Event Type: Online

First Annual Local Capacity Strengthening (LCS) Policy Learning and Feedback Forum

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One year after the launch of the Local Capacity Strengthening (LCS) Policy, USAID is excited to host the first annual Learning and Feedback Forum, which will take place virtually over six days between Tuesday, October 10, 2023 and Thursday, October 19, 2023. The Forum will help inform the direction of Policy implementation for the coming year and consists of 11 virtual one-hour sessions that are open to the public and USAID staff. View the full schedule and register here. Note the sector-specific session on Resilience, Environment, and Food Security on October 12  at 9 a.m. ET. Participants will have the opportunity to join constructive and transparent policy implementation discussions about how the LCS Policy is (or is not) affecting locally-led development in land and resource governance. Additionally, participants will learn about evidence-based guidance and resources to help ensure locally-led development is contributing to strengthening land tenure and property rights worldwide. For questions, e-mail LCSPolicyComments@usaid.gov.

Addressing Climate Security: Toolkits for Action

Join USAID’s Center for Conflict and Violence Prevention or CVP and ConnexUs for the first webinar of a knowledge-sharing campaign on climate change and conflict. CVP and knowledge-sharing platform ConnexUs are holding a roundtable discussion highlighting toolkits that provide peacebuilding, development, and humanitarian practitioners with guidance on anticipating and reducing conflict and fragility related to water and land.

Moderator

  • Daniel Abrahams, Senior Climate Security Advisor, Center for Conflict and Violence Prevention, CPS

Speakers

  • Karol Boudreaux – Senior Land and Resource Governance Advisor, Land and Resource Governance Division, DDI
  • Nikki Behnke – Program Specialist, Center for Water Security, Sanitation, and Hygiene, RFS
  • Jessie Anderson – Senior Conflict Advisor, Center for Resilience, RFS

Register to attend: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2182104399801169503

For more information about the campaign, visit https://cnxus.org/connexus-usaid-climate-security/

Frontiers: Innovative Approaches for Women’s Land Rights

Watch the event recording here

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development includes important goals related to ending poverty and promoting gender equality. The Agenda recognizes that the pathways to achieve these goals involve securing the rights of women and men to land (SDG Indicator 1.4.2) and improving the legal frameworks to promote women’s equal rights to land ownership or control of land (Indicator 5.a.2). With seven years left in the Agenda, much remains to be done to promote gender-responsive land tenure security and women’s equal land ownership.

One strategy to help close this implementation gap is to leverage participatory approaches and cost-effective digital technologies to expand land documentation for women. Over the past eight years, USAID has partnered with civil society, traditional authorities, and local governments to create innovative approaches that deliver land documentation to women in customary land areas. This work is known as “Mapping Approaches to Secure Tenure,” or MAST.

To celebrate and recognize the sixty-seventh session of the Commission on the Status of Women, USAID and New America joined for the second event of the year-long Frontiers series on Wednesday, March 15th. The discussion explored the gender-related outcomes and lessons learned from the Agency’s land documentation work in Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Zambia.

Opening Remarks:

  • Jamille Bigio, Senior Coordinator for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment, USAID

Panel Discussion:

  • Her Royal Highness Chieftainess Muwezwa, Muwezwa Chiefdom, Zambia
  • Dr. Thais Bessa, Gender Advisor, TetraTech/ILRG Global
  • Ms. Patricia Malasha, Gender and Social Inclusion Specialist, TetraTech/ILRG Zambia
  • Ms. Gavelet Mzembe, Country Coordinator, TetraTech/ILRG Malawi
  • Mr. Masida Mbano, Acting Team Leader, Land Reform Implementation Unit, Ministry of Lands, Government of Malawi
  • Karol Boudreaux, Senior Land and Resource Governance Advisor, USAID
  • Yuliya Panfil, Director, Future of Land and Housing at New America (Moderator)

Other panelists to be confirmed.

This event is part of the year-long Frontiers event series, which explores the interface of conflict, climate change, and governance of land and natural resources. The Frontiers series is hosted by USAID’s Center for Conflict and Violence Prevention and USAID’s Land and Resource Governance Division and is made possible by USAID’s Integrated Natural Resources Management Project in partnership with New America.

Frontiers: Standing with Environmental Defenders Under Threat

How can the global community do a better job of standing with environmental defenders and protect them against threats? On January 19th, 2023, USAID hosted an online panel to discuss the threats facing environmental defenders as they fight against negative climate impacts and biodiversity loss, as well as potential solutions to help mitigate these multiple challenges. A recording of the event is available here.

Environmental defenders—people who take “peaceful action against the unjust, discriminatory, corrupt, or damaging exploitation of natural resources or the environment”—are increasingly under threat. Between 2002 and 2022, Global Witness counted more than 2,100 killings of land and environmental defenders, and the actual number of murders is likely much higher. Attacks disproportionately target women, Indigenous Peoples, and marginalized communities, and are especially prevalent in Latin American countries such as Colombia, Mexico, Honduras, and Brazil, though there are also many examples from Asia and Africa.

How can the global community do a better job of standing with environmental defenders and protect them against threats? Participants discussed the threats facing environmental defenders as they fight against negative climate impacts and biodiversity loss, as well as potential solutions to help mitigate these multiple challenges.

This event kicked-off the year-long “Frontiers” event series, which explores the interface of conflict, climate change, and governance of land and natural resources. The “Frontiers” series is hosted by USAID’s Center for Conflict and Violence Prevention and USAID’s Land and Resource Governance Division and is made possible by USAID’s Integrated Natural Resources Management Project in partnership with New America.

SPEAKERS

Opening remarks:

  • Bama Athreya, Deputy Assistant Administrator, Bureau for Development, Democracy, and Innovation, USAID

Panel discussion:

  • Jeff Stark, Integrated Natural Resource Management activity & author, USAID “Environmental Defenders” Issue Brief
  • Laura Pavlovic, Acting Director, DDI/Democracy, Rights, and Governance Center, USAID
  • Kirk Herbertson, Senior Policy Advisor, EarthRights International
  • Martin Castro, Project Coordinator, Office of Democracy, Human Rights and Governance, USAID/Peru
  • Yuliya Panfil, Director, Future of Land and Housing Program at New America (Moderator)

Frontiers: The Future of Land Evaluations – Policy Track

Impact evaluations are critical for understanding whether program and policy interventions are working, why, and for whom. In recent years, the land sector has made significant progress in using impact evaluations to build the evidence base for land tenure programs and improve policy and program effectiveness.

Please join us for a virtual convening, hosted by the Global Donor Working Group on Land, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, USAID, the World Bank, and New America, to discuss the policy and programming implications from the last decade of land impact evaluations.

We will bring together researchers and evaluators, policymakers, practitioners, and donors to discuss the implications of these impact evaluations on land tenure programs and policies, and identify open questions and data gaps that, if answered, could improve our understanding of what works, why, and for whom.

For more information or to register, see here.

This event is supported by the USAID Integrated Natural Resource Management project.

Dec. 1 Agenda:

Welcome Back & Overview (9:00-9:05)

Karol Boudreaux

“Spotlight” Presentation: Ethiopia (9:05-9:30)

Caleb Stevens, USAID
Krista Jacobs, Landesa
Other Presenter(s) To Be Announced

“Spotlight” Presentation: Morocco (9:30-9:55)

Anthony Harris, Mathematica
Matt Sloan, Mathematica
Shauna Clarke, Millennium Challenge Corporation

Breakout Group Discussions: The IE-Policy “Feedback Loop” (9:55-10:25)

Close & Thank You (10:25-10:30)

Karol Boudreaux

 

Frontiers: The Future of Land Evaluations – Policy Track

Impact evaluations are critical for understanding whether program and policy interventions are working, why, and for whom. In recent years, the land sector has made significant progress in using impact evaluations to build the evidence base for land tenure programs and improve policy and program effectiveness.

Please join us for a virtual convening, hosted by the Global Donor Working Group on Land, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, USAID, the World Bank, and New America, to discuss the policy and programming implications from the last decade of land impact evaluations.

We will bring together researchers and evaluators, policymakers, practitioners, and donors to discuss the implications of these impact evaluations on land tenure programs and policies, and identify open questions and data gaps that, if answered, could improve our understanding of what works, why, and for whom.

For more information or to register, see here.

This event is supported by the USAID Integrated Natural Resource Management project.

 

Nov. 30 Agenda:

Welcome & Overview (9:00-9:10)

Karol Boudreaux, USAID
Jill Pike, Millennium Challenge Corporation
Thea Hilhorst, World Bank

Reviewing the Evidence on Land: An Overview of Impacts and Lessons Learned (9:10-9:35)

Jennifer Lisher, World Bank
Heather Huntington, University of Pennsylvania

Panel Discussion: Lessons from a Decade of IEs, and What Comes Next? (9:35-10:05)

Caleb Stevens, USAID
Andreas Lange, GiZ
Chris Penrose Buckley, FCDO (Moderator)
Other Panelist(s) To Be Announced

Breakout Group Discussions: Implications of IE findings and Knowledge Gaps (10:05-10:25)

Wrap-Up (10:25-10:30)

Karol Boudreaux

Opportunity and Risk: Mining and the Green Energy Transition

The Wilson Center’s Environmental Change and Security Program held a discussion on how the projected increase in mineral demand could influence markets, supply chains, and geopolitical competition, shaping the future of global peace and security.

Wednesday June 1, 2022

3:30 PM – 5:00 PM ET


For more details, visit the Wilson Center event page.

The latest IPCC report underscored the urgency of an aggressive energy transformation if the world is to stave off climate disaster. With current technologies, that transformation means a steep rise in the use of critical minerals, already essential for the digital age global economy. The shift from fossil fuels to other minerals comes with environmental, social, and governance tradeoffs. For developing countries, in particular, there is both opportunity and risk, according to a recent report from the U.S. Agency for International Development. Join the Wilson Center’s Environmental Change and Security Program for a discussion of how the projected increase in mineral demand could influence markets, supply chains, and geopolitical competition, shaping the future of global peace and security.

Follow the conversation on Twitter @NewSecurityBeat.

Agenda

Introduction: Lauren Herzer Risi, Program Director, Environmental Change and Security Program, Wilson Center

Keynote Speakers:

  • Kathy Castor (D-FL 14th District), Chair, Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, U.S. House of Representatives
  • Gillian Caldwell, Chief Climate Officer and Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Center for Environment, Energy, and Infrastructure, U.S. Agency for International Development

Moderator: Sharon Burke, Global Fellow, Environmental Change and Security Program; Founder and President, Ecospherics

Panelists:

  • Jewellord (Jojo) Nem Sing, Assistant Professor in International Development, International Institute of Social Studies
  • Alyssa Newman, Program Manager, Responsible Materials & Inclusive Sourcing, Google
  • Josee-Blandine Ongotto, Project Manager, Combatting Child Labor in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Cobalt Industry (COTECCO, funded by DOL Kolwezi, DRC), International Labor Organization ​
  • Kimberly Thompson, Senior Advisor, Natural Resource Governance & Conflict and Industry Lead for Mining, Center for Environment, Energy, and Infrastructure, U.S. Agency for International Development

Frontiers: The Voluntary Guidelines on Tenure, Ten Years Later

woman with crate people in field

Virtual Event

Tuesday, June 7, 2022 | 9:00AM – 10:00AM EDT

Watch the event recording here

Ten years ago, donors from around the world came together to negotiate a first-of-its-kind international agreement to strengthen and secure land rights in the context of food security. This agreement—the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests (VGGT)—was negotiated in a unique, inclusive process by the UN Committee on World Food Security (CFS) that included more than 100 UN member states, 30 civil society organizations, a private sector network, and numerous observers. After two years of intense negotiations, the VGGT was unanimously adopted in 2012.

The arrival of the VGGT was hailed as a watershed moment for the land rights community, and prompted a flurry of activity and funding. Donors allocated billions of dollars to implement the principles enshrined in the VGGTs, across dozens of countries.

Ten years later, we can look back and ask: what have we accomplished; what have we learned; and, where do we go from here?

Please join the U.S. Agency for International Development and New America on June 7 at 9 a.m. Eastern for a panel discussion to take stock of a decade of implementing the VGGT, and discuss the future of this landmark agreement. This event is supported by the USAID Integrated Natural Resource Management project.

Women, Deeds, and Dirt: Confront the Climate Crisis, Uproot Gender Inequality (Recorded)

This event on March 22, 2022 examined the intersection of women’s land rights, sustainable land use, and the climate crisis by: highlighting the connection between gender-sensitive land rights reforms and climate change mitigation and adaptation, and discussing sustainable land use strategies related to women’s skills and knowledge, such as in water and agriculture.

Listen to the podcast to hear from Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, USAID Chief Climate Officer Gillian Caldwell and others on their efforts related to this nexus. This side event to the 66th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) was convened by U.S. Department of State, USAID, and Landesa, a U.S. Department of State and USAID foreign assistance implementer.

The podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Anchor.

Frontiers: Women Leading Solutions to Climate Change

Virtual Event

Monday March 21, 2022 | 9:00AM – 10:30AM EDT

Watch the event recording here.

Climate change poses incredible challenges for women and girls in the developing world and threatens global progress on gender equality.

We know that the growing scarcity of natural resources and the increase in extreme weather events due to climate change disproportionately impacts women and girls, especially those in marginalized and underrepresented groups. Climate change limits their opportunities for education and income-generating activities, harms their overall health and wellbeing, and increases their risk of violence and exploitation.

At the same time, women around the world are leading the efforts within their households and communities to prepare for and adapt to climate shocks and stresses. And women leaders are stepping up to design solutions that mitigate climate change at the local, national, and international levels. Studies show that when women are engaged as decision-makers in resilience and disaster plans, their communities are better able to adapt and manage climate impacts.

To celebrate and recognize the sixty-sixth session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), please join the U.S. Agency for International Development and New America on March 21st at 9 a.m. Eastern for a virtual fireside chat between New America and USAID leadership, followed by a panel discussion that explores the many ways women are leading solutions to critical land and natural resource management and climate change challenges. This event is supported by the USAID Integrated Natural Resource Management project.

Agenda:

Fireside Chat: Women Leading on Climate Change

  • Anne-Marie Slaughter, CEO, New America
  • Gillian Caldwell, Chief Climate Officer, USAID
  • Jamille Bigio, Senior Coordinator for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment, USAID

Panel Discussion: Approaches from Around the World

  • Solange Bandiaky-Badji, Coordinator, Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI) and President, the Rights and Resources Group (RRG)
  • Rili Djohani, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Coral Triangle Center (CTC)
  • Tracy Farrell, Director, North American Region, International Union for Conservation of Nature
  • Moderator: Karol Boudreaux, Senior Land and Resource Governance Advisor, USAID