Please join the Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI), the International Land Coalition (ILC) and the Open Society Initiative for Eastern Africa (OSIEA) for the global launch of the new study, Paying the Price: A Study on Criminalization of Land and Environmental Rights Defenders in East Africa.

Thursday, February 11, 2021 | 7 – 8:30 am EST / 3 – 4:30 pm East Africa Time

Rapid population growth and fast-growing economies have catapulted the demand for land-based investments in East Africa. Unsurprisingly, the result is rising pressure over land and the environment, often pitting governments, multinational companies and local private sector against the communities who depend on nature for their survival.

Land and environmental rights defenders are often the first line of defense in pushing back against land grabs and environmental destruction. For that, they pay the ultimate price, sometimes with their lives. These pressures are made worse by the shrinking civic space and democratic rollback across the continent, particularly in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda.

Investigating the victimization of land and environmental rights defenders is more urgent today than ever before. Paying the Price: A study on Criminalization of Land and Environmental Rights Defenders in East Africa tracks cases of criminalization of land and environmental rights defenders in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, and reviews regional and international instruments for their protection. It also maps organizations, strategies and resources to address this criminalization.

The webinar will present the report’s findings and recommendations, and bring together prominent voices from civil society, academia and governments in East Africa to discuss what these findings mean for the future of land-based investment in the region – and for those who are defending their rights. The speakers include:

Bernard Baha, Coordinator, Tanzania Land Alliance
Professor Patricia Kameri-Mbote, School of Law, University of Nairobi
Richard Mugisha, Independent Researcher on food systems
Ivan Okuda, Legal Associate, Anguria & Co. Advocates, Uganda
Patrick Kipalu, Africa Program Director, Rights and Resources Initiative
Audace Kubwimana, Africa Regional Coordinator, International Land Coalition
Joanita Okedi, Program Officer, Economic Governance Program, The Open Society Initiative for Eastern Africa

Interpretation in French will be available.

Register:

click here