Context:
In many countries, land ownership is inadequately regulated or policies do not take land rights into account when making decisions. This causes conflicts, environmental and climate damage, food insecurity, and social inequality. National, regional, and international policies do not yet integrate good practices to sustainably manage access to and use of land. This complicates the achievement of important international goals, particularly the UN Rio Conventions on climate protection and biodiversity as well as combating desertification, the transformation of agricultural and food systems, and responsible private investments.
Objective:
Approaches for socially, climate- and environmentally-friendly land governance are to be integrated in the long term into international, regional, and national policies and decision-making processes.
Approach:
The measures of the initiative include:
It supports international and regional networks such as the "International Land Coalition," the Women Land Rights Initiative "Global Action for Land," and the "Network of Excellence on Land Governance in Africa," enabling them to bring the issue of land governance into global forums. Additionally, it advises national policies in the three partner countries and develops political dialogues to disseminate well-founded recommendations. These help to integrate land rights into development plans, strategies, and laws.
The initiative also tests measures for land governance: In Madagascar, it contributes to promoting community land, agroecology, and forests. In Nigeria, it develops services for women-led enterprises. Furthermore, it advances the combination of land and forestry as well as land use planning in Zambia. The measures aim to promote cross-sectoral dialogue on land rights, responsible investments, and practical evidence.