Items tagged:
Legal tools
-
Helping indigenous communities secure land rights in Nepal
A land rights project in Nepal is working with young people to map land claims and help more than 2,000 Indigenous farmers get legal title to the lands their families have farmed for generations. The project is being supported by local officials and is attracting interest from local governments across Nepal
-
Can promotion groups help strengthen women’s access and control over land?
In Senegal, women’s ‘promotion groups’ have traditionally been vehicles for helping women share resources, ideas and experiences to increase income. But they are also – somewhat expectedly – enabling women to access and control land, although with limitations. Guest blogger Ibrahima Dia discusses
-
Protecting Indigenous lands: lessons from Chile
The Colla are a legally recognised Indigenous People who live in the Atacama Region of northern Chile.
-
International treaties threaten affordability of climate action: new report
A new IIED report shows how key international legal measures could risk an increase in the cost of shifting to green energy and tackling climate change
-
Sustaining coffee producers’ agency in the context of COVID-19
Vava Coffee is social enterprise seeking to create positive social and economic change in Kenya’s coffee industry, the implications of COVID-19 and possible solutions for sustaining progress
-
Foreign investment, knowledge and international arbitration: inside a research trip
International investment law and investor dispute arbitration too often fail to notice the concerns of local actors. Guest blogger Nicolás Perrone argues that governance of these international mechanisms needs to take a more holistic, development-based view of the issues
-
Archive of completed legal tools projects
IIED’s Legal Tools for Citizen Empowerment initiative aims to strengthen the rights of rural people in the face of natural resource investments. This archive page provides links to past projects
-
Using technology to overcome challenges for farmers in value chains
Value chains are structured in ways that are unfavourable to smallholder farmers who often struggle to access finance, inputs and markets. An IIED webinar discussed how smallholders in East Africa can use technology to overcome those challenges and negotiate with buyers and input and finance providers from a position of strength
-
Curbing the impacts of COVID-19 on Nepal’s small-scale farmers and seizing opportunities for food system reform
Guest blogger Jagat Deuja puts forward practical measures for minimising damage to Nepal’s small-scale farming sector and ways to build resilient food systems in the longer term
-
Democratising international investment law
There are growing calls to reform international investment law, but how can we ensure that the people affected by these decisions are part of the debate?
-
Realigning investment contracts with sustainable development
Investment contracts – from land concessions to production sharing agreements for oil and gas projects – define the terms of an investment and influence the distribution of its costs and benefits. The process to conclude the contracts influences who has what say, when and how. IIED works with partners to rethink these legal documents and the process through which they are formulated
-
Kenya’s coffee sector in the COVID-19 context: can producer agency be sustained?
An initiative led by IIED is generating lessons on how rural producers, their associations and wider communities can best empower themselves to articulate their development priorities, make informe
-
Mining reforms have left Colombia’s artisanal miners behind
Following a recent visit to California, Colombia, Jimena Sierra and Brendan Schwartz discuss the impact of the government’s push to promote large-scale mining on artisanal and small-scale gold miners
-
Land rights and investments: why business standards are not enough
International standards can help businesses fill gaps in national law, but addressing issues at scale requires systemic governance reform
-
Webinar: Using technology to increase market and finance access for smallholders
IIED hosted a webinar on 24 March 2020 to discuss an experience of linking smallholder farmers to targeted services and buyers and to strengthen their position with other actors
-
Assisting communities to seek legal redress for land rights violations
With increased pressures on natural resources shifting resource control in favour of commercial interests, IIED is helping communities affected by land rights violations to assert their rights.
-
Rebalancing power in the Kenya-UK green bean value chain
Farmers and workers often struggle to influence decision-making and trading patterns within global value chains. A recent IIED webinar discussed an initiative to overcome hurdles for farmers and workers to secure a stronger voice and influence trading arrangements within the Kenya-UK green bean value chain
-
Investor-state dispute settlement: IIED and partners contribute to reform working group
IIED and partners have published four submissions to the UN working group on reforming investor-state dispute settlement. The submissions reflect a concern about ensuring sustainable development is central to the reforms
-
IIED webinar: Rebalancing power in global food chains
Join our latest webinar on 19 June 2019 to discuss an experience of tackling challenges affecting farmers and workers in a global value chain
-
Local solutions to strengthen women’s voices in land governance
With increasing pressure on land in sub-Saharan Africa, including from commercial agriculture and mineral and oil extraction, how can the voices of women be included in local decisions over land?
-
Development finance and land rights: how we can do better
Ahead of the World Bank conference on land and poverty, Lorenzo Cotula and Brendan Schwartz discuss how development finance institutions can better address land rights issues
-
Webinar: Local solutions to strengthen women’s voices in land governance
Join our webinar on 30 April 2019 to discuss experiences of developing locally-negotiated solutions to strengthen women’s voices in land governance
-
Law and political economy of the global resource squeeze: can action rise to the challenge?
As principal researcher in IIED's Natural Resources research group, Lorenzo Cotula leads research, policy engagement and field-level projects on the legal arenas where natural resource governance meets the global economy.
-
Strengthening women’s voices in land decisions: what works?
Philippine Sutz draws together key lessons from Ghana and Tanzania on how to get women’s voices heard in local land governance
-
Investor-state arbitration: an opportunity for real reform?
An ongoing multilateral process could provide a unique opportunity to reform a contentious area of global economic governance – but only if it properly identifies the key problems
-
Building transparency and trust into smallholder commodity trading and contract farming
Smallholder farmers have long had difficulties getting a fair price for their produce. A recent IIED webinar discussed how linking farmers to commodity exchanges and an ‘incentive-based’ contract farming (IBCF) approach can help improve farmer-buyer relations and establish more transparent trading arrangements
-
Mining in the deep-sea bed: are we ready?
International law designates the deep seabed as the “common heritage of humankind”, but poorly regulated mining could cause irreparable damage to such a fragile ecosystem. Erika Solimeo and Brendan Schwartz argue that the International Seabed Authority needs a moratorium on mining extraction licences
-
Empowering Producers in Commercial Agriculture (EPIC)
EPIC aims to empower rural producers and their wider communities to influence public decisions and private sector conduct in favour of bottom-up, locally beneficial and more sustainable investments in commercial agriculture.
-
Legal activism key to securing land rights in new investment phase
In the face of rapid changes, how can people in low- and middle-income countries ensure they get the best deal to protect their land?
-
IIED webinar: How to support small-scale farmers in negotiations with agribusiness
Join our webinar on 16 April 2018 to discuss how small-scale farmers can be supported when negotiating with companies.
-
Creating a global 'land rights family': from knowledge to action
Community land rights are the focus of two new initiatives. The first, launched with an 'action shop' in Kenya, enables civil society organisations to share knowledge and chart new paths; the second supports communities to seek legal redress for violated rights
-
Getting community voices heard in investor-state arbitration
During investor-state arbitrations, the rights and interests of local communities are often overlooked. A recent webinar discussed mechanisms that are getting the concerns of local communities on the table
-
Public-private partnerships and aid's 'private turn': addressing the investment law dimensions
Public-private partnerships are emerging as important vehicles for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Their legal and financial implications must be carefully considered
-
IIED webinar: civil society submissions in investor-state arbitration – do they work?
Join our webinar to discuss how civil society groups can bring forward community perspectives, human rights or environmental issues in investor-state arbitrations
-
Legal empowerment: what we do, what we've learned
If you missed the recent policy forum on legal empowerment, fear not: here Lorenzo Cotula recaps on what characterises IIED's approach and shares his top three lessons learned
-
Responsible investment provisions in international investment treaties: where next?
Lorenzo Cotula discusses how international investment treaties could promote more responsible investment and argues that, while some innovative practices are emerging, there is still much to do
-
Webinars: bringing people together online
IIED's online seminars about land rights bring together experts from around the world to share knowledge and exchange ideas
-
New IIED legal tools newsletter focuses on legal empowerment
The latest legal tools newsletter reports on how we are helping citizens exercise their rights in relation to land-related decisions and investments
-
Using legal tools to make agribusiness investments more accountable
A range of tools and approaches can support rural communities to exercise their rights and give them greater control over agribusiness deals that could affect their future, as a recent IIED webinar explored
-
IIED webinar: improving accountability in agribusiness investments
Join our webinar on 6 June 2017 to discuss how rural people can increase the accountability in agribusiness investments, looking at examples from Cameroon, Ghana and Senegal
-
Using community by‑laws to protect indigenous and rural land rights
A recent IIED webinar explored how developing community by-laws that suit local needs can be a powerful way of protecting the lands of indigenous peoples and rural communities
-
IIED webinar: Using community by-laws to secure customary land rights in Kenya
Join us for a webinar on 16 November 2016 to discuss how communities can use by-laws to secure their land rights
-
Law in the natural resource squeeze: 'land grabbing', investment treaties and human rights
Lorenzo Cotula discusses highlights from his latest academic piece, in which he explores whether investment treaties protect 'land grab' deals, and how these impact the land rights of rural people
-
Using online technology to empower communities facing land deals
Online databases are proving a useful tool for communities facing large-scale agricultural investments and associated conflicts, as a recent IIED webinar discovered
-
IIED webinar: using web platforms to promote transparency and strengthen land rights
Join us for a webinar on 6 July, 2016 to discuss how web platforms can be used by civil society organisations to support communities whose land rights and livelihoods are affected by agricultural projects
-
Next steps to strengthen global land governance
In 2012 there was a milestone international agreement on voluntary guidelines on the governance of land and tenure. The authors of a new progress report review the lessons learned about implementing the guidelines, and offer some recommendations for the future
-
Enhancing women's role in land management decisions
Large-scale agricultural investments impact upon men and women in different ways, yet women's voices and interests are not always heard in decisions about land. An IIED webinar examined how this could be changed
-
What women want
What would women in sub-Saharan Africa propose this leap year? IIED's legal tools team asked what women would like to happen when their communities are affected by land deals
-
How investment treaties protect 'land grab' deals
New research examining the geographical coverage of international investment treaties raises concern about how they might affect public action to address 'land grabbing'
-
IIED webinar: strengthening women's rights in land governance
Join us for a webinar on 2 February 2016 to discuss how women's rights in land governance can be strengthened
-
Holding actors in agricultural investment chains to account
When communities lose access to land, or their livelihoods, as a result of large agricultural investment projects, what can they do? An IIED webinar examined how mapping out the investment chains and using 'pressure points' can help
-
Opening up land contracts
Many land deals are still kept secret. Will a new online resource change the game?
-
New online database of investment contracts hailed as a "game changer"
IIED principal researcher Lorenzo Cotula will celebrate the launch of the first searchable online repository of investment contracts at an event at Columbia University on Wednesday
-
Getting to the root of gender equal land governance
A workshop in Senegal revealed that issues over equal access to land for men and women may not be as simple as they at first seem
-
Investment treaties and citizens' power: lessons from experience
There are growing calls to reform international investment law, but how can we ensure that the people affected by these decisions are part of the debate?
-
IIED to host webinar on promoting accountability in agricultural investment chains
Join us for a webinar on 11 September to discuss how communities groups can take action to get increased accountability in agricultural investment chains
-
Investment treaties, land rights and a shrinking planet
Commercial land concessions may be protected under international investment law. Lorenzo Cotula argues that securing land rights requires tackling these global dimensions
-
IIED animation to help communities protect legal rights
IIED has released a new animation designed to help local communities protect their rights in the face of large-scale land acquisitions
-
Using the law for resource justice
Large-scale resource development can threaten people's land and environment. Now a new initiative is bringing grassroots organisations together with international lawyers to fight for resource justice
-
The rise of civil society advocacy on investment treaties in Malaysia and the Philippines
Investment treaties can have far-reaching implications for communities, but how can citizens in low- and medium-income countries influence their content? An IIED webinar examined the role of civil society advocacy on investment treaties in Malaysia, the Philippines and beyond
-
Why parliament should scrutinise the UK-Ethiopia BIT
The House of Commons has been debating the proposed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). But will the UK parliament use its powers to debate a bilateral investment treaty signed with Ethiopia?
-
Paving a path towards redressing grievances and holding investors accountable
How can remote communities with little formal education hold investors to account and seek redress when their rights to land and resources are threatened? An IIED webinar examined the role of grievance mechanisms
-
Women's land rights and Africa's development conundrum – which way forward?
In many African countries women lose out from patriarchal legal and cultural traditions. How can these practices be changed to benefit everyone?
-
Human rights should be at the heart of investment policy making
If foreign investment is to promote inclusive sustainable development, investment policy must take human rights seriously
-
Citizen power: Sustaining paralegal programmes to put knowledge back into communities' hands
Paralegal schemes build citizen power by helping communities develop the knowledge and capacity they need to speak up for themselves. A recent IIED webinar explored how such schemes can best be supported to make a long-term difference
-
Understanding growing pressures on land: 'land grabbing' and beyond
Land is central to livelihoods, culture and identity for millions of people across the developing world. But there is growing concern that people's connection to their land is being undermined by large-scale agribusiness and extractive industry investments in Africa, Asia and Latin America
-
Addressing the interplay between agribusiness investments and ape conservation
Recent years have witnessed a new wave of large-scale acquisitions for agribusiness investments in Africa and Asia. Countries that house a large proportion of the world's biodiversity and ape habitats and populations have lost areas of high biodiversity land to commercial agriculture. Despite much effort at local, national and global levels, evidence on the exact scale, location and coverage of agribusiness investments remains patchy and often unreliable
-
Securing land rights in West Africa
Land is life for millions of people across rural Africa. It is central for ensuring they have enough food to eat. Even if they are involved in other trades, land is an essential safety net for the rural poor during times of economic instability and helps define cultures and identities
-
Legal tools: sharing lessons from innovation
Around the world, citizens' groups are taking action to change the way investments in natural resources are happening, to protect the rights of citizens and the environment for a fairer and more sustainable world. The Legal Tools for Citizen Empowerment initiative shares tools and tactics among practitioners
-
Protecting women’s livelihoods through gender-equitable land governance in sub-Saharan Africa
As commercial pressures on land increase in East and West Africa, there is a need for evidence and action on gender-equitable land governance.
-
Legal and social accountability tools in agricultural investments in West Africa
In recent years, a wave of large-scale acquisitions of farmland for plantation agriculture has taken place in Africa, Asia and Latin America, fuelled by changing agricultural commodity prices, expectations of rising land values and public policies to promote long-term food and energy security. Developing tools to improve accountability is critical in ensuring that investment processes respond to local needs and aspirations
-
Rethinking investment treaties and dispute settlement in the light of sustainable development
To promote inclusive sustainable development, IIED works with partners to rethink these legal documents and the process through which they are formulated.
-
Introduction to legal tools for citizen empowerment
Can a half-acre of dry earth be more precious than gold? To farmers, herders and foragers in some of the world's poorest countries, the answer is very literally yes. Gold mining, agribusiness and other natural resource investments typically promise new jobs and public revenues. But they can also push poorer groups off their land and pollute their waterways
-
Europe's controversial TTIP treaty: The good, the bad and the unnecessary
Despite negotiations with the US proposing a more balanced text, the EU has yet to make a compelling case over the investment chapter of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership
-
Investor-state arbitration: Lessons from civil society advocacy
How can civil society promote public awareness and scrutiny? Two civil society practitioners recently shared their experiences during IIED's second Legal Tools webinar
-
Striking down adverse investment laws: success stories from Indonesia
How is it possible to challenge laws that promote investment but adversely affect the rights of local communities? Two legal empowerment practitioners from peasants' rights and indigenous peoples organisations in Indonesia recently shared their experiences during IIED's first Legal Tools webinar.
-
How to use law to make foreign investment work for sustainable development
As foreign investments in agriculture and extractive industries increase pressures on land and natural resources, governments and civil society can harness the law to promote sustainable development.
-
Tackling the trade law dimension of ‘land grabbing’
As trade talks regain momentum, ‘land grab’ activists are scrutinising negotiations and pioneering new opportunities for public accountability.
-
US Supreme Court dims a light in corporate accountability
A recent US judgment is a setback in efforts to improve corporate accountability, but promising developments elsewhere are creating new opportunities.
-
Global land rush: Contract transparency is crucial, but not enough
Greater transparency was a key theme at the World Bank land conference last week. Transparency is critical, but without greater accountability to local communities it is not enough.
-
Is the tide turning for Africa’s investment treaties?
A new Canada-Benin investment treaty contains more balanced provisions than most. But a real shift in treaty making requires African governments and civil society to seek a better deal for themselves.
-
As global agri-investment increases, policies must put local people centre stage
Agricultural investment policies favour big businesses, a new report shows. We must reshape them so investments meet local people's needs.
-
Tanzania: Moving beyond ‘land grab’ rhetoric to finding solutions
This is not an unusual story in Tanzania. Newspapers are being filled with “land grab” headlines. Stories about displacement and dodgy land deals are becoming normal street-side conversation.
-
Invest in farmers, not in farmland
"Land grabs" are now one of the biggest issues in Africa.
-
