Date: February 6, 2012

The Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI)1 was established in 2005 as a coalition of organizational partners to promote local people‟s rights over forest resources and reduce poverty. It has been led by an active secretariat, established as the Rights and Resources Group (RRG), and guided by a prominent Board that included Partner and independent members. In January 2008, a Framework Proposal developed in coordination with partners and donors was adopted to provide strategic direction and enable common funding and reporting for a five-year period through 2012. A pool of European Bilateral donors and US Foundations has generously funded this proposal with approximately $27 million of committed funds to date.2This mid-term evaluation (MTE) is mandated by the RRI Framework agreement. The research has been carried out over the period of March to July, 2011, by an independent international team of The Mountain Institute (TMI) recruited through a competitive process.3 The results of the MTE are based on over 110 interviews, email responses and questionnaires. The team conducted face to face interviews in Nepal, China, Thailand, UK, Norway, Cameroon, Mali, Bolivia, Peru and Washington, DC.