A Summary Report of the Tenth Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI) Dialogue on Forests, Governance and Climate Change

The Tenth Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI) Dialogue was held from Wednesday 7 to Thursday 8 September 2011 in The Hague, the Netherlands. The Dialogue was organized by RRI and Oxfam International, in collaboration with the IS Academy on Land Governance (LANDac) and EcoAgriculture Partners. The Dialogue focused on common approaches to dealing with the challenges of food security and climate change, and aimed to influence policy dialogues in fora including the Committee on Food Security, the Working Group of the G20 Food Security pillar, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) 17th Conference of the Parties (COP); the 2012 International EcoAgriculture Conference; the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD/Rio+20); and the 2012 follow up to The Hague Global Conference on Agriculture, Food Security and Climate Change. The Dialogue aimed to bring together individuals from the forestry, agriculture, climate change and food security communities to engage in discussions and breakdown sectoral “silos.” 

More than 60 participants from 18 countries, including representatives from governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), international organizations and the academic community, attended the Dialogue, which is the first to consider food security and agriculture alongside forests, governance and climate change. Participants convened in five panel sessions and held discussions on: global challenges and responses in forests and agriculture; the current status of rights, livelihoods and governance in the world’s rural and forest areas; the role and interface of agriculture and forests in mitigating and adapting to climate change; actions to meet food security needs in the context of large-scale investments, small-holder production and community forestry; and emerging common approaches to address challenges. Participants also engaged in a group exercise to develop a common vision for fostering action. Participants were encouraged to share their promising paths forward, particularly those that bridge sectors