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Land is a key driver of conflicts and is a bottleneck to recovery. Although increasingly acknowledged as a critical factor in peace-making and peacebuilding, land-related issues are often linked to the development agenda but are not properly addressed in post-conflict and peacebuilding. Neither are they inserted in the conflict cycle analysis. Conflicts are often not linear in character and phases of insecurity and partial stability can alternate. Fragile states are often characterized by an absence of land administration, land records and by recurring tension between customary land rights and formal legal systems. Often land-related issues contribute to protracted conflicts, making it difficult to create stability. The “treat-the-symptoms” approach used to deal with land issues in post conflict situations can prolong a crisis, reviving and/or exacerbating old conflicts and triggering new ones. This is even more evident in the rural-urban nexus, where competition among different land users is tougher due to the increasing urbanization and consequent scarcity of land suitable for cultivation, ultimately leading to food insecurity, increased poverty and the risk of more conflicts and further displacement. The overall perception is that the United Nations (UN), and the development community as a whole, are not “fit for purpose” to support member states and local stakeholders in addressing the above challenges.