16 May 2015: The 2015 Global Land Forum (GLF), which met under the theme ‘Land governance for inclusive development, justice and sustainability: time for action,’ brought together practitioners, land users, activists, policymakers and researchers from around the world to debate, share and plan joint action on people-centered land governance. The Forum aimed to contribute to international goals related to poverty reduction, food security, environmental sustainability and human well-being and dignity, including those within the context of the post-2015 development agenda.

The GLF, which convened from 12-16 May 2015, in Dakar, Senegal, held an ‘Africa Day,’ which focused on land governance in Senegal and the Africa region, while the other days discussed issues from a global perspective, and included fields, an Assembly and a Marketplace of Ideas.

The GLF aimed to provide opportunities to participants that may not commonly interact to debate, exchange and learn from each other’s experiences and successes, strategize and build linkages. Participants shared best practices towards people-centered land governance, and on identifying opportunities for engagement and collaboration.

More specifically, the GLF included sessions on, inter alia: developing and implementing land policies and the role of local authorities; women’s land rights in Africa; land observatory and the Land Policy Initiative’s (LPI) Africa Land Observatory (LandObs); land and investment in Africa; inclusive development and the future of small-scale farming systems; justice and ensuring indigenous peoples’ and local communities’ land rights; and making land governance work for sustainable development.

During the sustainability session, UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Executive Director Achim Steiner underscored that “our ability to collectively, equitably and sustainably govern land and land use” is a central component of a sustainable future.

Organizations working on issues related to indigenous and community land rights joined forces during the GLF under a ‘Global Call to Action on Indigenous and Community Land Rights’ and are initiating a global campaign to double the area of land recognized as owned or controlled by indigenous peoples and local communities by 2020.

The International Land Coalition’s (ILC) 152 members also adopted a declaration during the Assembly, which met after the Forum. The ILC is the main organizer of the GLF, which meets every two years, in order to advance understanding of the complex political, economic, environmental and social linkages between land governance, food security, poverty and democracy. [GLF Website] [GLF Programme]