The race for the exploitation of natural resources has brought challenges of different natures, including land conflicts, mainly between investors and the local population. In some cases, the resolution of problems has been unfair due to the lack of legal knowledge and representation to help the vulnerable population. It is in this context that the paralegal figure was established, endowed with solid knowledge to voluntarily provide basic legal support to community members.

This guide aims to help communities, to understand and address land-investment based conflicts thus supporting them in exercising their basic human rights.

This is the Arabic version of the country profile for Iraq, describing its land governance context. An online version of this profile is available in English.

: A growing body of literature analyses the conflict implications of REDD+ (Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries). However, the way these conflicts unfold is little understood. We address this research gap through the following question: What are the pathways that connect REDD+ projects and conflicts between local communities and other actors? We review 242 scientific articles, selecting eight that allow us to trace how the conflict pathways unfolded.

Insecurity over land ownership in Rwanda was a critical part of the tension between communities. Addressing insecurity around land has consequently been one of the foremost priorities of the post-conflict reforms initiated in Rwanda following the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. Rwanda set out to address the issue of land ownership and land-related challenges through passage of several laws and policies.

Land Disputes And Conflicting Land-Court Judgement Resolution In Ghana: Perspectives Of Regulatory Stakeholders

context and backgroundDespite the robustness of various land instruments and legal and institutional regulations on various sectors, Tanzania’s land distribution-related policy implementation and practice is facing numerous challenges. Tanzania is not only experiencing poor land conditions, but also poor land management and ineffective policy implementation. Areas of concern includes public policy actions on land conflicts; settlements and housing problems; and conflicting demand for land for mining, large scale agriculture, conservation, tourism, ranching and pastoral nomadism.

In Cote d’Ivoire, as in many African countries, social tensions are frequently linked to a crisis of the rule of property law. These socio-legal conflicts are referred to by various names depending on their subject matter or the time and place in which they arise: law crises, the weakness of the State apparatus, the unsuitability and failure of institutions, and so on. However, in the majority of cases, these conflicts stem from a common phenomenon: weak land tenure security, or more precisely, land insecurity.

Context and backgroundIn the wake of rapid urbanization and population growth, there is much contestation with the ownership and use of land globally, especially in Africa. It is widely acknowledged that the implementation of sustainable land governance is an antidote to tackling land-related conflicts (mostly as a result of multiple sales of land), engendered land access, among others. However, land governance in Ghana is challenged with inefficiencies and corruption being paramount amidst the implementation of other interventions.

Context and backgroundColonial legacy and the continuous implementation of neoliberal policies have led to the creation of institutional pluralism in the planning of customary land in peri-urban areas in Ghana. During land commoditisation, peri-urban customary land planning regularly involves physical planning authorities, traditional authorities, and private surveyors. The community members are rarely involved in the planning of their communities, and the planning often leads to the eviction of the community members from their ancestral land.

Informal Land Subdivisions And Their Effects On Spatial Development In Peri Urban Areas:The Case Of Kichangani Suward In Kigamboni Municipality, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania

In view of land’s vital importance as a foundation of societal livelihood and its position being at the heart of social and political interests and conflicts, increasing number of universities in Africa have been launching and expanding formal educational and research programs since the last two decades. The ongoing expansion of land governance educational and research programs are mainly driven by the need for the overall socio-economic development reforms at continental level in Africa.