Using Strategic Litigation to Help Indigenous Peoples Reclaim Their Land

At a recent event, Jérémie Gilbert of the University of East London presented a new study on the impacts of strategic litigation on indigenous peoples’ land rights. This empirical study draws on scores of original interviews with community members, litigators, and activists from Kenya, Malaysia, and Paraguay, which have seen some of the world’s most important judicial decisions on indigenous peoples’ land rights.

Gilbert shared insights into the use of strategic litigation as a social-change agent that might be relevant to all indigenous communities taking or considering legal action to assert their rights over their ancestral lands.

The study, commissioned by the Open Society Justice Initiative, is the third in a five-part inquiry exploring the impacts of strategic litigation in a variety of human rights areas around the world. Previous reports examine impacts on Roma and education desegregation in Europe and equal access to quality education in Brazil, India, and South Africa.

Listen to the event above.