What a powerful week

ICARRD+20 has just concluded, leaving me more motivated and hopeful than ever. Over five intense days, nearly 2 000 participants, including 51 country delegations, Indigenous Peoples, grassroots organizations, civil society representatives, and academia, came together for substantive presentations, frank discussions, and meaningful negotiations.

The central achievement of ICARRD+20 was clear: agrarian reform and inclusive rural transformation are back on the international agenda.

At a time of deep and widening inequalities, intersecting with climate change, global instability, migration pressures, and food insecurity, the message resonated strongly: agrarian reform is not merely an option; it is, in many contexts, a necessity. Importantly, discussions highlighted that such reforms are politically feasible when grounded in broad societal consensus — including agreement on the development and sustainability pathways we choose to pursue.

Participants emphasized that agrarian reform cannot stand alone. To be transformative, it must be embedded within broader structural reforms that address:

concentration in markets and agricultural value chains;
horizontal inequalities (gender, ethnicity, culture);
and the urgent need to support sustainable rural development models.

This includes investment in local infrastructure, public markets, agricultural support services, localized food systems, agroecology, and short value chains, ensuring that reform translates into viable and resilient rural economies.

ICARRD+20 culminated in the adoption by non-objection of a forward-looking Declaration. The commitment to the VGGT was reaffirmed, but the emphasis is now clearly on implementation and monitoring to deliver real change on the ground. Addressing extreme and growing inequalities, poverty, and hunger stands at the heart of the Declaration. Strong cross-sectoral alignment was underscored, including coherence with the Rio Conventions, sustainable water management, and the promotion of inclusive and sustainable land-use and farm models, alongside respect for traditional knowledge and collective and customary land rights.

: Second International Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development (ICARRD+20), Cartagena de indias, Colombia

The Declaration also calls upon FAO to assume a coordinating role and to ensure that the next ICARRD conference takes place within the next three years. Indonesia, South Africa, and Mexico have already expressed interest in hosting - a strong signal of continuity and momentum.

Indigenous Peoples and several civil society groups chose not to endorse the Declaration, primarily due to concerns regarding the amalgamation of distinct vulnerable groups, particularly Indigenous Peoples and local communities. While this reflects important ongoing debates, it should not overshadow the broader forward-looking commitments achieved this week.

A major highlight was the launch of the Status of Land Tenure and Governance (#SLTG2026) report. Its findings are sobering: although policy progress at global and national levels is tangible, effective change on the ground continues to lag. ICARRD+20 therefore called for the institutionalization of both the report and the Global Land Observatory as regular instruments to systematically document the state of land tenure and governance and track progress over time.

: Launch of The Status of Land Tenure and Governance at ICARRD+20, Cartagena de Indias, Colombia

ICARRD+20 has succeeded in restoring agrarian reform and inclusive rural transformation to the global agenda. But conferences are not ends in themselves. They must serve as catalysts for action. The real work begins now: translating five days of dialogue into sustained political will, concrete reforms, and measurable improvements, especially for the most vulnerable.

Thank you, Colombia, for hosting such an impactful conference. I am already looking forward to ICARRD 3.0, in Indonesia, South Africa, or Mexico. There is much to be done before we meet again!

FAO.org

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What a powerful week