At its 20th anniversary celebration in Kathmandu, the Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI) announced the winners of its inaugural Collective Action Awards. The awards honor Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and local communities from Africa, Asia, and Latin America for their leadership in defending their collective land, forest, and resource rights.
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Meet the RRI Collective Action Award Winners
These are the three communities that are leading global efforts to protect nature and preserve traditional knowledge for future generations.
At their first Global Congress, Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities from Major Forest Basins Demand Urgent Actions on Land Recognition, Protection, and Rights
Hundreds of Indigenous and local community representatives from the world’s largest tropical forest basins held a historic convening on May 26–30, 2025, with government representatives, international development institutions, and donors to present their demands ahead of the next UN Climate Conference in Brazil (COP30).
RRI’s Participation in the Installation Ceremony of the International Commission of Traditional Communities, Afro-descendants and Family Farmers in the framework of the Circle of Dialogues towards COP30
On May 29, 2025, the Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI) accompanied the Installation Ceremony of the International Commission of Traditional Communities, Afro-descendants and Family Farmers in Brazil. The event represented an important milestone in the lead-up to COP30, and brought together various authorities from Brazil and Colombia, consolidating the regional commitment to the role of traditional peoples in the international climate agenda.
Coalition Calls on South Sudan’s Parliament to Pass Long-Awaited National Land Policy
As South Sudan’s Parliament prepares to reconvene in the coming days, the South Sudan Land Alliance, a coalition of civil society organizations and land rights advocates, is calling on the Transitional National Legislative Assembly to prioritize the passage of the National Land Policy.
First Global Congress of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities from the Forest Basins Begins in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
The First Global Congress of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities from the Forest Basins brings together forest guardians from the Amazon, Congo, Borneo-Mekong-Southeast Asia, and Mesoamerica. These territories, long safeguarded by Indigenous Peoples and local communities, are essential to the Earth’s biodiversity and carbon balance—providing powerful solutions to the climate crisis.
Declaration of the Regional Meeting of Indigenous Peoples and Traditional Peoples and Communities of Brazil and the Amazon Basin for COP30
We declare that there is no solution to the climate crisis without the recognition and protection of our territorial rights. Here, we present our priority demands and urge the Brazilian Presidency of COP30 to present concrete results for the respect, recognition and protection of our territories.
The path to securing land tenure for women in Tanzania
There are 13,318 villages in Tanzania, and of them, only 34% have a Village Land Use Plan (VLUP). A VLUP is a crucial prerequisite for obtaining a Certificate of Customary Right of Occupancy—the equivalent of securing land tenure. This can be especially important for women, who are often marginalized in land inheritance, lack access to credit services, and have little voice in disputes. Since 2021, the Ukijani project has helped issue more than 1,700 Certificates in villages throughout the country.
Life stories of women leaders: Tabea Casique Coronado, an Asheninka Leader in Peru
The secretary of the Board of Directors of the Interethnic Association for the Development of the Peruvian Jungle (AIDESEP) shares the challenges she had to overcome to become an Indigenous woman leader.
Empowering women: The secret to successful conservation in Nepal
Community Forest User Groups play an important role in protecting the forests on Chandragiri Hill in Nepal, but they didn’t begin to make significant progress in this quest until the women of these communities were allowed to join.
Land tenure for women: Reflections on Madagascan realities
With population growth in Madagascar, land is in ever shorter supply and conflicts over land ownership are multiplying. We must build greater community recognition of women’s important role in society—not as competitors to men, but as people working together towards a common goal of better livelihoods and sustainable land management.
30 Years After the Beijing Declaration, Community Women’s Forest Rights Remain Alarmingly Weak, Report Shows
Decades after the world adopted what continues to be the most comprehensive roadmap for women’s rights, RRI’s latest report highlights enduring challenges in securing the rights of Indigenous, Afro-descendant, and local community women.
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