Land, Property and Sovereignty in International Law

Land has long held a central place in the development of international law. Taking a long-term historical perspective, this article explores how indigenous peoples and transnational corporations are increasingly resorting to international norms to address land disputes – particularly in connection with large-scale natural resource investments.

The findings indicate that these disputes can create tensions in the application of different international norms, for example under human rights and investment treaties, and they call for refining international law tools to protect local land rights in the face of commercial concessions.