ILC AT ICARRD +20

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Milan Sekulovic is a journalist and editor at Television Podgorica known for his critical analysis of socio-political issues. He also leads the civic initiative Save Sinjajevina, advocating for the protection of Sinjajevina as a shared “territory of life” grounded in collective responsibility and sustainable governance. His work focuses on defending collective land use rights, preserving Montenegro’s mountain landscapes, and safeguarding traditional seasonal settlements (katuns), linking media freedom, environmental protection, and the public interest.

Member of the ILC Council & LAC regional Steering Committee, Omar is a Maya Ch’orti’ leader and co‑founder of the Central of Indigenous and Peasant Maya Ch’orti’ Organisation. With a background in finance, he brings extensive experience in governance and in defending the territorial rights of Indigenous peoples in Guatemala. He has led and coordinated initiatives across diverse platforms to influence the development and implementation of public policies that safeguard Indigenous peoples’ collective rights to land, territory, and holistic rural development. His career includes active participation in national coalitions, peasant movements, and human rights organizations. In 2024, he was elected to the Board of Directors of the Land Fund (FONTIERRAS).

Dewi is a former ILC Council member and an agrarian activist who has been actively involved in various educational campaigns and people-based organisations. She joined the Konsorsium Pembaruan Agraria (KPA) in 2007, a populist organisation in Indonesia that consistently strives for agrarian reform, consisting of 145 civil peasants organisations and NGOs. She received a scholarship to study agrarian transition at the Institute of Social Study (ISS), The Hague, Netherlands (2011).

Maria is the daughter of agrarian reform settlers from the Várzea do Mundaú Settlement in Trairi, Ceará, Brazil. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Home Economics from the Federal University of Ceará (Brazil) and a Bachelor’s degree in Nutrition from Faculdade Estácio de Sá (Brazil), as well as a Master’s degree in Public Health Policy from the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Brazil). She is the Executive Coordinator of the civil society organization CETRA (Center for the Study of Labour and Advisory Services for Rural Workers). She is a member of the Northeast Agroecology Technical Assistance and Rural Extension Network (ATER Nordeste de Agroecologia) and of the Political Articulation Committee of the National Agroecology Articulation. She serves as an alternate councillor on Brazil’s National Council for Sustainable Rural Development (CONDRAF), is a member of the Governance Board of the Latin America Semi-Arid Platform, and represents CETRA in the Land Coalition / ILC.

With more than 20 years of experience working with NGOs, Nicole has developed strong expertise in behaviour change communication, project coordination, and education for development, particularly in the fields of health, human rights, and gender equality. Her career includes leading multi-actor and multi-country projects on youth employment, access to land, and conflict prevention in Senegal, Niger, and Mali, as well as promoting citizen oversight and public policy accountability.
These experiences led naturally to her current role: since December 2020, she has served as Head of Facilitation and Monitoring of Land Governance Dialogue Platforms at IPAR (Initiative Prospective Agricole et Rurale), where she works to foster dialogue among public authorities, civil society, the private sector, elected officials, and research institutions. In parallel, as facilitator of Senegal’s National Land Coalition, she strengthens multi-stakeholder dialogue, advocacy, and the co-construction of solutions for inclusive, equitable, and sustainable land governance, in line with IPAR’s mission and rural and territorial development challenges.

Marcos is a family farmer and currently Vice President and Secretary for International Relations of the National Confederation of Agricultural Workers (CONTAG), Brazil. Born and raised in a rural community in the municipality of Jordânia, Minas Gerais, his trajectory is deeply rooted in the land and the trade union movement. He began his leadership journey at the age of 19 as President of the Rural Workers’ Union of Jordânia and went on to hold several leadership positions within FETAEMG (Federation of Agricultural Workers of the State of Minas Gerais) before joining the national leadership of CONTAG. He holds a degree in Rural Education (Licentiate) from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) and a Technologist degree in Cooperative Management from UniHorizontes.

Motlanalo Lebepe is the Executive Director of Nkuzi Development Association NPC in South Africa and a member of the ILC Council. She is passionate about advocating for women’s land rights, agroecology, and tenure security for farm communities.

Nasolo Harijery Soavinalahatra is a Malagasy land governance expert with over fifteen years of experience in land governance. He has made significant contributions to the design, implementation, and monitoring of land reforms, working closely with public institutions, local authorities, and civil society organizations. He is currently the National Coordinator of the Solidarity of Land Actors (SIF), where he is actively engaged in advocacy and the promotion of inclusive and sustainable land governance.

Frances currently serves as Chair of the National Land Coalition and the National Coordinator of the Stand for Her Land Campaign in Uganda.

A committed feminist, Frances is a seasoned gender, human rights, and development specialist. Her work focuses on advancing gender justice and women’s rights with a focus on women’s land rights and climate justice.

Jagat Deuja is a land rights activist from Nepal, working for the rights of landless people and small-scale farmers. He serves as Executive Director of the Community Self-Reliance Centre (CSRC), a national organization advocating for land rights and agrarian reform. He is also an expert member of Nepal’s Federal Land Use Council, contributing to land and agricultural policy reforms.

Victoria Escobar is a gender territorial promoter within the Secretariat of Peasant Women of the Unión de Trabajadorxs de la Tierra (UTT), an organisation she has been part of since 2017. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the National University of Santiago del Estero, the province where she was born and continues to live. She is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Public Policy and Development at FLACSO, focusing on government and civil society mechanisms to redistribute, protect, and defend land. Her social activism is deeply connected to her commitment to land, nature, and the defence of the commons.

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Sebastián Pedraza is a youth leader and activist, and a political scientist specialising in rural youth issues. He has undertaken studies in project management, public policy, and rural development, and has over ten years of experience in the design and implementation of social and rural development projects focused on youth. He has worked with and spoken at international conferences organised by IFAD, FAO, the European Commission, and IICA. In 2021, he was selected as one of the 12 Kofi Annan Changemakers. He currently serves as President of the Board and Regional Coordinator for Latin America and the Caribbean of YPARD, a global youth organisation working to empower young people to transform food systems.

José Santos Caicedo Cabezas is a social leader from Colombia’s Pacific region and a member of the national coordination team of the Process of Black Communities (PCN). He is a human rights defender and advocate for the ethnic and territorial rights of Black peoples, and a spokesperson for the Agrarian, Peasant, Ethnic and Popular Summit.

Gaudis Ester Martínez Almanza is a rural woman and survivor of Colombia’s armed conflict from Bolívar. She is a grassroots leader advocating for women’s right to remain on their land and to live free from violence, while continuing the struggle for equal land tenure rights. As a peasant woman, she works and cares for the land to contribute to economic autonomy and food sovereignty. She is a member of the Network of Rural Women of Northern Bolívar and the Caribbean Women’s Coalition for Land and Territory.

Natalia Espinosa Rincón holds a PhD in Environmental and Rural Studies from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (Bogotá), where she also earned a Master’s degree in Rural Development and a degree in History. She is currently a lecturer at the Faculty of Environmental and Rural Studies and a member of the research group Conflict, Region and Societies. She is also part of the CLACSO Working Group on Critical Studies of Rural Development.

Orlando Antonio Triana Pérez is a 65-year-old peasant leader from Tierralta, Córdoba, with over 30 years of experience in community leadership related to Paramillo National Natural Park. He served as coordinator of the Municipal Victims’ Platform of Tierralta until 2021. He is currently Vice President of ASODESPAP-SMS, affiliated with the Group for the Defence of Land and Territory in Córdoba (GTTC), and Legal Representative of the Multiactive Cooperative of River and Land Transport Workers of Alto Sinú (COOTRANSFLUALSINÚ).

Luz Marina Meza Parra was born in the countryside and has loved the land from an early age, recognising it as both a source of food and home. She is a peasant woman and community leader who has long fought for women’s rights and the right to remain in their territories. She is a member of the Association of Peasant Women of Colosó, the National Land Coalition, and the Caribbean Women’s Coalition for Land and Territory.

Yulieth Romero Méndez is a peasant woman from Colosó, Sucre, with eight years of experience in community work focused on the protection and defence of the environment, water, and territory. Her work also centres on defending women’s rights. Through AMUCOL, she supports sustainable agricultural and productive initiatives that promote gender equality, environmental protection, and dignified livelihoods for rural communities.

Gabriel John Tobón Quintero is an Agricultural Engineer with a Master’s degree in Regional Development Planning. He is a professor, researcher, and coordinator of the Research Group on Conflict, Region and Rural Societies at the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana. He is an expert in agrarian, territorial, and environmental conflicts, agrarian reform, Peasant Reserve Zones, illicit crop cultivation, and rural public policy.

Ana María Delgado Martínez is an anthropologist and researcher with a strong interest in socio-environmental conflicts related to land and water. She is part of the Social Movements, Land and Territory team at the Centre for Research and Popular Education / Peace Programme (CINEP/PPP), where she accompanies organisational processes of women and youth along the Cauca River basin.

Miguel Miranda Cortezano is a prominent social leader and human rights defender from the Montes de María region. He serves as President of the Organisations of Displaced, Ethnic and Peasant Populations of Montes de María (OPDs). His work focuses on the defence of territory, representation of conflict victims, access to land, protection of collective territories, and environmental defence. He has played a key role in advocacy and victim representation before Colombia’s Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP).