Many of the world's poorest families rely on natural resources — forests, grasslands and other natural assets — for their basic livelihoods, yet they have limited rights over these resources. We believe that promoting greater access among the poor to natural resources is critical to achieving two interrelated goals: reducing global poverty and sustaining the quality of our environment.
We support the development of natural resource policies and programs that give poor communities more control over these resources and a stronger voice in decision making on land use and development.
We focus these efforts on the most vulnerable communities — notably indigenous peoples, ethnic minorities and women — whose access to natural resources is most threatened.
Rural poor communities are also particularly susceptible to the threats posed by climate change. We work to ensure that the international response to climate change respects the unique circumstances of the poor and contributes to their livelihoods. We promote smart environmental policies that increase poor people's access to natural resources while simultaneously addressing climate change.
Learn about the focus of our work to reduce global poverty while sustaining the quality of our environment.