Looking for leadership: New inspiration and momentum amidst crises. Rights and Resources Initiative Annual Review 2014–2015

2014 was a year in which many citizens around the world lost hope and trust in conventional leaders’ abilities to solve national and global challenges. Governments were increasingly polarized—and seemingly paralyzed—in the face of growing inequality and entrenched poverty; environmental agencies watered down social and environmental regulations to attract more international investments despite the growing social and political unrest over land grabs; murders of environmental and land rights activists rose across the globe; the World Bank proposed weakening its social and environmental safeguards, forfeiting 40 years of leadership and rushing the sale of carbon, placing communities’ rights at risk; and the UNFCCC negotiators in Lima once again failed to reach an agreement that addresses the climate crisis. The credibility of the world’s conventional leaders and institutions, which were set up to advance development, democracy, and human rights, crumbled and crashed in 2014. The world and its millions of local and marginalized people urgently need better. Fortunately, 2014 was also a year in which new, often surprising leadership emerged amidst the wreckage and began to offer inspiration and solutions at scale.