In November 1995 over 1,000 representatives of civil society organizations, governments, the Bretton Woods institutions, United Nations agencies and EU institutions came together in Brussels for the Conference on Hunger and Poverty. The conference recognized the importance of equity in access to land for rural development and resolved to create an alliance of civil society and intergovernmental agencies: the Popular Coalition to Eradicate Hunger and Poverty:

“The rural poor must be given access to land and water resources, they must be permitted to participate in the design, implementation and evaluation of rural development programmes…. Growth is necessary but not sufficient; it must be buttressed by equity and, above all, by people’s participation.”

These goals will require: “…policy changes, community capacity building and direct support to innovative actions”; and “…the revival of agrarian reform on the national and international agenda as a necessary condition for empowerment and sustainable development for the poor.”¹

In 2003 the organization was transformed into the International Land Coalition (ILC) as part of strategic focus on land access issues from the earlier wider mandate. The name reflects our identity (an international organization), our focus (land, which by definition includes natural resources) and our nature (a coalition of organizations).

In 1995 land issues had fallen from the development agenda. ILC responded by promoting the need to put land back on the agenda. It did so by working with its civil society and intergovernmental members to advocate for secure access to land. Today land is not only back on the agenda, it is confirmed to be linked to many development goals, from food security, to conflict prevention, to peace and security, to combating desertification and environmental degradation.

The ILC’s vision for the next four years is captured in the new Strategic Framework for 2007-2011, which sets out how it will contribute to worldwide commitments to reduce poverty by helping poor people improve their secure access to natural resources, especially land. It builds on the lessons learned from working with its diverse membership and partners in over 40 countries; the experience from the previous strategic framework; the findings of the 2006 external evaluation; and the changing nature and rising challenges of land issues for the resource-poor. As the 2006 external evaluation concluded²:

There is now more than ever a “need for effective mechanisms that encourage and foster dialogue about land issues.  Dialogue is particularly needed given the fact that land issues tend to be not only technical questions, but issues with highly sensitive political and social implications. This presents a very positive context for an organization like ILC, whose mission and objectives seem to be even more relevant today than they were a decade ago.”

Vision and mission

Ensuring that natural resources, especially land, are accessed and used equitably and managed sustainably is key to enabling poor women and men to exercise their fundamental economic, social, political and cultural rights; especially the rights of everyone to be free from hunger and poverty, and for their dignity and identity to be respected. Development with equity and dignity is essential for building a peaceful world.

Vision

Secure and equitable access to and control over land reduces poverty and contributes to identity, dignity and inclusion.

Mission

The International Land Coalition is a global alliance of civil society and intergovernmental organizations working together to promote secure and equitable access to and control over land for poor women and men through advocacy, dialogue and capacity building.

Goal

The goal of the ILC is to enhance the capacities of its members and partners as well as their opportunities, at all levels, for pro-poor policy dialogue and influence to promote secure and equitable access to and control over land and other natural resources that are vital to the livelihoods of poor women and men.

Core values and principles

A rights-based, people-centred approach

ILC aims to ensure that poor and marginalized women and men can exercise their rights. ILC situates land issues in a socio-political framework characterized by asymmetries in power. ILC recognizes land as being more than an economic asset; it contributes to identity, dignity and social inclusion. As part of this rights-based and people-centred approach, ILC promotes gender equality.

Recognizing flexible and plural tenure systems

Land access in rural areas is commonly derived from multiple tenure arrangements in order to accommodate the needs and shared use of the land by different users. These arrangements are flexible and allow for the operation of pluralistic tenure systems. Where individual titling displaces common user practices and realities, the poorest land users may be further disadvantaged, both socially and economically. Security of access to land should be granted in ways that allow overlapping, flexible and plural tenure systems to operate.

Subsidiarity and responsiveness

ILC will adopt the principle of subsidiarity, ensuring that decisions are taken as closely as possible to the level where impact is felt. This requires willingness by members to engage actively in the decision-making process and to take on responsibilities where they can. It also requires responsiveness on the part of all members and the Secretariat to ensure that actions at the community level are supported by appropriate, coherent and supportive actions at regional, national and global levels.

Mutual learning and accountability

The principle of mutual learning and accountability is key throughout. ILC actions must bring added value over and above what could be achieved by an individual member organization alone. A key factor towards achieving this is the active exchange of experiences and lessons among ILC members to ensure that valuable knowledge is shared for possible replication or scaling up.

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1/ Excerpts from “The Popular Coalition to Eradicate Hunger and Poverty” IFAD, January 1998

2/ International Land Coalition, External Evaluation – Final Report, August 2006. Universalia, page ii