The document discusses the role of legal tools in empowering citizens and strengthening local rights in natural resource investments, particularly in low and middle-income countries. It emphasizes the importance of public scrutiny, capacity building, and international lesson sharing to promote accountability and influence policy. The focus is on the innovative use of law by civil society and local communities to address challenges in agricultural investment and land grabbing.

1. Lorenzo Cotula, PhD
Principal Researcher & Team Leader – Legal Tools
Natural Resources Group
International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED)
Legal Tools for Citizen
Empowerment
Strengthening local rights and voices in
natural resource investments

2. ‘Agricultural investment’, or ‘land grabbing’?

3. Natural resource investments and the law

4. Strengthen local rights and voices in
natural resource investments in low
and middle-income countries
Supporting existing innovation in using
law for empowerment – by civil society,
social movements, villagers
Through generative evidence, testing
tools, facilitating lesson sharing

5. 1) Analysis to promote public scrutiny
and influence policy

6. 2) Strengthen capacity to exercise rights
http://bit.ly/investmentchains
Animation: Promoting
accountability in investment
chains

7. 3) Int’l lesson sharing for scaling impacts

8. Value of lesson sharing
Diverse contexts and approaches, recurring challenges
Eg agency, sustainability, scalability
Law and politics
Local-to-global action

9. www.iied.org/legal-tools