On March 2, RRI joined Oxfam International and the International Land Coalition in the launch of the Land Rights Now alliance—a global initiative to secure indigenous and community land rights. The movement’s target is to double the global area of land legally recognized as owned or managed by Indigenous Peoples and local communities by 2020.

The campaign was launched with a series of events around the world, from Guatemala to the Philippines. In Guyana, for example, 15 Wapichan communities held an event to re-affirm their commitment to secure 2.8 million hectares of ancestral territory and formally join the Land Rights Now alliance. An accompanying report—Common Ground: Securing Land Rights and Safeguarding the Earth—highlights the experiences of the communities who depend on their land as well as the importance of secure land rights for combating poverty and climate change, stymieing conflicts, and promoting sustainable development. Moving forward, the alliance will work to advocate before decision makers and support better coordination and collaboration between the more than 400 organizations and communities who have rallied behind this initiative.