The Annual Country Reviews reflect upon current land relations in the Mekong Region, and has been produced for researchers, practitioners and policy advocates operating in the field. Specialists have been selected from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam to briefly answer the following two questions:

This crucial report demonstrates how states and other actors are using the COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity to roll back social and environmental safeguards. In doing so, they are eroding the rights of indigenous peoples in the five most tropically forested countries of the world

Fit-for-purpose land administration (FFPLA) concept is widely applied in the emerging land administration systems (LASs). This paper aims to contribute to the development of evaluation of the spatial aspect of FFPLA. A review of evaluation models for LASs is made in relation with rationale of FFPLA to identify gaps related to evaluation of a FFPLA and to build up milestones and measurement criteria.

This paper presents how the active use and contextualisation of the principles of the
Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and
Forests in the Context of National Food Security (VGGT) by national stakeholders in
Mauritania and Tunisia contributed to changing the approach to tackling tenure challenges
in the two member countries of the Maghreb Arab Union.
In Mauritania, we see how the model of establishing multi-stakeholder platforms (MSPs)

A FIAN study reveals how digital technologies have become new tools for land grabs and sources of profits. Based on research in Brazil;Indonesia;Georgia;India and Rwanda;the study shows that the use of digital tools in land governance exacerbates existing forms of exclusion.

A cadastre, as one of the key registers of land administration, must be maintained to provide up-to-date land information. Before digitization, technical and alphanumerical datasets were maintained separately, leading to redundant data. This resulted in numerous inconsistencies between the cadastral map and the register, leading to the loss of integrity of these authoritative data. The fact that the cadastral map and the register are in the electronic form today does not guarantee their integrity and quality.

The Eastern Africa Land Administration Network has since 2006 been collaborating in the development of education, short courses for land professionals and research in the eastern Africa region. This study presents the establishment and activities of a project on Strengthening the network and draws on results from the projects’ four work packages: i) the Network and Secretariat; ii) Short courses for land professionals; iii) Education and iv) Research. Processes, achievements, innovations, challenges and opportunities along each work package is reported.

The rapid progress in digital information and communication technologies  (ICTs) comes with both fresh opportunities and new challenges for different sectors and actors adopting the new solutions that become available over time. Since the mid-2000s, the global land governance community has piloted a series of open data and transparency initiatives largely based on such digital innovations, aiming at increasing accountability and counteracting corruption in the land sector, both at the local and global level.

The Network of Excellence of Land Governance in Africa (NELGA) offers a comprehensive Master and PhD scholarship programme available for young academics and professionals from all African Union member states to enhance land-related capacities in higher education. In cooperation with the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), NELGA currently supports more than 40 scholars across Africa.

This practitioner’s guide explains how to promote gender-responsive forest tenure reform in community-based forest regimes. It is aimed at those taking up this challenge in developing countries. There is no one single approach to reforming forest tenure practices for achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment. Rather, it involves taking advantage of opportunities that emerge in various institutional arenas such as policy and law-making and implementation, government administration, customary or community-based tenure governance, or forest restoration at the landscape scale.

Rapid urban population growth and spatial expansion of urban centers have brought unprecedented demand for land in developing countries such as Ethiopia.  The dramatic shifts in urban land tenure from Feudal System (pre-1974) to Socialist Land Policy (1974- 1991) and to the current system (post-1991) have left the urban populations uncertain about their property rights. The historical context coupled with the complex legal and institutional structure and the absence of proper records of rights and restrictions have invigorated corruption in the land sector.

The Eastern Africa Land Administration Network has since 2006 been collaborating in the development of education, short courses for land professionals and research in the eastern Africa region. This study presents the establishment and activities of a project on Strengthening the network and draws on results from the projects’ four work packages: i) the Network and Secretariat; ii) Short courses for land professionals; iii) Education and iv) Research. Processes, achievements, innovations, challenges and opportunities along each work package is reported.