1) The document discusses leveraging the private sector to support community land tenure through the Interlaken Group, a coalition of companies, financial institutions, donors, and NGOs committed to expanding private sector action to secure community land rights. 2) The Interlaken Group develops guidance, analyzes issues, and contributes to tool development. It also pilots projects at the country level to engage local stakeholders and disseminate best practices. 3) Moving forward, the Interlaken Group aims to update guidance, increase sharing of alternative production models that respect land rights, follow up on pilots, and encourage more private sector experience sharing and documentation of results.

1. Rights and Resources Initiative
rightsandresources.org
Getting from Commitment to Impact:
Leveraging the Private Sector to
Support Community Land Tenure
SECOND MEKONG REGIONAL LAND FORUM
May 29, 2018
Anne-Sophie Gindroz,
Southeast Asia Regional Facilitator

2. Who We Are
Mission: Secure community land rights (for poverty alleviation,
gender justice, economic development, conservation)
Approach: Strategic coalition, outcome-focused, nimble
What we do:
1. Strategic analysis, communications, monitoring
2. Catalyze strategic networks and initiatives
3. Mobilize reforms, pilots, impact in key countries
Formula
for a company to get to commitment and to action
∆ = (FR × CP)
∆ = company, investor decision to change
FR = felt risk
CP = credible pathway (solution)
NGOs/academics/donors good at FR; need to keep it up, and
expand; not so good at CP.
NGOs also need to:
1. Promote business models that respect land rights
2. Help develop analysis and tools to help the committed
succeed
3. Help figure out how to go from one-offs, to systemic
change, scale

3. Individuals from leading companies, financial
institutions, donors, NGOs committed to expanding
and leveraging private sector action to secure
community land rights and a “race to the top”
• Co-owned: IFC and RRI Co-Chair
• Principles: pre-competitive, productive,
solutions-oriented
• Three “asks” of companies and investors:
1. Clean up own operation/supply
2. Help get “laggards” to follow
3. Help encourage governments to act
WHAT IS THE INTERLAKEN GROUP?
This list is non-exhaustive and includes a subset of participants in the Interlaken Group.

4. WHAT DOES THE INTERLAKEN GROUP DO?
1. Develop Guidance 2. Steer Analysis 3. Contribute to Tool Development
At the global level:
LINK TO TOOLKITLINK TO STUDYLINK TO VGGT GUIDANCE
http://interlakengroup.org/resources
http://rightsandresources.org/en/publication/ten
ure-investment-southeast-asia/#.WwWHfUgvzlV
http://www.tmpsystems.net/ian-risk

5. Concept:
• Leverage IG reputation/networks/supply chains to engage local and regional stakeholders
• Respond to local demand for solutions to land tenure issues
• Benefits: create new spaces/entry points to disseminate best practices into upstream supply chains
WHAT DOES THE INTERLAKEN GROUP DO?
Lessons:
• Some fora linking companies and civil society, but not always linked to global thinking and emerging tools/data
• Important local efforts underway to test new approaches with companies, but few platforms to share and coordinate support
• Persistent power and information asymmetry between communities and companies/government
Pilots:
• Kenya (2017)
• Cameroon (2017)
• Malawi (June 2018)
Scoping:
• Indonesia (2017)
• Colombia (2018)
At the country level:

6. EXAMPLE FROM RRI’S ASIA PORTFOLIO
Improving Corporate Respect for Tenure and Human Rights
• Ongoing tenure reform in Indonesia has implications for companies
• 2017 Tenure Conference in Jakarta included a panel session “The Role of the Private Sector in
Respecting Human Rights and Land Tenure Rights” that brought together companies, civil society, and
rights activists and focused on constructive methods and mechanisms to engage with the private
sector and address the sprawl of concessions
• In parallel, RRI is supporting AsM Law Office to encourage private sector parties to implement
business and human rights principles through strategic studies, public campaigns, and consultations
• Training modules for corporations based on Interlaken Group guidance are under development in
addition to case studies on implementing business and human rights principles

7. NEXT STEPS
• Update the Land and Forest Rights Guide (VGGT Guidance) to more comprehensively address
respecting women’s land tenure rights
• Increase socialization of and sharing lessons from the implementation of alternative models of
production by companies (ex: joint ventures with communities, integrated outgrower schemes,
block farming, leasing land from local authorities)
• Following up in countries where pilots have taken place
• Continue targeted advocacy while also providing credible pathways to facilitate change for
companies
• Encourage more sharing by the private sector of experience in addressing land rights; document
and disseminate “alternative models”

8. PERSONAL COMMENTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
• HUGE IMBALANCE of POWER: Whatever is done with/for companies, should also be done with/for
communities (should know what they are entitled to based on company’s commitment and how to
claim their rights).
• HIGH RISK of MANIPULATION: Balance and diversify partnerships to activate different strategies
(including “naming and shaming”, campaigning… )
• EFFECTIVE IMPLEMENTATION: Instruments, tools need to be tested at community level and
independent monitoring and evaluation of corporate practice put in place (beyond self-reporting of
unverified results). Ability to link global engagement to field reality will define level credibility.
• NEW FINANCIAL MECHANISMS: not only multi-stakeholders platforms! Basket funding – no direct
contractual relations between CSO and company – to fund monitoring and reporting of business
practice which are asked by company and independently initiated. Help overcome accusations of
“siding with those paying”.
COMMITMENT only come TRUE through ACTION.
PROGRESS are REAL when FELT BY COMMUNITIES.

9. Visit our website: rightsandresources.org
Follow us on Twitter: @RightsResources
THANK YOU.
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