Law blogs
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Legal empowerment as action research
11 January 2022Recognising legal empowerment as collective reflection and action led by those whose rights are at stake changes the role of researchers and the methods used to support, and learn from, processes of change
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Agricultural contracts and farmer agency: a shift in perspective
17 May 2021Support initiatives should assist farmers’ own efforts to renegotiate trading relations, rather than assuming producers gain most from integration in agribusiness-led activities
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Unpacking regulatory chill: the case of mining in the Santurbán páramo in Colombia
21 December 2020Do international investment treaties put a 'chill' on environmental policy? To answer this question, we need to see the state as a complex web of actors, not a unitary whole
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What happens when the landgrabbers leave? An account from Kilwa, Tanzania
14 December 2020An encouraging story from Tanzania about how four communities regained control of their lands
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Blog series probes principles: what works for women’s land rights?
15 October 2020A new blog series featuring voices from East and West Africa will take a closer look at a set of principles we think strengthens women’s land rights. Here, IIED’s Philippine Sutz tells us what to expect
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Sustaining coffee producers’ agency in the context of COVID-19
4 August 2020Vava Coffee is social enterprise seeking to create positive social and economic change in Kenya’s coffee industry, the implications of COVID-19 and possible solutions for sustaining progress
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“Public officers are also human beings”: trust and environmental governance
8 July 2020Turning legal frameworks into real agents for environmental change can depend on understanding complex human stories. Guest blogger Paula Ungar reports from Colombia
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Foreign investment, knowledge and international arbitration: inside a research trip
22 June 2020International investment law and investor dispute arbitration too often fail to notice the concerns of local actors. Guest blogger Nicolás Perrone argues that governance of these international mechanisms needs to take a more holistic, development-based view of the issues
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Stopping land and policy grabs in the shadow of COVID-19
1 June 2020Reports suggest the COVID-19 fallout is providing opportunities for elites to seize lands and rewrite regulations. We need effective responses to secure land rights and lay the foundations for a just recovery
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COVID-19 and the sites of rights resilience
26 May 2020As we reflect on the place of human rights in the COVID-19 crisis, we should shine a light not only on ‘the state’ but on the local actors and processes that have contributed to the resilience of human rights constructs in the face of obstruction and repression
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COVID-19 and global economic ordering: radical shift or more of the same?
24 April 2020The fallout from COVID-19 has triggered narratives about profound changes to economic ordering. A closer look provides a more complex picture, particularly for countries in the global South.
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Land rights and investments: why business standards are not enough
16 March 2020International standards can help businesses fill gaps in national law, but addressing issues at scale requires systemic governance reform
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Mali’s new mining law: an improvement, but fails artisanal miners
8 October 2019Mali’s long-awaited mining reforms are here. A mix of progressive and outdated measures, the code must pass parliamentary review before entering into law. We assess the significance of three aspects of the legislation
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Development finance and land rights: how we can do better
22 March 2019Ahead of the World Bank conference on land and poverty, Lorenzo Cotula and Brendan Schwartz discuss how development finance institutions can better address land rights issues
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Strengthening women’s voices in land decisions: what works?
31 January 2019Philippine Sutz draws together key lessons from Ghana and Tanzania on how to get women’s voices heard in local land governance
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Investor-state arbitration: an opportunity for real reform?
7 December 2018An ongoing multilateral process could provide a unique opportunity to reform a contentious area of global economic governance – but only if it properly identifies the key problems
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Celebrating 10 years of the UK Climate Change Act: an influential law beyond its borders
26 November 2018IIED director Andrew Norton says the UK's Climate Change Act provides a clear and ambitious framework for addressing climate change, and says it can be a model for other nations for turning the Paris Agreement into national action
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Building transparency and trust into smallholder commodity trading and contract farming
13 November 2018Smallholder farmers have long had difficulties getting a fair price for their produce. A recent IIED webinar discussed how linking farmers to commodity exchanges and an ‘incentive-based’ contract farming (IBCF) approach can help improve farmer-buyer relations and establish more transparent trading arrangements
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Mining in the deep-sea bed: are we ready?
12 November 2018International law designates the deep seabed as the “common heritage of humankind”, but poorly regulated mining could cause irreparable damage to such a fragile ecosystem. Erika Solimeo and Brendan Schwartz argue that the International Seabed Authority needs a moratorium on mining extraction licences
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Supporting small-scale farmers in negotiations with agribusiness
25 May 2018Unequal bargaining power often characterises the relationship between small-scale rural producers and agribusinesses. A recent IIED webinar discussed ways to protect and support farmers when negotiating with companies
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Legal activism key to securing land rights in new investment phase
28 March 2018In the face of rapid changes, how can people in low- and middle-income countries ensure they get the best deal to protect their land?
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Creating a global 'land rights family': from knowledge to action
14 March 2018Community land rights are the focus of two new initiatives. The first, launched with an 'action shop' in Kenya, enables civil society organisations to share knowledge and chart new paths; the second supports communities to seek legal redress for violated rights
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Getting community voices heard in investor-state arbitration
5 March 2018During investor-state arbitrations, the rights and interests of local communities are often overlooked. A recent webinar discussed mechanisms that are getting the concerns of local communities on the table
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Legal empowerment: what we do, what we've learned
14 November 2017If you missed the recent policy forum on legal empowerment, fear not: here Lorenzo Cotula recaps on what characterises IIED's approach and shares his top three lessons learned
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Responsible investment provisions in international investment treaties: where next?
16 October 2017Lorenzo Cotula discusses how international investment treaties could promote more responsible investment and argues that, while some innovative practices are emerging, there is still much to do