News on Land

A project of the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development, co-funded by the EU and implemented through the Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH has been striving to ensure that investments in land are productive, contribute to sustainable land management, and respect the land access rights and needs of the local population, vulnerable groups and women. After continuous engagement in respective activities, the Responsible Governance of Investments in Land (RGIL) project will phase out by the end of 2023 and is handed over to the government of Ethiopia.

The Land Portal Foundation is seeking Communications Consultant to support promoting, informing and enriching the global debate and practice on key land issues while raising the visibility of national, regional and international partners. 

A hybrid closing workshop brought together key stakeholders including GIZ-S2RAI, MoA, consultants, the World Bank representatives among others was held in Addis Ababa to mark the closing workshop of the Application Development. The MASSREG Mobile App is believed to help revolutionize the land certification process in Ethiopia by enhancing accuracy, efficiency, and data security.

In the run up to COP28, the Land Portal Foundation has published a completely revised and updated Indigenous and Communities Land Rights thematic portfolio. While world leaders attending COP28 have recognized the important role of indigenous communities in the fight against climate change, most governments have failed to live up to their commitments.

Control of Africa’s forests must not be sold to carbon offset companies (commentary)

A country with major recent troubles, Iraq also has a history of land laws that goes back thousands of years, starting from the Babylonian period in 1810 BC. The country profile examines land issues in Iraq in the context of its long history, post-war development goals, land conflicts, legal system, population change, and more.   

We are celebrating the Land Portal's 80th country profile -- Iraq -- and the 79 that stand behind it. This rich collection represents seven years of work and underpins the Land Portal's commitment to making land information open and accessible. We publish profiles in English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese, and recently added Arabic to meet users' needs in the Arab region.   The 80 countries in our compendium amount to a story about the land that is home for 73% of the global population. Country profiles on the Land Portal are some of the best gateways to understanding land governance in a given country. Rigorously researched, written, and peer-reviewed, these comprehensive guides touch on history, politics, and culture, and are aimed at experts and casual readers alike.  As the Land Portal develops the State of Land Information Index (SOLIndex), these profiles will provide important context to understanding country scoring. They clarify what roles land plays in the economy, politics, culture, and the environment.    "If you want to understand the situation of land governance in a country, the Land Portal has the best resources anywhere. We dare you to not learn something new as you browse the collection!" -- Romy Sato, head of the Country Profiles initiative.

We are looking for a data curator to join Land Portal's team

TNI Angkat Udara (TNI AU) dalam hal ini Pangkalan Udara Muljono telah melakukan klaim sepihak terhadap ratusan rumah rumah di kawasan Simogunung sebagai Rumah Dinas milik TNI AU, klaim ini ditolak para warga yang selama ini telah puluhan tahun menempati rumah tersebut.

Much arable land in developing countries is inefficiently managed or lies fallow: Since this became the accepted, World Bank-endorsed narrative in 2008, it has shaped the agricultural policies of many developing countries. At the same time, it has opened the doors to private investors seeking to acquire land for the long term. A country that has relied heavily on this model is Lao PDR. The Southeast Asian country has managed to generate an economic boom, reducing poverty and creating a significant number of jobs in rural areas. A Lao researcher examined the data as part of his doctoral studies at CDE, University of Bern, – and the results are sobering.  

The Land Portal just released the completely updated Land and Conflicts portfolio, a comprehensive guide exploring the complex, multifaceted relationships between land use, rights, and conflicts across various contexts.