Aina Virginia Bituin Eriksson joined SEI Headquarters in January 2019 as an intern at the Project Partnering Unit Communications and since June 2019 she has been working with a variety of projects as a communication officer.
Aina works primarily within the Coordination Desk for the Sustainable Lifestyles and Education Programme, which is one of six programmes within the 10 Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production led by UNEP.
Aina is a graduate of International and European Law specializing in the patenting of seeds and its effects on the rights of small-holder farmers and biodiversity in the global south. After completing her LLB at the University of Groningen, Aina deepened her knowledge of resilient farming systems by studying permaculture in Kinsale Ireland. In 2017 Aina completed an internship in Cape Town, South Africa where she assisted an NGO working with landless farmers in interpreting international and national legislation that adversely affect small-scale farmers’ rights and food sovereignty. She then returned to South Africa on her own accord to further her learning in agrarian reform, local food systems and youth activism.
Raised in both the Philippines and Sweden Aina has a strong personal and professional interest in cross-cultural perspectives, the decolonization of knowledge systems, and the role of language in forming theory and discourse. Her experience in several countries and diverse cultures has fostered a commitment to bridging cultural differences through effective communication. She has written for multiple online student-lead magazines and contributed to the online blog of La Via Campensina ‘Defending Peasant Rights’.