The current situation in land leasing in Ukraine is analysed, when a tenant of a land parcel with immovable property is sold in part, which causes the following controversy: the land parcel in someone’s lease has buildings or constructions owned by another physical or legal person (other than the tenant). The interested party wastes a lot of time on resolving this controversial situation with the existing procedures in Ukraine. This problem is not always solved professionally because of the lack of sellers’ and buyers’ knowledge of specific features of land management and geodesy.

Ever since the oil, financial and food crises of 2008, sub-Saharan Africa has witnessed a marked increase in large-scale investment in agricultural land. The drivers of this investment are varied and include growing food, water and energy insecurity as well as social and economic interests of investors and recipient countries. The shape of these investments and their eventual outcomes are equally influenced by the existing land and water governance systems in the host countries.

The objective of the land legislation is to ensure the rights and interests of the subject in the land, which should be reflected in a clear legal regulation of procedures and conditions for seizure of land. According to the Land Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated 20.06.2003, all land should be used for its intended purpose. Use of land for the intended purpose means that the site should be used in accordance with the originally set goals - for agricultural production, housing, etc.

Depuis plusieurs années, on remarque une ruée sur les terres cultivables en Afrique. Ce déferlement peut s’expliquer par diverses raisons, telles que la recherche de nouvelles rentabilités à la suite de la crise financière actuelle, l’accroissement de l’investissement agricole pour assurer la sécurité alimentaire, l’encouragement de l’agrocarburant, etc. Toutefois, le phénomène n’est pas sans conséquence sur le bien-être des paysans locaux. Ces derniers, généralement réunis autour de sociétés coopératives, peuvent défendre leurs intérêts à travers diverses formes d’actions.

The Constitution of Kenya (2010) has provided the means for confronting new challenges to evictions and access to justice faced by vulnerable groups such as the residents of Mukuru. New jurisprudence has begun to emerge, addressing the human rights implications of evictions. Project researchers along with the Katiba Institute and Strathmore University’s School of Law work closely with the community to investigate different existing tenure arrangements in Mukuru to determine how the Constitution and land laws can be used to address challenges related to insecure land tenure.

Large-scale land acquisitions (LSLAs) have been a major concern for several developing countries, especially those in sub-Saharan Africa. To make land investment processes more accountable and equitable, as well as to prevent land-based social conflicts, the IDRC has supported projects in 10 countries to study conditions conducive to accountability and towards better access to justice in land investment processes. Differences between land grabbing and LSLA were clarified.

This report presents the dissemination and communication activities for the period February – September 2015 of the 2 year IDRC funded action research project entitled “Improving Access to Justice and Basic Services in the Informal Settlements of Nairobi”.

A detailed situation analysis reveals key linkages between meagre services, insecure land tenure, and unjust governance institutions in Nairobi’s informal settlements. In addition to exploring alternative models of service delivery, the analysis examines the “poverty penalty” and the types of service provision specific to Mukuru settlement, where residents are forced to pay for poorer services. Private holdings in Mukuru should be converted to community land, using provisions from the Constitution, Land Act, and the draft community land bill.

This paper reviews the available data on men’s and women’s land rights, identifies what can and cannot be measured by these data, and uses these measures to assess the gaps in the land rights of women and men. Building on the conceptual framework developed in 2014 by Doss et al., we utilize nationally representative individual- and plot-level data from Bangladesh, Tajikistan, Vietnam, and Timor-Leste to calculate five indicators: incidence of ownership by sex; distribution of ownership by sex; and distribution of plots, mean plot size, and distribution of land area, all by sex of owner.

The Post-2015 Agenda must address the structural factors that undermine sustainable development. It is widely recognised that secure and equitable rights to land and natural resources are central to this effort. Land rights empower people and provide a sense of dignity. They enhance food security and are fundamental to achieve the right to food and increase the productivity of small-scale food producers. They provide an incentive for ecosystem stewardship, and they promote inclusive and equitable societies whilst underpinning cultures and value systems.