NGO WORK

A people-centered call to action: Promoting secure tenure rights for inclusive land governance, climate resilience, and conflict resolution

Published

1 year ago

July 24, 2025

We, the members of the International Land Coalition Africa, while reaffirming our support to the Global Land Forum 2025 Declaration, issue this urgent call to action, united in our conviction that secure land rights are a foundation for transformative agrarian reform, resilient and sustainable agri-food systems, climate justice, and the dismantling of extractive, exclusionary models of development.

Across Africa and the world, land is not a commodity, land is life. It shapes identity, culture, food, energy, shelter, and survival. Yet, land is increasingly contested, commodified, and concentrated, fueling inequality, marginalization, and conflict. Climate change and biodiversity collapse deepen these injustices, disproportionately affecting Indigenous Peoples (namely hunter gatherers, forest dwellers, pastoralists… in line with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples-UNDRIP) and Local Communities, smallholder farmers, victims of colonialism, youth, and women, those least responsible for this crisis.

The livelihoods of these communities are at risk due to disruption of their food and livelihood systems. Secure tenure rights are essential for inclusive governance, ecological stewardship, and equitable access to land and natural resources. They empower communities to invest in sustainable agriculture, participate in democratic land governance processes, safeguard biodiversity, and pursue climate adaptation and mitigation rooted in justice.

The urgency for inclusive land governance has never been greater. Resource scarcity, land and water conflicts, and the impacts of climate change are colliding with flawed governance systems and unchecked extractive development. These dynamics act as threat multipliers, undermining peace, increasing displacement, and accelerating environmental degradation.

Yet, hope endures. Across continents, communities are organizing to reclaim their rights, restore degraded ecosystems, transform food systems, and chart pathways away from fossil fuel dependency and exploitative land use. What they need now is bold political will, transformative policies, and genuine partnerships rooted in justice and solidarity.

From commitment to bold action.

We reaffirm our collective commitment to advance secure land tenure for all as a lever for inclusive land governance, food sovereignty, ecological restoration, sustainable land use, energy justice, and conflict prevention. Secure tenure fosters stability and a sense of belonging, enabling communities to sustainably steward their land, defend biodiversity, and engage meaningfully in shaping their futures.

We call on all actors to act urgently, courageously, and in alignment with the aspirations of communities who are at the forefront of land and climate justice.

1. Governments and policymakers: lead on land governance and transformative just systems

Champion equitable land redistribution that uplifts smallholder farmers, women, youth, Indigenous Peoples, and pastoralist communities.
Decolonize land laws and governance systems to reflect the rights of Indigenous Peoples as well as Local Communities Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities knowledge systems, and their lived realities.
Recognize and legally protect customary and collective tenure systems as safeguards against conflict, displacement, and ecological breakdown.
Strengthen protection of land and environmental defenders from violence, criminalization, and impunity.
Ensure that land-based investments are rooted in fair policies and laws, transparent governance, uphold tenure arrangements and land rights, improved livelihoods and take into account the FPIC principles.
Urgently solve land-related court backlogs, enforce land related court decisions and invest in alternative dispute resolution and alternative justice systems grounded in community norms.
Align national land governance with regional and global frameworks (such as the Agenda 2063 of the African Union (AU), the AU Framework Policy on pastoralism, the Voluntary Guidelines on land governance, etc.) to advance land justice and climate action.

2. Civil society movements: drive people-centred transformation

Mobilize land policies rooted in human rights, agroecology, and the self-determination of rural communities.
Elevate the leadership of women, youth, Indigenous Peoples and pastoral communities in land and climate governance.
Promote family farming and community-based food systems as anchors of agri-food transformation and biodiversity protection.
Empower youth through education, organizing, and innovation in land justice and regenerative economies.
Strengthen grassroots movements and connect them with regional and global platforms for solidarity, learning, and advocacy.
Embark on advocacy actions to protect and defend their land, natural resources and territorial rights
Connect struggles and actions of solidarity
Lobby other actors support to advance their land and territorial rights.

3. Private sector: invest in land, people, and the planet, ethically and transparently

Commit to responsible investment practices anchored in free, prior, and informed consent.
Reject all forms of land grabbing, forced evictions, and extractive development.
Collaborate with communities to advance regenerative agriculture, landscape restoration, and fair, inclusive value chains.
Ensure transparency, accountability, and equity across land-based business operations and supply chains.
Transition away from extractive energy models toward just, locally rooted renewable solutions.

4. International organizations and donors: support long-term, justice-oriented transformation.

Foster inclusive, multi-stakeholder processes to co-create pathways for sustainable land governance and transformative just food systems, agrarian reform, food system resilience, and just energy transition.
Provide sustained financial, technical, and political support for land and tenure reform led by communities and civil society.
Center local knowledge and voices in international land, food, and climate dialogues.
Protect and amplify land and environmental defenders and ensure accountability for violations.

5. Individuals: stay informed, engaged and in solidarity.

Learn about the intersections of land justice, climate change, biodiversity, and sustainable food systems.
Stand in solidarity with communities defending land, ecosystems, and livelihoods.
Use your voice, networks, and platforms to challenge land injustices and advocate for just transitions.

Together for a just future

The journey toward land governance and transformative just food systems and a just response to the climate and biodiversity crises, begins with people, those who live on and from the land. Let us listen to their voices, uphold their land rights, and act in solidarity to ensure land is governed for dignity, sustainability, and peace.

This is our moment to act boldly. Land cannot wait. Communities cannot wait. The planet cannot wait.

Source: International Land Coalition-ILC

NGO WORK

EU: IPI welcomes action against 14 states over Anti-SLAPP Directive delays

Published

4 days ago

July 27, 2026

witnessradio.org

EU states must introduce robust measures to protect journalists and media from vexatious litigation

The International Press Institute (IPI) today welcomes the infringement proceedings initiated by the European Commission against 14 EU Member States over their inaction or delays in transposing the Anti-SLAPP Directive.

The countries included are Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and Spain.

The EU infringement proceedings were initiated on 15 July, with letters of formal notice sent to these Member States for failing to notify about progress made in implementing the Directive. States now have two months to respond and update about measures taken or could eventually face legal action at the European Court of Justice.

The Anti-SLAPP Directive introduced EU-wide rules which protect journalists and civil society actors from manifestly unfounded or abusive civil proceedings with cross-border implications, including early dismissal tools and remedies for targets of SLAPPs. It was adopted in April 2024 and the transposition deadline was 7 May 2026.

Monitoring by IPI shows that while in some of the countries identified, such as Greece and Spain, steps have been taken to prepare for the transposition and bills are actively in development and reportedly close to being presented to or adopted by parliament.

In others such as Bulgaria and Portugal, initial work done to develop legislation has been delayed by institutional changes, changes in governments or political instability, though transposition work remains ongoing.

In other states, such as Italy and Hungary, little to no measurable progress has yet been made on transposition. However, with the new Tisza government in Hungary driving forward media freedom reforms, there is hope the new administration will introduce initial anti-SLAPP measures in the next legislative package identified for the autumn.

While Ireland has been actively working to tackle SLAPPs through legal reforms, and passed the Defamation Bill in 2024, further legislation is required to fully transpose the Anti-SLAPP Directive during its Presidency of the Council of the EU.

Although these 14 countries have been identified in the EU action, monitoring and analyses show that the overall picture for implementation of the Directive across the EU remains fragmented and uneven.

According to the European Anti-SLAPP Monitor, almost all EU Member States missed the May 2026 transposition deadline, with only a handful fully implementing on time.

IPI notes that even in those Member States where the Directive was implemented, such as Malta, these reforms only included minimum standards protecting against cross-border cases, and failed to include measures to safeguard against domestic SLAPPs.

In the wake of the EU’s opening of initial infringement action, IPI renews our call – made previously with Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) partners – for Member States to demonstrate their commitment to media freedom by accelerating their legislative processes in protecting against SLAPPs. This includes the 14 countries identified by the EU Commission and those in which reforms have been presented but not yet adopted.

Crucially, legislative reforms should both fully reflect both the letter and the spirit of the Anti-SLAPP Directive and introduce the substantive and procedural safeguards set out in the EU and Council of Europe Recommendation on SLAPPs.

A model here should be Poland, where last month the President approved a law which covers both domestic and cross-border SLAPPs, ensuring implementation of both EU Directive and Council of Europe Recommendation.

Member States which continue to delay or fail to transpose the directive should face legal action from the Commission, which must use all tools at its disposal to help safeguard media freedom across the bloc.

IPI, which has advocated at the EU and national level for measures to protect journalists and media from SLAPPs, will continue to monitor implementation in collaboration with European partners, including through MFRR media freedom missions.

Source: ipi.media/

NGO WORK

No Heritage Without its People: Why Ngorongoro Cannot be a World Heritage Site and an Eviction Zone

Published

2 weeks ago

July 20, 2026

witnessradio.org

The Tanzanian government, under the guise of “conservation,” restricts Maasai livelihoods and denies access to essential services forcing Indigenous residents away from their ancestral lands and turning their heritage into a playground for safari tourists.

As the 48th Session of the World Heritage Committee begins July 19, UNESCO continues to legitimize the continued forced displacement of the Maasai from Ngorongoro. If UNESCO cannot ensure that the World Heritage designation protects the rights of its Indigenous custodians, then the Committee must remove the Ngorongoro Conservation Area from the World Heritage List.

Increased international pressure is imperative to hold UNESCO accountable and protect the lives and rights of the Maasai!

Read our Open Letter to the World Heritage Committee.

Source: oaklandinstitute.org

NGO WORK

Rush: Global Scramble for Minerals Wages War on People and Planet

Published

2 weeks ago

July 15, 2026

witnessradio.org

As governments and corporations scramble to secure critical minerals, a new Oakland Institute report exposes the forces fueling today’s unprecedented mining boom. RUSH: Global Scramble for Minerals Wages War on People and Planet dismantles the dominant narrative that massive amounts of minerals are needed for the energy transition, revealing instead a potent convergence of political, military, and corporate interests racing to control the resources that underpin modern warfare and artificial intelligence.

“Securing access to critical minerals is reshaping international relations and foreign aid as competition between the US and China becomes a new geopolitical battleground,” said Anuradha Mittal, Executive Director of the Oakland Institute. “The costs are being borne by communities around the world as this global race drives wars and violence, results in land grabs, forced displacement, devastating pollution, and the irreversible destruction of lands and livelihoods,” Mittal continued.

With the Pentagon shifting towards an “AI-first” warfighting stance, the US military-industrial complex is rapidly integrating tech and AI firms with a mutual interest in locking down critical mineral supplies. The report exposes key players positioned to profit from a resource boom already drawing trillions in investment. These include ventures tied to the Trump family, billionaire-backed outfits such as KoBold Metals, an AI-driven mining firm supported by Bill Gates, and defense-tech companies like Palantir and Anduril, among others.

To justify a massive scale up of mineral extraction, governments, corporations, and international financial institutions like the World Bank, frame critical minerals as indispensable to the green transition and as a pathway to prosperity for the Global South. However, RUSH documents that more than 70 percent of critical mineral demand today comes from industries unrelated to the energy transition, including the automotive, aerospace, military, communications, and technology sectors. Rapid growth in artificial intelligence, data centers, surveillance technologies, and military spending is expected to increase this demand massively.

“Renewable energy deployment, such as wind and solar, requires only a fraction of the minerals that corporations plan to extract in the coming decades,” said Andy Currier, Oakland Institute Policy Analyst and report co-author. “But growing military demand and stockpiling of materials like copper, lithium, nickel, and cobalt will undermine the energy transition, diverting critical resources away from urgently needed climate solutions,” Currier continued.

RUSH warns that the acceleration of resource extraction poses a catastrophic threat to both ecosystems and human survival. In response, Indigenous groups and frontline communities are leading a vital, global resistance to defend their territories. It is, however, undermined by a dangerous myth that expanding extraction is necessary to fix the climate crisis.

“The report issues a resounding call to challenge this false narrative to stop the untenable rush for minerals before it becomes an irreversible global catastrophe,” warned Oakland Institute Policy Director and report co-author, Frederic Mousseau. “The stakes could not be higher. If left unchecked, the global mining rush will trigger hundreds of new mines in a short period. The resulting human and planetary devastation will be at a scale never seen before – livelihoods will be destroyed, millions will be displaced, and environmental destruction will become irreversible,” concluded Mousseau.

Read the report

Source: oaklandinstitute.org