In 2019 the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) will focus the world’s attention on the fundamental importance of rights to address the current environmental crisis. Linking people to landscapes, the GLF will explore the essential contributions of indigenous peoples, local communities, and rural and indigenous women and youth in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement targets on climate change, highlighting the transformative role of rights and rights-based approaches in securing a more just, sustainable and prosperous future for all. Woven across the year’s events, these priorities will form the centerpiece of the annual conference in Bonn, Germany – to be held on June 22–23 alongside the intersessional climate talks – making it the world’s single largest forum on rights and sustainable landscapes.

​The Land & Accountability Research Centre (LARC) at the University of Cape Town commissioned the vivid documentary film This Land as a way for rural people to bring the untold story of their struggle for rights and accountability on communal land into urban forums of legislative, political and corporate decision-making.

LAND GOVERNANCE IN TRANSITION: 

How to support transformations that work for people and nature?

Kick-off event: meet female land rights champions, make your work more effective and join the festive launch of a photo exhibition

World Cities Day aims to promote the international community’s interest in global urbanization, enhance cooperation among countries and cities in meeting opportunities and addressing challenges of urbanization, and contribute to sustainable urban development. The overall World Cities Day theme is Better City, Better Life and this year’s particular theme is Building Sustainable and Resilient Cities. The main event will be celebrated in Liverpool, UK.

The conference theme of “Strengthening Southern-driven cooperation as a catalyst for ICT4D” seeks to stimulate and encourage critical discussions on the different facets of Southern-driven cooperation, its promises, potential, for creating a better world, and the challenges we face in achieving the promised potential.Grounded by Geoff Walsham’s question, ‘Are we making a better world with technology?’ (Walsham, 2012); the conference will aim at offering context-rich theories, methodologies and practical guidance on the use of ICT’s to empower local communities.

Climate change is amongst the most prominent developmental issues today. As a result, large amounts of capital are being made available to strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity of climate-vulnerable people, particularly in the global South.