RRI was founded in 2005 to address the insecure and unjust land rights of over two billion Indigenous Peoples and local communities living in the forests and drylands of developing countries. In their annual meetings leading Indigenous Peoples, community organizations, NGOs, governments, private companies, and investors meet in Interlaken to devise strategies to scale up global efforts to secure community land and resource rights. Last September, they met in Bern to assess and establish a new baseline from which to measure global progress.

But the world has changed: there are now unprecedented commitments to respect community land rights from leading companies, governments, donors, and international organizations. A suite of new tools and initiatives designed to support communities’ ongoing struggle to assert their rights has been established—and the power of the world’s Indigenous Peoples and local communities has already begun to demonstrate their effectiveness. Amidst this progress, the pressure on land continues to grow, and community members who assert their rights continue to do so at grave risk. In the upcoming meeting it is time to once again convene, take-stock of what works and what doesn’t, and build on our shared progress.