On December 7 - 8, 2017, the Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy (PHRGE) held its 12th annual Human Rights Institute at Northeastern University School of Law. The PHRGE Institute convenes scholars, advocates and activists to explore a pressing human rights issue from a human rights perspective. This year’s Institute focused on land rights, paying special attention to proposals to develop a Land Tenure Security Index as a tool to help vulnerable rural populations secure their land tenure. PHRGE Visiting Scholar, Alfred Brownell, hosted the 2017 Institute. Brownell, a Liberian human rights lawyer and founder of Green Advocates, Liberia, has worked extensively on human rights and environmental law at national, regional and international levels

Contact Elizabeth Ennen (e.ennen@northeastern.edu) or 617-373-8194 for more information 

2017 Institute Links

>> Download the Flyer
 >> Download the Keynote Flyer
>> Institute Concept Note
 >> Institute Program
 >> Institute Proposal
 >> Powerpoint Presentations
 >> Recommended Resources
 >> Speaker Biographies
>> Travel Information
 >> Facebook Live Link to Video of 2017 Institute

Watch: Chris Jochnick, President and CEO, Landesa, delivers the keynote address at the 2017 Institute: 


2017 PHRGE Institute Partners 

Ford                 NUSL
GRI          Landesa


2017 Conference Schedule

Thursday, December 7, 2017
12:30 - 1:00 PM

Registration and Welcome
1:00 - 1:15 PM

Welcome 
 Dean Jeremy Paul, Northeastern University School of Law

Introduction
PHRGE Visiting Scholar, Alfred Brownell
1:15 - 2:45 PM

Panel I
 The Advocacy Power of Social Indexes

Panelists: 
 Malcolm Childress, Co-Executive Director, Land Alliance 
 Irit Tamir, Advocacy Manager, Oxfam America 
 Nicholas Tagliarino, Coordinator, Land Portal Foundation 
 Chloe Ginsburg, Tenure Tracking Associate, Rights and Resources Initiative

Moderator
Jonathan Kaufman, Executive Director, Advocacy for Community Alternatives
2:45 - 3:00 PM

Coffee Beak
3:00 PM

Panel II
 A Tenure Security Index: Challenges and Opportunities

Panelists: 
 Liz Alden Wily, Independent Land Tenure and Governance Specialist, Land Rights Now
Téodyl Nkuintchua Tchoudjen, Regional Technical Advisor, Citizen Voices for Change: Congo Basin Forest Monitoring Programme (CV4C)
Ward Anseeuw, Knowledge, Learning and Innovation Senior Technical Specialist, International Land Coalition
Peter Veit, Director of the Land and Resource Rights Initiative, World Resources Institute

Moderator: 
 Shalanda Baker, Professor of Law, Public Policy and Urban Affairs, Northeastern University School of Law
4:30 - 5:30 PM

Reception
5:30 PM

Introduction: 
 Kevin Murray, Executive Director, PHRGE

Chris JochnickLand Rights is the Human Rights Issue of the 21St Century

Keynote Speaker, Chris Jochnick, President and CEO, Landesa

Chris Jochnick is a global land rights expert and social entrepreneur with decades of experience in international development. Chris joined Landesa as CEO in August 2015 after leading Oxfam America’s work on business and development including shareholder engagement, value chain assessments, and collaborative advocacy initiatives, such as the successful “Behind the Brands” campaign. Jochnick is the co-founder and former director of two pioneering non-profit organizations: Center for Economic and Social Rights and the Ecuador-based Centros De Derechos Economicos y Sociales.

Friday, December 8, 2017
8:30 - 9:00 AM

Registration and Breakfast
9:00 - 9:30 AM 

Introduction
PHRGE Visiting Scholar, Alfred Brownell
9:45 - 11:30 AM

Working Groups: Session #1
11:30 AM - 12:00 PM 

Plenary Check-in
12:00 - 1:00 PM

Lunch
1:00 - 2:30 PM

Working Groups: Session #2
2:30 - 2:45 PM

Networking Break 
2:45 - 4:00 PM

Synthesis and Closing
4:00 PM

Close and Evaluations