the Future World Order - 7 speakers and 304 participants
2024 - Toward Environmental Justice: Transition to a Sustainable Future - 6 speakers and 450 participants

 

Symposium International Guests

 

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Ayuk is an Independent Researcher and Consultant with over 30 years of experience in development research across Africa. His expertise includes natural resource management, poverty research, value chain analysis, institutional capacity building, and strategic planning. He served as Senior Strategic Adviser and Sub-Regional Director for Southern Africa at the Sustainable Development Goals Centre for Africa in Kigali (2019–2020) and as Director of the United Nations University Institute for Natural Resources in Africa (UNU-INRA) in Accra (2010–2018), where he led research and policy initiatives on natural resource governance. Elias began his career with the International Fertilizer Development Centre in Togo before joining the World Agroforestry Centre (1992–2002) in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Zimbabwe. He later worked with Canada’s International Development Research Centre in Senegal (2002–2010), including as Acting Executive Director of SISERA. Since 2014, he has been a member of UNEP’s International Resource Panel, co-leading influential reports. He has co-edited six books and published widely on sustainable development and resource governance.

 

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Garganera is part of the Philippine Task Force on the Binding Treaty (Campaign for a Legally Binding Treaty on TNCs) and the Asia Working Group for a Legally-Binding Instrument (Asia-LBI). His organization is active both in the Global Campaign for a Legally-Binding Treaty and the Treaty Alliance. He is part of the Steering Committees of the Asia-Pacific Gathering on Human Rights and Extractives (AP-Gathering) and the Thematic Social Forum on Mining (TSF-Mining). He also sits in the Advisory Committee of the Defenders in Development (DiD) campaign and the Community Resource Exchange (CRE) of the Coalition on Human Rights and Development (CHRD). He has been an official CSO delegate to various international conferences and gatherings, including UN Conferences on Sustainable Development (UNCSD), UN Forums on Business and Human Rights (UN BHR), Asia-Europe Peoples Forum (AEPF), Annual Meetings of the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank and Publish What You Pay – Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (PWYP-EITI) global and regional meetings.

 

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Noroña is a social scientist and educator working at the intersection of higher education, grassroots research, decolonization, and social justice. Her research focuses on the Amazon region, feminist political ecology, oil and gas industries, indigenous peoples and territories, and the intersections of race and gender violence. Her current work explores female indigenous epistemologies and body-territory cartographies. She co-founded the Pachaysana Foundation in Ecuador. Noroña has held fellowships with the Mellon Foundation (Just Transformation Initiative, 2021–2023; Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2020–2021) and Fulbright-Hays (2017). She currently serves as an Assistant Professor at Penn State University, teaching human geography, development theory, Latin American geography, globalization, and qualitative research methods. Previously, she was a Mellon Postdoctoral Scholar at the University of Oregon, where she researched indigenous knowledge, racism, and gender disparities in contexts of oil extraction and COVID-19 in Latin America. Her work bridges research, teaching, and community-based projects to advance social justice and sustainable development.

 

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Symposium Schedule

Monday and Tuesday, October 6–7, 2025 | Juniata College, Huntingdon, PA

Monday, October 6

• 2:30 PM – Community Panel: Remediating the Impacts of Extraction
  • • • • Neff Lecture Hall, von Liebig Center, Juniata College
• 7:00 PM – Keynote Lecture
  • • • • Neff Lecture Hall, von Liebig Center, Juniata College

Tuesday, October 7

• 10:00 AM – Tree Planting Ceremony
  • • • • TBD
• 6:00 PM – International Symposium Session Presentations
  • • • • Neff Lecture Hall, von Liebig Center, Juniata College
          • • 6:00 PM – Welcome
              • • Zia Haque, Director, The Baker Institute (2 min)
                • Juniata College Senior Leadership (2 min)
            • 6:05 PM – Introduction
              • • Moderator (2 min)
            • 6:10 PM – International Panel Presentations (Total 60 min)
              • • Africa (20 min)
                • Latin America (20 min)
                • Asia (20 min, virtual)
            • 7:00 PM – Break (Refreshments available in the lobby)
            • 7:15 PM – Dialogue & Reflections
              • • Moderator takeaways (5 min)
                • Audience Q&A (20 min)
            • 7:50 PM – Closing Remarks
              • • Zia Haque, Director, The Baker Institute (5 min)
            • 8:00 PM – Adjourn

 

Symposium Planning Committee

The planning committee includes the Baker Institute Director, staff, and a rotating scholar in residence, with student employees playing a vital role in planning and implementation. Faculty from Peace and Conflict Studies and related disciplines consult on topics and speakers. At the same time, final decisions are reviewed by the 14-member Advisory Board of students, faculty, alumni, trustees, and the Provost. Many board members also serve on the International Education Committee, ensuring alignment with Juniata's Center for International Education.

Explore our Annual Reports & Videos:

• Baker Institute YouTube Channel
• 2022-2023 Baker Institute Annual Report
• 2021-2022 Baker Institute Annual Report
• 2020-2021 Baker Institute Annual Report
• 2019-2020 Baker Institute Annual Report