Neil Sorensen joined the Land Portal as its Communications Specialist in October 2015. He has extensive experience leading communications for international organizations and developing relationships with civil society, donors, intergovernmental agencies, the media and the private sector. Previously, Neil worked for the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) as a Governing Bodies Officer and Strategic Adviser to the Secretary of IFAD. He has also led communications for three international organizations, including the International Land Coalition, the International Federation of Agricultural Producers (IFAP) and the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM). He holds a Master’s degree in Global Diplomacy from the University of London School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) as well as a Bachelor’s degree with a double major in German and Sociology from St. Cloud State University.
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Land Economist Sought: Strengthening Advisory Capacities for Land Governance in Africa
Addressing land policy is critical for a world without hunger, for climate resilience and sustainable urbanization. Policy-makers’ awareness of the importance of land governance has grown over the last years.
Cadasta Foundation
Reviving Documentation of Property Rights
Cadasta Foundation is dedicated to the support, continued development and growth of the Cadasta Platform – an innovative, open source suite of tools for the collection and management of ownership, occupancy, and spatial data that meets the unique challenges of this process in much of the world.
Swedish International Agricultural Network Initiative
SIANI is a member-based network that supports and promotes Swedish expertise on sustainable food security and nutrition, in line with the Swedish Government’s policy on global development.
Our membership is diverse and includes representatives from governments, civil society, the private sector and academia. Our network offers an open and interactive platform for exchange on global issues around food security, poverty reduction and environmental sustainability.
Rose of Rwanda - Promoting Peace Project
Follow Rose, and see her impact, as she travels the Rwandan countryside educating communities about women’s rights to land.
World Forum on Access to Land (WFAL 2016)
The goal of the WFAL 2016 is to organise a world forum in 2016 to address the major issues linked to unequal access to land, natural resources (see The Call).
Myanmar: The dispossessed
By: Michael Peel
Date: March 1st 2016
Source: Financial Times
Michael Peel reports from Myanmar where the end of dictatorship has unleashed a struggle over land.
1. THE LOST FIELDS
Hla Ohn May still weeps when she takes the road past the twisted white piping of the gas terminal near the western Myanmar town of Kyaukphyu. The 46-year-old farmer and mother of five once owned land on this green strip perched above the blue waters of the Bay of Bengal.
Ethiopia: The billionaire’s farm
By: Tom Burgis
Date: March 1st 2016
Source: Financial Times
Across the globe, investors are betting billions on land. Tom Burgis reports from Ethiopia, where a tycoon has planted a vast rice farm in soils tainted by years of conflict.
1, THE HARVEST
Land Grievances, Human Rights, and Investor Protections
The responsible governance of land-based investments hinges not only on ensuring that new investments comply with guidelines and standards, but also that existing investments are conducted responsibly, and that related grievances are adequately addressed. Dealing with existing land-based investments and the grievances that they raise, however, can be difficult for host governments navigating a complicated landscape of legal obligations and pragmatic considerations.