GI-ESCR co-hosts series of roundtables on the new Draft General Comment on Land and ESC Rights

Over the last week GI-ESCR has co-hosted two roundtables addressing critical elements of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights’ recently published draft General Comment on Land and Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The roundtables offered a diverse range of participants from all regions of the globe the opportunity to share their reflections on the Draft with the Committee Rapporteurs responsible for its development, both of whom actively participated in the discussions.

The first roundtable, co-hosted with Landesa, was dedicated to a discussion of how the Draft General Comment had addressed the relationship between land and the climate emergency. The rich and thought provoking discussion that ensued covered issues such as the impact that climate breakdown will have on land scarcity, the potential for climate ‘solutions’ such as BECCS and REDD+ to increase pressures on land, and the way in which land restoration has the potential to play a role in tackling the climate emergency.

The second roundtable, co-hosted with FIAN International, explored the Draft’s treatment of privatisation, commercialisation and financialisation in relation to land. Participants considered the connections between land commercialisation and commercialisation in other sectors, and shared ideas for how alternative, community-based models of tenure governance (beyond State ownership and market-based models) can be strengthened through the General Comment.

Alongside partners, GI-ESCR will be making a submission to the Committee’s draft General Comment before the 15th August deadline.