Since 2005, a growing number of vulnerable communities and nations have used the human rights lexicon to argue their case for an urgent and ambitious response to climate change. The purpose of this Social Development Department Working paper is to examine the emergence of a new discourse linking climate change and human rights, and to assess its social and political implications, particularly as they relate to development practitioners.

This book is designed for governments that make decisions on the application of preventive resettlement programs as disaster risk reduction measures, as well as for institutions and professionals in charge of preparing and implementing these programs, civil society organizations participating in resettlement and risk reduction processes, and at-risk communities.

This note discusses the development dimensions of forced displacement, and the potential role of the World Bank to address these dimensions and contribute to durable solutions for group's who have returned from or are in displacement situations. For the purposes of this note, forced displacement refers to the situation of persons who are forced to leave or flee their homes due to conflict, violence, and human rights violations.

The Development Marketplace 2009 focused on adaptation to climate change. This paper identifies lessons from the Marketplace and assesses their implications for adaptation support. The findings are based on: statistical tabulation of all proposals; in-depth qualitative and quantitative analysis of the 346 semi-finalists; and interviews with finalists and assessors. Proposals were fuelled by deep concerns that ongoing climate change and its impacts undermine development and exacerbate poverty, migration and food insecurity.

Biologically diverse ecosystems in countries served by the World Bank provide an array of valuable economic services. While the benefits of conserving ecosystems frequently outweigh the costs, conversion of these ecosystems to other uses occurs anyway, because many ecosystem benefits are of a public good nature, without markets that would reflect their real value.

The Cambodia environment monitor 2008 is one of a series of environmental reports prepared for East Asian countries under an initiative sponsored by the World Bank. The objective of this series is to present a snapshot of environmental trends across a range of issues. The purpose of the monitor is to engage and inform interested stakeholders about key environmental changes in an easy to understand format accessible to a wide audience. This report identifies seven strategic priorities for the Royal government of Cambodia and its conservation partners.

Likewise other tribal areas, the community in Kanker, Hazaribagh and Koraput have also been facing challenges emerged due to climate variability and change. While rainfed agriculture in small and marginal land is the main livelihood practice, the NTFPs provides subsistent food, nutrition and income security round the year. The fluctuation in rainfall pattern over the year and during monsoon season, higher summer temperature and long dry period are impacting the livelihood resources, hence the food security.

It was March 27th, 2012. There was a huge gathering at the Gram Panchyat office of Turiguda to receive the titles over the forest land on which they are cultivating for generation.The smiling faces were very prominent on that not, for on that day their rights got recognised.

The Orissa government’s agreement with Vedanta Alumina to allow mining of bauxite deposits in the Niyamgiri hills, the home of the Dongaria Kondha tribe, is an example of how corporate interests backed by state support are trampling on tribal livelihoods and threatening an ecologically rich and important region.

The objectives of the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes are to act as an independent agency that will investigate, monitor and record any violation of the Constitutional rights of the Scheduled Tribes, suggest measures for their development and in general act on their behalf. This report focuses on the extent to which the Commission performs its role and how effectively it does so. It does not touch upon the wider issues pertaining to the Scheduled Tribes, except insofar as they are addressed or not addressed by the Commission.

This brief presents a review of 161 Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) submitted on behalf of 188 countries3 for COP 21 to determine the extent to which Parties made clear commitments to strengthen or expand the tenure and natural resource management rights of IP/LCs as part of their climate change mitigation plans or associated adaptation actions.4 Of the 161 INDCs submitted, 131 are from countries with tropical and subtropical forests.

Dalit stakes in environment are high due to their dependence on natural resources for livelihoods. Though climatic uncertainties have implications on many sectors, rural livelihoods are most affected by changes in climatic patterns. Dalits, who are highly dependent on earnings from agricultural labour and, livestock rearing dependent on forests and other common lands have fewer resources and options to combat the damages to the resourcebase because of climate change.