From Risk and Conflict to Peace and Prosperity: The urgency of securing community land rights in a turbulent world

From Risk and Conflict to Peace and Prosperity: The urgency of securing community land rights in a turbulent world is a report that analyzes the trends of 2016 and identifies priorities for 2017 for ensuring Indigenous Peoples’ and communities’ land rights. It finds that amid the realities of major political turbulence in 2016, there was growing recognition that the land rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities are key to ensuring peace and prosperity, economic development, sound investment, and climate change mitigation and adaptation. Despite equivocation by governments, a critical mass of influential investors and companies now recognize the market rationale for respecting community land rights. There is also increased recognition that ignoring these rights carries significant financial and reputational risks, causes conflict with local peoples and almost always fails to deliver on development promises. The report calls for various ways to support Indigenous Peoples’ and communities’ land rights, advance their efforts and accelerate the recognition of this right on the ground. It also calls for a prioirtization of women’s rights to community land and forests.

Read the complete report here.