Neil Sorensen joined the Land Portal as its Communications Specialist in October 2015. He has extensive experience leading communications for international organizations and developing relationships with civil society, donors, intergovernmental agencies, the media and the private sector. Previously, Neil worked for the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) as a Governing Bodies Officer and Strategic Adviser to the Secretary of IFAD. He has also led communications for three international organizations, including the International Land Coalition, the International Federation of Agricultural Producers (IFAP) and the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM). He holds a Master’s degree in Global Diplomacy from the University of London School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) as well as a Bachelor’s degree with a double major in German and Sociology from St. Cloud State University.
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The Land Reform Agenda for Kenya
The webinar on the Land Reform Agenda for Kenya took place on 10 October, 2018. The webinar reviewed the land reform process in Kenya and addressed a range of challenges, with a view to defining a path forward that will lead to equity and justice in land reforms.
The webinar addressed the following questions:
The Liberia Land Rights Act: An Online Dialogue
The Land Portal Foundation, Landesa and the Sustainable Development Institute (SDI) co-facilitated a discussion on Liberia’s Land Rights Bill between July 18 and August 8, 2018. The discussion took place in collaboration with the Rights & Rice Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, and the Land Rights Now campaign.
The full dialogue can be read here.
Realizing the VGGTs and SDGs: The role of data ecosystems, people-centered monitoring and impact evaluation in achieving global development goals
In 2017, the fifth anniversary of the landmark Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure (VGGTs) highlighted successful integration of VGGT principles into national law and decision-making processes across several countries.
1 in 4 people worry about losing their home, new data confirms
Global survey of perceptions of property rights could help provide solutions to key development challenges
The first official results from an international survey of how secure people feel in their homes and on their land were published today, revealing that in the initial 15 countries surveyed, 25% of citizens are concerned that their property could be taken away from them. This aligns with earlier findings from a pilot study in three countries.
For our food and our future – Join the global mobilization for land rights now!
The world would be a pretty dull and hungry place if it weren’t for Indigenous Peoples and local communities.
Indigenous Peoples and local communities play a central role in feeding the world. They look after much of the world’s biodiversity, with at least 80% of planet’s biodiversity found in Indigenous territories and waters. And they have an incredible track record of protecting the climate by preventing deforestation and properly managing pasturelands.
Making Rangelands More Secure
The topic of how best to make rangelands secure for local rangeland users is one of ongoing debates. The very nature of rangeland use – the need for landscape level planning incorporating spatially and temporally variable resources, and for recognising the multiple layers of use by multiple actors presents complexity that is not easily accounted for by the often inflexible and simpler land tenure systems that governments prefer to introduce.
Landesa Launches the RIPL Resource Platform, a Roadmap for Agri-Business Investments
Global land rights group releases roadmap for agri-business investments
New digital platform provides step-by-step instructions for implementing international standards that recognize and protect land rights.
Webinar: The Land Reform Agenda for Kenya
Land use and reforms are at the heart of Kenya’s political and economic future stability. Land is an enabler to support manufacturing, access to affordable and decent housing, universal health care, food security and nutrition. Land is a critical driver in urban development through regulating access to land and use to achieve security of tenure for all.
Advanced Webinar: Change Detection for Land Cover Mapping
Land cover changes can impact many areas of life. These changes can affect deforestation, ecological communities, wildfire extent, and urban growth. This advanced series will focus on using satellite imagery to map changes in land cover. Attendees will learn change detection methods, including image subtraction and classification. They will also conduct their own change detection analysis.