The results of the Febraury 2013 Land Portal discussion "Using online platforms to increase access to open data and share best practices of monitoring women’s land rights" have been synthesized and incorporated into a new Land Portal paper entitled Connecting people, sharing knowledge, increasing transparency: Using the Land Portal to increase access to open data, share best practices. The paper will be presented at the upcoming Annual World Bank Conference on Land and Poverty 2013, but is available now on the Land Portal:
Abstract
Access to knowledge is essential for individuals and communities seeking to secure land rights, particularly for women. Stronger networks between government agencies, CSOs, and emerging social movements are needed to support more just, equitable and gender aware land governance. Over recent decades land governance groups have come to use the Internet in their practice, but it’s full potential is by no means realized. In this paper we explore how online platforms can support land advocacy and governance, drawing on learning from current practice, and highlighting emerging frontiers of relevance to the field. We focus in particular on learning from two years of The Land Portal (landportal.info), and on plans for it’s next phase of development. We draw on a recent online dialogue that focused on ways of optimizing the use of online platforms in efforts to promote equitable and sustainable natural governance and social justice, and to share experiences on approaches to monitoring women’s land rights. We end the paper looking to the future of the Land Portal as a platform for open content, open data, and ultimately, a more open and collaborative approaches to land governance.