Thomson Reuters Foundation launches the platform “PLACE” to put land and property rights on global news agenda

The Thomson Reuters Foundation launched Place (Property, Land, Access, Connections, Empowerment), an innovative platform to boost coverage of land and property rights, one of the most under-reported issues worldwide.

 

“Insecurity of land tenure and property rights is a major cause of global poverty and inequality and is strongly linked to the realisation of many development goals, including food security, economic empowerment of women, and climate change mitigation. Place aims to generate and curate trusted news and information on these issues, highlighting some of the complex dynamics related to property rights with the aim of making the subject accessible to a broader audience”, as explained in this  Reuters Foundation article.

The work will be dedicated to Africa and developing countries. Thomson Reuters Foundation journalists and videographers in Africa, India, Brazil and Britain will work with over 100 freelancers to produce daily news addressing issues such as the lack of land rights and its consequences, corruption, land appropriation, food security and human rights abuses. The team will also produce interviews with frontline thought leaders and compelling micro-documentaries to engage viewers through visually striking investigative stories.

“The lack of ownership or tenure is one of the world’s most silent crises and one with dramatic ramifications. The denial of such basic rights leads to exploitation and financial instability; it can destroy livelihoods, create inequality and even foment conflict. It particularly affects women who are not allowed to own or even inherit land in many countries,” says Monique Villa, Chief Executive Officer of the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

This new platform has been developed with support from Omidyar Network, the philanthropic investment firm founded by Pierre and Pam Omidyar.

 

For more information on the project visit http://place.trust.org/ .

For more information about the land issue visit https://www.landportal.info/

The full article is available here