ABSTRACT Urban land in Zimbabwe is a lucrative economic and thus political asset. Increased demand for urban land across the country has been driven by multiple factors including high rates of urbanization, increased rural-urban migration, urban population growth and serious challenges in housing provision post-independence. This paper uses desk research to map out the actors and contestations over land.

In 2015, 193 countries affirmed their commitment to the 17 goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including Germany. According to an estimate by the United Nations in 2018, the international community loses 5% of global gross domestic product through corruption. Effective measures to combat corruption are therefore a prerequisite for achieving the ambitious goals of the 2030 Agenda. 

The dynamics of current global challenges—like food and nutrition security, environmental degradation, climate change, and emergencies—reduce the availability of and/or access to natural resources, and thereby underline the urgency of achieving transformational changes in the governance of tenure. This is increasingly required to bring the greatest good to the most people, in line with human rights.

This study was on mitigating land corruption through computerisation of land governance activities that include land use planning, cadastral surveying, servicing of land, land allocation, land registration and titling and land development. Using evidence from Lubumbashi (Democratic Republic of the Congo), Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) and Kitwe (Zambia), the study used both primary and secondary data to conclude that despite computerisation of land governance activities in Tanzania and Zambia, corruption still persists.

Trois sociétés multinationales – Agilis Partners, Kiryandongo Sugar Limited and Great Season SMC Limited – sont impliquées dans des accaparements de terres, des expulsions violentes de personnes hors de leurs habitations et à l'origine d'innombrables humiliations et du désespoir de milliers de familles demeurant dans le district de Kiryandongo, en Ouganda.

Nuestro informe anual sobre asesinatos de personas defensoras de la tierra y el medio ambiente de 2019, muestra el número más alto de muertes en un solo año hasta la fecha. 212 personas defensoras de la tierra y el medio ambiente fueron asesinadas en 2019, un promedio de más de cuatro personas por semana.

The following are the major steps that were used before in allocating residential stands in Harare. However, these have been changed to accommodate the interests of the policymakers and senior council management. These new changes have opened the system to manipulation of town planning regulations. The Harare Residents’ Trust (HRT) is sharing these steps in the public interest. Several residents have lost their money through corruption involving officials, Councillors, land barons and real estate agencies who sometimes pocket money that they do not deserve.

The establishment and development of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) are a central part of the Thai government’s strategy to expand infrastructure and attract foreign investment. These areas have been designated for development pursuant to special legal and regulatory frameworks. SEZs can play a useful role in a country’s economic development strategy. However, in many instances, their establishment results in the dilution of legal protections for human rights and the environment.

COVID19 a gravement perturbé nos efforts communs visant à soutenir les luttes des utilisateurs locaux des terres et des communautés pour posséder, contrôler et gérer leurs terres et leurs ressources naturelles.

Ulster University and the Uzbek Forum for Human Rights has released the first sector wide study on corporate integrity in Uzbekistan.

The report and associated policy brief focus on the cotton cluster system, a landmark privatisation initiative designed to improve agro-industrial productivity, and address the structural drivers of systematic forced labour in Uzbekistan. State-organised forced labour regimes in Uzbekistan’s cotton sector have attracted significant domestic and international criticism over the past decade.

This report is part of the Bertelsmann Stiftung’s Transformation Index (BTI) 2020. It covers the period from February 1, 2017 to January 31, 2019. The BTI assesses the transformation toward democracy and a market economy as well as the quality of governance in 137 countries. More on the BTI at https://www.bti-project.org.

Between 2017 and 2019, the quality of democracy in Indonesia continued to slowly but noticeably decline. While President Jokowi was able to de-escalate the conflict between the government and Islamist groups to some extent, he only managed to do so by integrating some Islamist themes and actors into the government structure. This, in turn, moved Indonesia ideologically and politically to the (religious) right. Religious, social and political minorities were the biggest losers of this shift.