On this International Day of Forests, we highlight the critical need for meaningful youth participation, particularly from Indigenous, local and Afro-descendant communities. Youth play a crucial role in protecting the world’s forests by offering fresh perspectives, innovative solutions, and a long-term commitment to conservation. Their creativity and urgency are key in addressing the complex challenges facing forests, such as deforestation and climate change. 

This blog post is part of the series What to Read. 

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Building innovative methodologies to overcome conflict and tension requires to go and work there where it is hardest. ProPFR Côte d’Ivoire (Promotion d’une Politique Foncière Rurale – Global Programme for Responsible Land Policy) tested approaches in Cavally region to help overcome significant opposition to change.  

On March 5, 2025, the FAO and the Global Land Alliance launched an important study titled Collective Tenure Rights and Climate Action in sub-Saharan Africa. This study consolidates extensive research on how collective land tenure arrangements impact forest conditions, biodiversity, and the livelihoods of Indigenous peoples and local communities across the

One glance at the shape of Itilla reveals that the person who determined the community’s oblong borders, was unaware of the realities of forest-dwelling communities in the Amazon. The Itilla reservation is an unusual 45 kilometers long and two kilometers wide. The territory looks more like a city block than the collective territory of a community in the Amazon.

Under the umbrella of the Land Dialogues series, the last  webinar of this year’s series “Navigating Loss and Damage : A Path to Justice for Indigenous Peoples” took place on December 5th, 2024. The webinar drew in a little over 250  participants. The series is organized by a consortium of organizations, including the Land Portal Foundation, the Ford Foundation and the Tenure Facility.  

Jacinta Kerketta, a distinguished poet, writer, and journalist from the Oraon Adivasi community of Jharkhand, delivered a stirring keynote at the 8th India Land and Development Conference. With her voice deeply rooted in the struggles and stories of her people, Jacinta brought the ongoing displacement and erosion of Adivasi land rights into sharp focus, weaving poignant poetry with hard-hitting narratives.

This blog post is part of the series What to Read. 

Have you heard about Loss and Damage (L&D)? I must admit very humbly that I did not fully grasp the ins and outs of the concept before I was asked to write this digest. If, like me, your interests lie primarily in land governance, you might very well be unfamiliar or only vaguely familiar with this notion.

In 2022, countries reached a historic agreement to halt biodiversity loss by conserving at least 30% of land and water by 2030. This marked a critical step toward protecting the world's precious remaining species and ecosystems. But that's not all: The Global Biodiversity Framework, as it's known, also explicitly calls on countries to recognize and uphold Indigenous Peoples and local communities' rights in their conservation strategies.

India has made significant strides in empowering women over the past few decades, starting with self-help groups (SHGs) that became powerful vehicles for social inclusion. Government and NGO efforts later expanded to skilling and livelihood initiatives, helping women increase their income and build small businesses within their communities. Yet, despite this progress, the urgent need remains for a long-term, sustainable solution to women's empowerment.