For over two decades, the World Bank Land Conference catalyzed the global land community. The Conference is the premier forum for the land sector, bringing together participants from governments, development partners, civil society, academia, and the private sector to showcase research, discuss issues and good practice, and inform policy dialogue. The Conference encourages cross-sectoral knowledge exchange and has incubated numerous investments, initiatives, and research projects led by diverse stakeholders, including the Voluntary Guidelines, the Sustainable Development Goal on Secure Land Tenure, the Land Governance Assessment Framework, and the Stand for Her Land Campaign.

We are thrilled to relaunch the Land Conference from May 13-17, 2024 in Washington, DC. The Land Conference aims to:

• Direct and inform investments in the land sector.
• Facilitate and advance multi-stakeholder dialogues and collaboration.
• Advocate for evidence-driven policymaking.
• Share knowledge on emerging best practices and innovative research.

Overview

The theme of the 2024 Conference is "Securing Land Tenure and Access for Climate Action." While land tenure and governance underpin climate change adaptation and mitigation, their foundational role is often overlooked. Insecure or unregistered land tenure undermines the ability and interest of landholders to invest in climate change adaptation and mitigation, including by limiting their access to climate finance and reducing their incentives to adopt sustainable land management practices. Poor land governance—including unclear or overlapping laws and institutions for administering land rights and managing land use trade-offs—limits land access for mitigation, adaptation, and disaster risk management investments. Competition for land and its resources will require strategic decisions on how much land is used, for what purpose, and by whom. These trade-offs will only become more complex to manage over time, since land resources suitable for productive uses are expected to become scarcer as urbanization accelerates and climate impacts become more severe.

The 2024 Conference therefore aims to highlight effective strategies for securing land tenure and access in support of climate change mitigation and adaption.

Agenda

The Conference will include a range of events organized by the World Bank, development partners, civil society, and other partners, including high-level opening and closing sessions, Thematic Sessions, Research Sessions, Regional Operational Workshops, Global Land Initiatives, and an innovations expo in person and online.

• Opening and Closing Sessions: These will feature high-level external and internal speakers to motivate multistakeholder and multisectoral global action in the land sector around securing land tenure and access for climate action.
• Thematic Sessions: Four parallel forums of 90 minutes each will showcase effective strategies and best practices to address key issues under land for climate action. The 2024 thematic sessions will focus on the following subthemes: Securing Tenure for Sustainability, Land Technologies for Green Growth, Land Administration for Climate Action and Disaster Resilience, Land Administration Amid Rapid Urbanization.
• Research Sessions: A platform for presenting and delving into rigorous research and evidence on land policies and governance. Designed for academic debate and strengthening the evidence base for policy making, they promote a seminar-type environment.
• Regional Operational Workshops: An in-depth exploration of regional technical lessons, challenges, and emerging innovations. Organized by the World Bank in collaboration with partners, they are dedicated to facilitating South-South knowledge exchange.
• Global Land Initiative Sessions: Sessions to further global land policy initiatives and advance the global land agenda. These will include a mix of invitation-only or open sessions, varying in duration from two to eight hours.
• Solutions Expo: A multi-stakeholder booth exhibition to present land solutions and initiatives, which will take place face-to-face in the World Bank Atrium as well as online via C-Vent. Email landconf@worldbank.org for more details.