Introduction

For the first time the International Land Coalition convened its global Assembly of Members outside Rome. Santa Cruz, Bolivia, welcomed more than 80 International Land Coalition members and partners from 30 countries.

Being in Santa Cruz, gave the participants the opportunity to learn about the Bolivian land situation and meet with Bolivian leaders of government, citizen movements and business to exchange lessons learnt and compare policies and programmes on how to improve the secure access to land and related productive assets by resource poor families.

The working sessions of the Assembly were dedicated to sharing the lessons learnt by Land Coalition partners. This involved considering the different kinds and forms of land policies and action programmes that have been successful in different communities and countries. The Assembly focused on widening the understanding among all participants of the dynamic forces of social, political, technical, economic and legal factors in policy making. Among others, the debates included land rights, ancestral territories, resource conflicts, extractive industries, sustainable management of natural resources and the small-holder economy.