The International Land Coalition - 2030 Strategy

I have used the word ‘privileged’ before to describe how I feel about working on certain projects, but that seems particularly true in the case of this series. Sometimes I really have to pinch myself to believe that I have a job that involves capturing and visually retelling the stories of people all over the world, working with exceptionally beautiful material to create artwork which feels genuinely impactful and meaningful.

These illustrations are for the International Land Coalition’s 2030 strategy document. Within it, the ILC outline their vision for the next decade, acknowledging their achievements over the past 25 years and looking at how to build on them. At the heart of everything the ILC do is the people they represent across the globe. All too often, indigenous groups and local communities are overlooked by governments and corporations, who disregard their land rights and fail to protect them. So much has been done by the ILC and others to promote land rights and change policy and practices, but the power structures that enable this injustice still exist, and there is more to do. Inequality and dispossession persist because they serve the interests of the powerful. This is particularly evident in the fight against climate change, and leader’s willingness (or lack thereof) to take real, meaningful action. This inaction affects the poorest and most vulnerable communities most acutely.

The ILC fight to protect and secure land rights while simultaneously empowering those who live on and from the land. Ultimately, it is these people that know the land most intimately. Indigenous groups who have built a relationship with their environment for generations know best how to support and nurture these territories, eco-systems and the wildlife within them. The ILC work at local and national levels to bring about effective change. There is a particular focus on encouraging female leadership which brings the greatest change. People centred governance is the focus of their vision, and it is those very people who I hope I have captured and empowered through these illustrations.

NETWORK COMMITMENTS

1 SECURE TENURE RIGHTS
2 STRONG SMALL-SCALE FARMING SYSTEMS
3 DIVERSE TENURE SYSTEMS
4 EQUAL LAND RIGHTS FOR WOMEN
5 SECURE TERRITORIAL RIGHTS FOR INDIGENOUS PEOPLES
6 LOCALLY MANAGED ECOSYSTEMS
7 INCLUSIVE DECISION-MAKING
8 TRANSPARENT AND ACCESSIBLE INFORMATION
9 EFFECTIVE ACTIONS AGAINST LAND GRABBING
10 PROTECTION FOR LAND RIGHTS DEFENDERS

For more information, visit the International Land Coalition website

To see the strategy document in full, click here