Namati Inc

BUILDING A MOVEMENT OF GRASS- ROOTS ADVOCATES WHO EMPOWER PEOPLE TO KNOW, USE, AND SHAPE THE LAW.

COMMUNITY LAND PROTECTION:KENYA: IN KENYA, WE SUPPORTED 11 COMMUNITIES TO RESUBMIT THEIR APPLICATIONS TO THEIR RESPECTIVE COUNTY GOVERNMENTS. THE COMMUNITY OF MUSUL, A FORMER GROUP RANCH IN LAIKIPIA COUNTY, RECEIVED ITS REGISTRATION CERTIFICATE AND TITLE DEED IN OCTOBER, BECOMING ONLY THE SECOND COMMUNITY IN KENYA TO BE ISSUED A TITLE UNDER THE COMMUNITY LAND ACT (CLA). MYANMAR: IN MYANMAR, WE RESOLVED A TOTAL OF 75 CASES. WE ALSO CONTINUED TO PROMOTE THE ROLE OF WOMEN NOT ONLY IN APPLYING FOR TITLES TO THEIR LAND BUT ALSO INVOLVING THEM IN DEMANDING THEIR RIGHTS. SIERRA LEONE: IN SIERRA LEONE, WE ACHIEVED ONE REMEDY THAT INCREASED PROTECTIONS FOR COMMUNITIES AFFECTED BY MINING AND AGRICULTURAL PROJECTS. WE ALSO CONTRIBUTED SIGNIFICANTLY TO NATIONAL LAND POLICY REFORMS RELATED TO A DRAFT BILL ON CUSTOMARY LAND RIGHTS.

GLOBAL PROGRAMS:COMMUNICATIONS: IN 2020 WE LED OR SUPPORTED THE PRODUCTION OF 18 PUBLICATIONS AMPLIFYING THE VISIBILITY OF LEGAL EMPOWERMENT AMONG PRACTITIONERS, DONORS, AND GOVERNMENTS. THESE INCLUDED 16 ARTICLES DOCUMENTING OUR PROGRAMS' EFFORTS AND IMPACT, AND 2 FEATURING THE WORK, IDEAS AND/OR REFLECTIONS OF THE NETWORK AND NETWORK MEMBERS. LEARNING: IN 2020, NAMATI CONTINUED TO DEVOTE SIGNIFICANT TIME TO SHAPING A SHARED LEARNING AGENDA AMONG LEGAL EMPOWERMENT PRACTITIONERS THAT IDENTIFIES EVIDENCE GAPS AND PRIORITY LEARNING AREAS. NAMATI SECURED INITIAL FUNDING FOR THE EFFORT, AND THE FIRST MAJOR INITIATIVE IS SUPPORTING ACTION-RESEARCH PROJECTS IN ASIA AND AFRICA OVER THREE YEARS, WHICH WILL START IN EARLY 2021. THE EFFORT HAS MAJOR POTENTIAL TO SUPPORT OR CATALYZE NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR ADVOCACY, AND DEEPEN AND PROVIDE STRUCTURE TO THE NETWORK'S SUPPORT TO ORGANIZATIONAL LEARNING. IN ADDITION, NAMATI PROGRAM TEAMS ENGAGED IN COMPARATIVE LEARNING ACROSS THE ORGANIZATION ON GRASSROOTS LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT, EMPOWERMENT, REMEDIES, AND LAND AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE WITH AN EYE TO DEEPENING OUR OWN IMPACT AND SHARING KNOWLEDGE WITH THE BROADER FIELD. ADVOCACY: IN 2020, NAMATI SHIFTED ITS FOCUS FROM ITS ORIGINAL ADVOCACY GOALS TO MOBILIZING RAPID-RESPONSE RESOURCES FOR MEMBERS OF THE LEGAL EMPOWERMENT NETWORK, ORGANIZING A COALITION OF PARTNERS TO LAUNCH THE COVID-19 GRASSROOTS JUSTICE FUND, GIVING 30 GRANTEES ACROSS 20 COUNTRIES THE ABILITY TO CONTINUE RESPONDING TO THE NEEDS OF THEIR COMMUNITIES DURING THE PANDEMIC. IN ADDITION, NAMATI PUBLISHED A POLICY BRIEF ON HOW TO FINANCE AND PROTECT GRASSROOTS JUSTICE DEFENDERS DURING AND AFTER THE PANDEMIC, INFLUENCING A NUMBER OF GLOBAL REPORTS AND SHAPING AGENDAS WITHIN THE ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT (OECD), THE AFRICAN COMMISSION ON PEOPLE AND HUMAN RIGHTS, THE INTER-AMERICAN COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS AND THE OPEN GOVERNMENT PARTNERSHIP. NAMATI, WITH SUPPORT FROM PARTNERS, IS ALSO EXPLORING THE FEASIBILITY AND POSSIBLE DESIGN OF A POOLED FUND FOR COMMUNITIES AFFECTED BY INVESTMENT PROJECTS.

GLOBAL NETWORK:NAMATI CONVENES A COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE CALLED THE GLOBAL LEGAL EMPOWERMENT NETWORK, BRINGING TOGETHER 2,400+ CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS AND 9,400+ INDIVIDUALS FROM 160 COUNTRIES. IN 2020, UNDER THE SHADOW OF THE COVID-19 EPIDEMIC, THE WORK AND FOCUS OF THE NETWORK ADJUSTED IN AN EFFORT TO ADDRESS THE CRISIS-DRIVEN NEEDS OF ITS MEMBERS, STILL FOCUSING ON THREE CORE AREAS: (1) COMMUNITY BUILDING, (2) LEARNING, AND (3) COLLECTIVE ADVOCACY. WHILE THE SIZE (1,400 NEW INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS AND 300 NEW ORGANIZATIONS) AND DEPTH (172 MEMBERS TOOK ON LEADERSHIP ROLES WITHIN NETWORK ACTIVITIES) OF THE NETWORK CONTINUED TO GROW IN 2020, MUCH OF THE LEARNING EVENTS WERE LIGHTER IN NATURE AND HELD VIRTUALLY. NETWORK-LED WEBINARS SAW ALL-TIME RECORD-BREAKING ATTENDANCE AND A TOTAL OF 31 NETWORK MEMBERS ATTENDED THE LATIN AMERICAN COMMUNITY LAWYERING COURSE, WITH ADDITIONAL PARTICIPATION IN THE WEST AFRICA SUMMIT, THE ASIA PACIFIC WEBINAR SERIES, AND OTHER EXTENDED VIRTUAL EVENTS.