BOGOTA, February 6, 2025 –– Colombia is set to host the Global Land Forum [GLF]; the largest independent gathering of land rights advocates and experts in the world from June 14-19, 2025.
Organised every three years by the International Land Coalition, the 10th edition will be co-hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the European Union in Colombia and the Centre for Research and Popular Education [CINEP], alongside a National Organising Committee of sixty Colombia-based organisations.
“Land rights are at the centre of overcoming some of the world’s most pressing challenges. There’s no better country right now than Colombia to host a celebration of our achievements and learn from each other how we can do it better,” said Michael Taylor, Director of the ILC Secretariat.
With 41.8 percent of its territory in the Amazon, Colombia is the second most biodiverse country in the world.
However, land concentration, conflict around territorial rights and environmental concerns make land governance solutions complex. Yet the current government’s four-year plan promises transformation. Entitled “Colombia, potencia mundial de la vida – Colombia, world power of life”, the plan includes agrarian reform and peace processes aimed at resolving decades-long conflict tied to land inequality.
“This Forum represents an opportunity for Colombia to reaffirm its leadership and commitment to Agrarian Reform, sending a clear message to the world about the importance of an equitable distribution of land and its proper use for the common good. In this context, 2025 has been declared the Year of Peasant, Family, Ethnic and Community Agriculture, in recognition of the agri-food systems that produce 70 percent of our food,” she continued. “These systems are essential to achieve food sovereignty, combat hunger and guarantee sustainable use of soils in accordance with their vocation.”
In 2026, Colombia will open its doors to host the II International Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development. ”This event will be a platform to dialogue with the world about the path towards land governance that prioritises life and promotes an inclusive and sustainable rural development policy,” said Martha Carvajalino Villegas, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development.
For his part, the Ambassador of the European Union in Colombia, Gilles Bertrand, affirmed, “Today, Colombia is an example that the protection of nature, peacebuilding and economic development are one and the same. For the European Union, it is a priority to support Colombia in building partnerships and driving territorial transformations that ensure fair and equitable access to land while linking the territories most affected by the armed conflict with opportunities in national and international markets. Continuing with the support that the European Union has been providing for formalization, we reaffirm our commitment to these processes and are proud to be able to share these initiatives during this important global meeting.”
Taking the lead nationally, ILC member and co-host CINEP/PPP coordinates the National Organising Committee [NOC]. The committee includes more than 50 civil society organisations, intergovernmental organisations, activists and researchers in Colombia that have come together to develop a political roadmap to secure milestone commitments across the Forum’s main themes from the government.
“It’s clear that the prevailing rural development model isn’t working and there is an urgent need for transformation”, proclaimed Javier Lautaro Medina, Technical Secretariat of the National Organizing Committee and member of CINEP. “This is an important moment for us in Colombia and it is our hope that the government will take on commitments to plan for the redistribution, formalisation and restitution of lands and territories.”
About the International Land Coalition
ILC is a global alliance of civil society and intergovernmental organisations working together to put people at the centre of land governance. The shared goal of ILC’s over 300 members is to realise land governance for and with people at the country level, responding to the needs and protecting the rights of women, men and communities who live on and from the land.
About CINEP
The Center for Popular Research and Education [CINEP] works to build a society where marginalised communities take ownership, demand and exercise their rights, with full guarantees and in harmony with nature, through research, popular education and advocacy strategies. The centre encourages social change based on the guidelines of the Society of Jesus in Colombia.
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