Addressing Legal Support Gaps Around Land-Based Investment

Lead PI:

Unit Affiliation: Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment (CCSI)

Unknown start date - Ongoing
Active
Project Type: Research

DESCRIPTION: CCSI is working to identify and advance concrete steps that can help address legal support gaps in the context of land-based investment. Such investment presents significant challenges for governments, communities, investors, and other stakeholders. While these challenges are often distinct, one commonality is the need for better and more accessible legal support.

There are no easy fixes, and many challenges stem from more systemic issues in the legal world. However, with support from UK DFID, CCSI is undertaking a series of projects to help fill these “legal support gaps.” These include:

- Guides for communities that are interacting and negotiating with investors
- Research and action on innovative financing solutions for legal support to communities
- Analysis of governments’ legal support gaps
- Research on communities’ redress for harm in complicated situations (post-closure, abandonment, or divestment)
- Directory of Community Guidance on Agreements Relating to Agriculture or Forestry Investment
- Tools and guidance available on OpenLandContracts.org

EXTERNAL COLLABORATORS:

UK Department for International Development

KEYWORDS

forestry land-based investment finance legal support agriculture

THEMES

Sustainable living