A panel on closing the gap in the recognition
of community & indigenous land and forest rights
09:30 am to 12:00 pm GMT
February 3, 2016 • Royal Society • London
2015 was the year RRI identified the gap between the extent of customary lands claimed by the world’s 1.5 billion Indigenous Peoples and local communities, and the amount of that land that’s recognized by national laws. We found that just 10 percent of the world’s land is formally recognized in statutory law as owned by Indigenous Peoples and local communities. Governments claim most of the rest.
This gap means that the rights to a vast area of the world’s surface are contested. It is the reason why land disputes are a major cause of conflict in many countries. It also represents a chasm between fair and equitable rural development, one where environmental destruction flourishes, poverty festers and human rights are extinguished.
Indeed, the social and economic progress of many countries hinges on resolving land conflicts and converting customary rights into statutory law. Looking at countries currently engaged in land reform, our panel of global experts will take stock of progress and failures in 2015, and explore strategies to close the current gap in the recognition of indigenous and local community land rights in the year ahead. Launched at the event, our Annual Review of the State of Rights and Resources 2015-2016 will also report on progress on RRI’s targets between 2005 and 2015.
This event will be webcast live on this page.