Jesse Coleman is a senior legal researcher at the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment (CCSI). She coordinates the Center’s work at the intersection of human rights and investment law, and works on two other focus areas at the Center: Investment Law & Policy and Land, Agriculture & Food Systems. Jesse leads research, provides technical and advisory support on investment governance, develops and leads trainings, and collaborates with partners to translate research into applied policies and practices. She is also co-editor-in-chief of the Yearbook on International Investment Law & Policy, an annual volume published by Oxford University Press. Jesse is fluent in English and Italian.
The Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment (CCSI), a joint center of Columbia Law School and the Earth Institute at Columbia University, is the only university-based applied research center and forum dedicated to the study, practice and discussion of sustainable international investment.
MISSION
Our mission is to develop practical approaches for governments, investors, communities and other stakeholders to maximize the benefits of international investment for sustainable development.
Liberian NGO Green Advocates has been using OpenLandContracts.org to give rural communities more leverage in the decisions that affect their lands.
A recent project by the Business & Human Rights Resource Center shows how OpenLandContracts.org can be used to strengthen advocacy around corporate accountability and good governance of natural resources.
Next Training: June 11-21, 2019
Location: Columbia University, New York
Land acquisitions and land use restrictions can have adverse impacts on communities and individuals, including physical displacement; loss of land, income or livelihood; and/or involuntary resettlement.
The Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment is offering two to three grants of $10,000 each for innovative uses of www.OpenLandContracts.org. Applications due January 31, 2018.
Next Training: June 19-29, 2018
Location: Columbia University
The Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment (CCSI) (link is external) spoke with Michael Jarvis, Executive Director of the Transparency and Accountability Initiative (TAI), about OpenLandContracts.org, how the landscape regarding contract transparency has changed in recent years, and what these changes mean for stakeholders seeking to improve governance and accountability in the context of natural resource investments.
By Liam Kelley-St. Clair
Contracts between governments and private investors for large-scale land, agriculture, and forestry projects often play a critical role in the governance of these projects. Yet, despite their significance, such contracts are often kept hidden from the public eye. Amongst the many initiatives seeking to shed light on these deals, OpenLandContracts.org, an initiative of the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment (CCSI), works to advance transparency by serving as a centralized online repository of publicly available land, agriculture, and forestry contracts between investors and governments.
By Kaitlin Cordes and Jesse Coleman, CCSI
The Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment (CCSI) is pleased to announce that applications are open for our Executive Training on Sustainable Investments in Agriculture, which will be held at Columbia University from July 12-21, 2017.
