This paper presents preliminary data concerning large-scale land acquisitions in two of the ‘Green Belt’ states of Southern Sudan: Central Equatoria and Western Equatoria. It explores the concept ‘land belongs to the community’; a statement communities have take up in their demand for greater involvement in decision-making regarding community lands.

This publication focuses on the present scope and trends of international policies and activities related to the protection and preservation of traditional knowledge. The publication is based on a series of educational events organized and conducted by LIENIP.

The practice of traditional knowledge in the everyday lives of indigenous women and men is yet to be adequately understood, however, with many research gaps confronting policy-makers. Prominent among these is an understanding of the interplay of traditional knowledge systems, rooted in indigenous ways of life, cultural approaches and traditional occupations, with the transformations being experienced in societies, economies, institutions, technologies and the climate.

The paper discusses the challenges for agricultural growth and evaluates the development assistance that was made by donors to the agricultural sector in Africa in comparison to the sector’s performance and its growth during the last two decades.

This paper addresses policy approaches toward recognizing the circumstances of indigenous peoples and identifying measures toward satisfying their needs and aspirations. The paper focuses on the participation of indigenous peoples in development and mitigation of undesired effects of development.

Engagement with indigenous peoples, their land and resources, must be informed by mechanisms to involve their organizations in decision-making processes and to ensure the principle of free, prior and informed consent is respected, as enshrined in international standards. Internationally negotiated policy tools, such as those of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS), provide guidance on how to achieve this in practice.

Indigenous peoples live on all continents, from the Arctic to the Pacific, via Asia, Africa and the Americas. There is no singularly authoritative definition of indigenous peoples under international law and policy, and the Indigenous Declaration does not set out any definition. In fact, its articles 9 and 33 state that indigenous peoples and individuals have the right to belong to an indigenous community or nation, in accordance with the traditions and customs of the community or nation concerned, and that they have the right to determine their own identity.

Despite these achievements, Indigenous peoples have to confront and overcome histories of discrimination, loss, and dispossession. European settlements, for example, severely shrunk and permanently altered the land and resources available for Indigenous peoples to sustain their traditional economies. Dependency relationships with states and religious institutions further resulted in Indigenous economic activities being determined within a framework set by non-Indigenous peoples. As a result, the capacity for Indigenous peoples to set their own development pathway was diminished, negatively affecting their wellbeing, language and culture.

International labour standards, including the ILO Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989 (No. 169) provide an important framework for advancing a just transition. They are key for designing inclusive and gender-transformative policies for decent work and building institutions for indigenous peoples’ participation in climate policy making.

This publication explores the lessons we are learning from the Indigenous Peoples’ Livelihoods and Climate Resilience Programme, supported by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida).