Support to the Africa programme of the Rights and Resources Initiative The Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI) is a global coalition of 13 organizations that was established in 2005 to accelerate reforms in land and forest tenure and governance in Africa Asia and Latin America. Africa program is the largest and there is a c
lear need for reforms: governments still own and control 98% of total forest area in Africa. Inadequate tenure and user rights are ingredients of social conflicts and they increase pressure on forest lands. The rights of local communities and indigenous pe
oples are in the centre of RRI's activities. The coalition includes organizations working in the fields of enviroment research human rights and rights of local communities with the aim to encourage reforms in land and forest tenure and governance as well a
s related  policies and business models.The program pays special attention to customary land rights of rural communities (including women's equal right to own and use land) that are not always acknowledged by official government systems. RRI also aims to s
tregthen poor peoples' rights to benefit from forests and their services including trade of timber and other forest products. Finland supports RRI's Africa program in West and Central Africa. Main partner countries are Cameroon Mali Burkina Faso Liberia an
d DRC. In addition RRI is engaged in political dialiogue related to decentralization in Niger Senegal and Mauritania. Finland has supported the initiative since 2010 (24 million euros) and support to years 2014-17 will be four million euros. During the pre
vious phase RRI has become a global reference point for forest tenure data and expertise and it efficiently connects different actors working in the sector. RRI has been actively engaged in law and policy reforms e.g. in Liberia and Mali and at the interna
tional level in climate negotiations and forest related processes (Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation -REDD and Forest law enforcement governance and trade -FLEGT).