The Role of Human Rights in Policy and Jurisprudence Relating to Large Scale Land Acquisitions

Promoters of large scale land acquisitions (LSLAs) tend to argue that these investments promote economic development and assist in decreasing poverty. However, if examined from a human rights perspective, social impacts become apparent in a more precise way since human rights provide for a nuanced assessment framework. The argument is that the investment contributes to poverty alleviation if it improves the human rights record of the concerned region. However, it is not clear to which extent both promoters and critics have argued by referring to human rights. To strengthen this linkage, the paper examines the LSLA-debate in Sierra Leone from a human rights perspective – based on interviews and analysis of jurisprudence and debate – and illustrates how international human rights institutions have dealt with large scale investment policies. Accordingly, the paper explores the non-exploited potential of human rights to improve land investments and describes ways to overcome such deficit.