The document discusses efforts to secure community land rights through strategic engagement with the private sector. It describes the Rights and Resources Initiative's approach of providing both strategic analysis highlighting risks to companies from land disputes, as well as credible pathways to respecting community tenure rights. It outlines the Interlaken Group's work developing due diligence guidance and tools for companies, as well as pilot projects in several countries bringing local stakeholders together. Next steps discussed include updating land rights guides, sharing lessons learned from alternative production models, and continuing to provide both advocacy and solutions to facilitate change.

1. Rights and Resources Initiative
rightsandresources.org
Getting from Commitment to
Impact
SECOND MEKONG REGIONAL LAND FORUM
May 29, 2018
Natalie Campbell, Senior Associate

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. Produce Analysis 3. Steer Development of IIT Due
Diligence Tool
At the global level:
LINK TO TOOLKITLINK TO STUDYLINK TO GUIDANCE

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 outlets 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 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
• 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

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