Land

Communities around the world are struggling to defend their land rights as multinational corporations, private investors and governments seek to obtain large tracks of land. Land-grabbing is associated with serious human rights violations, including indigenous people’s rights, the right to food and the right to land.

SOMO supports communities in claiming and defending their land rights and their right to participate in decision-making processes around projects that could affect their land. We research the activities and policies of corporations and financiers involved in specific cases of large-scale land grabs.

We support partners in advocating locally, nationally and regionally for changes in government and company policies and practices, as well as policies of multi-stakeholder initiatives. Securing full implementation of the international legal principle of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) is a key objective.