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Whose Water? Global Launch of a 15-Country Analysis on the Status of Indigenous Peoples’, Afro-descendants’, and Local Communities’ Legally Recognized Freshwater Tenure Rights

On Friday, August 28, please join Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI) and the Environmental Law Institute (ELI) for the global launch of Whose Water, a 15-country analysis on the status of Indigenous Peoples’, Afro-descendants’, and local communities’ legally recognized freshwater tenure rights. Report authors will be joined by panelists sharing regional perspectives on the value of this new analysis and opportunities to leverage findings to advance communities’ water tenure security.

Friday, August 28, 2020
9:30-11:00 am EST

Clearly defined and legally secure freshwater tenure rights are essential to Indigenous Peoples’, Afro-descendants’, and local communities’ livelihoods, food security, and territorial governance; as well as to countries’ efforts to achieve sustainable development priorities and ensure climate resilience. However, the extent to which such rights are legally recognized remains largely unknown and unmonitored. A new report, Whose Water, provides an innovative methodology and comparative assessment of the extent to which the national-level legal frameworks of 15 countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America recognize communities’ and community women’s rights to use, govern, and protect their freshwater resources.

Join authors of the report from Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI) and the Environmental Law Institute (ELI) to learn findings from this pathbreaking analysis on the status of Indigenous Peoples’, Afro-descendants’, and local communities’ legally recognized rights to freshwater and insights on how to further secure these rights. Participants will also hear perspectives from different regions concerning the value of this framework and opportunities to leverage the data to advocate for stronger legal protections for both communities’, and women within communities’, water tenure rights. Interpretation in French and Spanish will be available. Learn more and download the report

Agenda

Welcome and Setting the Stage
Omaira Bolaños, Director of Latin America and Gender Justice Programs (RRI)

Whose Water? Presentation of Background, Methodology, Findings, and Implications
Chloe Ginsburg, Senior Tenure Analyst (RRI)
Jessica Troell, Director of Water and Africa Programs (ELI)

Ongoing Legal Reforms to Communities’ Forest and Water Rights in Nepal (TBC)
Bharati Pathak, Chairperson of Federation of Community Forestry Users Nepal (FECOFUN)

Impacts of Women’s Tenure Insecurity on the Good Governance of Community Waters in Peru
Gena Gammie, Associate Director, Water Initiative at Forest Trends

Applicability of the Freshwater Tenure Methodology for Conceptualizing the Land-Water Nexus and Impacts on Community Women in Malawi
Everisto Mapedza, Senior Researcher at International Water Management Institute (IWMI)

A Comparative Law Perspective on “Water Tenure” and Opportunities for International Guidance
Stefano Burchi, Chairman of the Executive Council, International Association for Water Law (AIDA)

Q&A

Closing Remarks
Stephanie Keene (RRI)