RIGHTS AND RESOURCES INSTITUTE INC

Regional programs:" africa: rri strengthened indigenous peoples and local communities' rights through high-impact legislative advancements in 2024. In the democratic republic of the congo (drc), l'alliance nationale d'appui et promotion des aires et territoires du patrimoine autochtone et communautaire du congo (anapac), and the ministry of environment and sustainable development developed a roadmap for a new national strategy on conservation outside protected areas. This initiative aims to establish an inclusive model for biodiversity conservation based on other effective area-based conservation measures (oecms). In liberia, the sustainable development institute (sdi), the civil society working group on land, and rri mapped 138 community land development management committees-representing millions of hectares of community land-across 14 of the country's 15 counties. The project established a foundational structure to further enhance community-based land management in liberia and beyond." asia: rri's coalition engaged indigenous and local community youth, amplifying their leadership by organizing a virtual asia youth solidarity workshop for tenure rights. More than 40 youth leaders from india, nepal, indonesia, and the philippines attended, marking the beginning of a solidarity network among youth in asia. Rri also supported women-led initiatives in nepal and indonesia to strengthen indigenous and local community women's roles in addressing inequality and promoting the democratization of natural resources management. " latin america: rri, in collaboration with the coalition for the territorial and environmental rights of afro-descendant peoples of latin america and the caribbean, conaq, and pcn, created a pathway to position afro-descendant peoples as crucial counterparts in conservation and climate change efforts by organizing an event in colombia, attended by more than 400 people. More than a decade of support for the afro-descendant coalition culminated in a historic win at the cbd cop16 in october, when they became part of a subsidiary body in article 8j with political influence in negotiations. Rri also created pathways for 18 grassroots and community-based organizations in nine countries to strengthen regional perspectives and organizational capacity through strategic planning; project and financial management; technology and media; and more." strategic response mechanism: rri's srm funded 10 projects across eight countries, in addition to six projects that continued implementation from 2023. These projects helped build grassroots organizations' capacity and leadership, amplified national advocacy campaigns, and influenced national legislation. Key accomplishments included the cambodia indigenous peoples' association (cipa) submitting recommendations to the ministry of land to ensure indigenous peoples' voices are included in legislative processes affecting their land rights; and the international foundation for development, education, entrepreneurship and environmental protection (fidepe) successfully advocating for the formal recognition of 150 hectares of sacred forest benefiting over 60,000 people in cameroon.