Notre impact

The collective impact of the RRI Coalition is reflected in: greater global awareness that recognition of indigenous, Afro-descendant, community land rights, including those of women, is an imperative prerequisite for achieving global development, conservation, biodiversity and climate goals; major land reforms in Peru, China, Liberia and Indonesia; strengthened land rights advocacy strategies in Southeast Asia, Latin America and Central and West Africa; and stronger corporate social responsibility standards and policies.

Within the ecosystem of initiatives that make up RRI, whose primary vocation is to advance, broaden and deepen the recognition of rights at the global level, we remain aware of the immensity of the task to be accomplished to save the world’s forests and the people and communities they shelter.

Defend the cause of indigenous, Afro-descendant and community land rights, particularly those of women

The collective weight of the 200+ organizations that make up RRI and work for the land rights of Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples and communities has greatly influenced the development sector and led to greater recognition of the fundamental role of land rights for sustainable development and climate. This work has strengthened collective action, increased attention to the rights of women, Afro-descendant Peoples and Indigenous Peoples, and sparked new commitments and actions to increase recognition of community land rights.

Creating an enabling environment for better recognition of rights on the ground

The work of the RRI Coalition in its priority countries and regions supports the efforts and vision of indigenous, Afro-descendant and community men and women who have been fighting for decades to defend their rights, by helping to create the conditions for land reforms and paving the way for their effective implementation. This work builds on the robust analytical foundation developed by RRI to measure progress in recognizing land and resource rights and support further progress. It also leverages RRI’s connections between the local and global levels and its flexible financing mechanism to bring together key public and private sector actors when important windows of opportunity open up.

Changing the ecosystem to promote better recognition of rights

RRI has extensive experience in convening convenings, fostering dialogue between “unlikely allies ,” and incubating initiatives , platforms, and institutions designed to bridge the gaps that prevent the full enjoyment of community land rights. All of these efforts have shaped and strengthened the ecosystem needed to facilitate long-term progress.

Already, with the support of the Tenure Facility (the first and only international, multi-stakeholder financing mechanism exclusively dedicated to securing community land and forest rights), Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples and local communities have secured their collective land rights to more than 4.2 million hectares of land and forests, and strengthened the protection of more than 2.4 million hectares of forests classified as reserves for Indigenous Peoples living in voluntary isolation or in recent contact.

Learn more about how we make our impact .
Read the testimonies of our impact on the Blog: The Earth Writes .
Read our 2022 and 2023 annual reports .