Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze the structure and changes of China’s land system. To achieve this aim, the paper is divided into four parts.

Over the past two decades, “illegal” natural resource extraction has become a significant driver of environmental change and social conflict across the Global South. In response, numerous Sub-Saharan African states have engaged in governance reforms that heed calls to securitize – or, establish and consolidate state control over – natural resources. In Ghana, securitization has served to entrench the informal economy as domestic producers, marginalized in the process of reform, continue to utilize non-state institutions to maintain access.

Global concerns about fossil fuel prices and climate change have directed focus on prospects of biofuels. In Ghana, large-scale biofuel development has been entangled with several problems including disputes over land use and a combination of challenges such as low yield performance of Jatropha, food versus oilseed prices and financial viability issues. Furthermore, the exercised land acquisition processes lacked transparency and could not protect the rights of vulnerable local people. One particular challenge is the withdrawal of companies without returning the land to the land owners.

Positioning land tenure within LDN: framework, implementation model and monitoring. In order to position tenure rights within the LDN approach, this article first proposes how land tenure, viewed as sets of tools, can be specifically integrated into the LDN framework (Figure 1), implementation model (Figure 2), and monitoring approach (Figure 3). These three figures build upon the schematics established by UNCCD for LDN (UNCCD, 2016a; 2014; 2013b) and used subsequently in examinations regarding how LDN intersects with the variety of topics noted above.

This research investigates threats to women’s land rights and explores the effectiveness of land certification interventions using evidence from the Land Investment for Transformation (LIFT) program in Ethiopia. The research aims to provide evidence on the extent that LIFT contributed to women’s tenure security. Quantitative information was analyzed from the profiles of more than seven million parcels to understand how the program had incorporated gender interests into the Second Level Land Certification (SLLC) process.

A recent wave of large-scale commercial investments in agriculture;extractive industries and other land-based sectors has compounded the ‘global resource squeezein low- and middle-income countries. But many communities affected by land rights violations struggle to assert their rights or obtain redress. Demand for legal support outstrips resources and what is available is not always appropriate. Pursuing litigation often presents significant obstacles and risks to the communities involved without offering any certain outcomes.

Les lois de la République du Congo et de la République centrafricaine (RCA) accordent une protection limitée aux communautés locales et populations autochtones (CLPA) en matière d’accès aux ressources foncières et forestières. Il arrive souvent que des concessions forestières chevauchent les territoires des CLPA et limitent leur accès aux terres et aux ressources. Cependant, les forêts communautaires gagnent progressivement du terrain dans la région.

We examine collaborations between the state and civil society in the context of land grabbing in Argentina. Land grabbing provokes many governance challenges, which generate new social arrangements. The incentives for, limitations to, and contradictions inherent in these collaborations are examined. We particularly explore how the collaborations between the provincial government of Santiago del Estero and non-government organizations (NGOs) played out. This province has experienced many land grabs, especially for agriculture and livestock production.

We’re pleased to share the Land Portal Foundation's 2018 Annual Report. The report demonstrates how we are working to create a vibrant information ecosystem on land that contributes to better informed decisions and policy making on land throughout the world. This report showcases our efforts improve documentation, mapping and monitoring of land governance issues, to promote, inform and enrich global debate on key land issues and to raise awareness on open data principles to strengthen the flow of land governance information at all levels.

A community’s choice to give, or withhold, their free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) to a project or activity planned to take place on their land is a recognized right of Indigenous peoples under international law. It is also a best practice principle that applies to all communities affected by projects or activities on the land, water and forests that they rely on.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development provides a conceptual framework of 17 goals and 169 targets. An abundance of interlinkages exists between them. Land targets are core to achieving most of the SDGs including poverty eradication, food security, gender equality and empowerment of women, adequate housing and urban development, mitigating and adapting to climate change, reducing and preventing land degradation, and fostering peace and stability for prosperity.

In April 2019, UN Habitat through the Global Land Tool Network (GLTN) and Global Urban Observatory (GUO) Units; with support from the Global Land Indicators Initiative (GLII) contacted National Statistical Offices (NSOs), National Land Registries and SDGs focal points with the aim of mobilizing existing data on land tenure security in response to SDGs indicator 1.4.2. The data drive was conducted in support of UN Habitat Database for Human Settlements Indicators, for which 1.4.2 is part of.