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.
Details
Location
Opportunity: Intern with the Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI) Latin America Program
The Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI) is a global coalition that supports the developing world’s Indigenous Peoples and local communities to secure their rights to own, control and benefit from the natural resources they have depended on for generations.
Urban Land – a Key Building Block to Full Rights
Source: Inter Press Service
Author: Fabiana Frayssinet
MORENO, Argentina, Jul 28 2016 (IPS) - Now that the wind no longer blows her roof off and her house belongs to her, Cristina López feels safe in the shantytown where she lives on the outskirts of the Argentine capital. But she and her neighbours still need to win respect for many more rights they have been denied.
Tanzania: Why Straight Women Are Marrying Each Other
Source: Marie Claire
Author: Abigail Haworth
Photographs by Charlie Shoemaker
In the Mara region of northern Tanzania, Abigail Haworth discovers an empowering tribal tradition undergoing a modern revival.
Land Rights Now Initiative Supports Civil Society Opposition to Afforestation Bill in India
Source: Land Rights Now Campaign
As India’s upper house is currently debating a controversial afforestation bill, civil society groups across the country are expressing concerns that the bill would do more harm than good.
After violent struggle for land, Thai campaigners face challenge to community farming
Source: Thomson Reuters Foundation
Author: Alisa Tang
KLONG SAI PATTANA, Thailand (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - In Klong Sai Pattana, a rural community carved out of an illegal oil palm plantation by land rights campaigners, new arrivals are given a one-year trial run at being farmers.
Massacre Involving Land Rights Dispute Calls Paraguayan Justice System Into Question
Source: Equal Times
Author: Santi Carneri
Land is the greatest source of wealth in Paraguay, with an economy founded on the production and export of beef and genetically modified crops such as soya. But the industry is dominated by a small group of large landowners that represents just 2.5 per cent of the population owning 85 per cent of all the country’s arable land, according to the NGO Oxfam.
Democratic Republic of Congo Land Grabs: Plantation Company Pressures Farming Communities to Cede Land Rights
Source: Global Research
Over the past few days, Feronia Inc., a Canadian-based company majority-owned by European and US development banks, has been pressuring local communities to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that would endorse the company’s continued operation and expansion of oil palm plantations within their territories.
Malaysia land rights activist murder suspects charged in court
Source: Thomson Reuters Foundation
Author: Beh Lih Yi
JAKARTA (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Two men were charged in a Malaysian court on Friday over the killing of an indigenous land rights defender, in a case which has cast a spotlight on tribespeople's decades-long struggle for recognition.
Kitui women climb Ulonzo hills to demand equal land rights
Source: MediaMax
Author: Charles Muasya
For four hours, Kitui women, both old and young, backed by a few men, braved the scorching sun as they scaled to the top of Ulonzo hills, the highest mountain in the county to compel authorities to give them equal land ownership rights with men.
Gender and Land Statistics
Secure tenure rights and control over land for women and men farmers are key to boosting smallholder productivity, rural development and food security. However, in many parts of the world, men and women have inadequate access to secure property rights over land. Women are particularly disadvantaged: even though they constitute on average 43 percent of the agricultural labour force in developing countries, women’s ownership of agricultural land remains significantly lower than that of men.