Over half the world’s land is lived on and managed using customary and traditional systems. Yet indigenous peoples and local communities have formal, legal ownership of just 10 percent of land globally. Insecure land rights can often lead to protracted conflicts with governments and companies, climate change — when land is not protected from deforestation — and human rights abuses.

Giving Visibility – and Land Rights – to the Indigenous
Giving Visibility – and Land Rights – to the Indigenous

“Include us, so that we can protect our lands for our children and protect the planet’s biodiversity for all the world’s children,” said by Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples during the launch. Recognising the land rights of native and traditional peoples is a low-cost solution toward achieving the world’s development, environment and climate agendas.

To address the climate crisis, we must address inequality
To address the climate crisis, we must address inequality

For most people, the mega-hurricanes we have witnessed – along with their devastating consequences – have put an exclamation point on the urgency of climate change. But an even bigger exclamation point came in the form of a new scientific study showing how the carbon released by tropical deforestation and degradation has been underestimated.

Expert views: Why do land rights matter to communities and companies?
Expert views: Why do land rights matter to communities and companies?

More than half of land rights conflicts in the developing world are not resolved, pitting companies, governments and businesses against indigenous communities, according to research published at the conference.

Here are the views of 10 experts interviewed by the Thomson Reuters Foundation during the two-day conference on the role of local communities, technology and business in ensuring secure land rights.

The International Land and Forest Tenure Facility – the first and only global institution dedicated to securing the land rights of indigenous communities worldwide – was formally launched in Stockholm on Tuesday (Oct 3).

Southeast Asia is world’s hotspot for land disputes: report
Southeast Asia is world’s hotspot for land disputes: report

Businesses in Southeast Asia are increasingly counting the cost of land grabs, more than half of which result in delayed projects and nearly three-quarters of which lead to lawsuits, according to a wide-ranging research report.

In December 2015, world leaders signed onto the Paris Climate Agreement and committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions to avoid the dangerous consequences of global warming. But with the United States’ recent decision to pull out of the landmark agreement, concerns for the fate of the planet, and quality of life on it, have only intensified.