Dear Friends and Colleagues:

We all know that 2021 was another challenging year for the world. It is all the sweeter that I find much to celebrate within the Land Portal community.

Our global partnerships have become stronger. User trust and satisfaction in the Portal are at their highest. Open data principles and concepts are becoming better understood. The land sector has made great strides in contextualizing key land issues vis-a-vis climate change, gender equity, and indigenous rights, among other issues.

The Land Portal continues to evolve and innovate. From a simple information gateway, we have become a true hub for knowledge. This year, we invested greatly in delivering original research and content where we saw opportunities to add value. I’ll share just two examples.

• The Country Insights initiative provides a curated and highly researched entry point for people to learn more about land situations in individual countries. Users now rate it as one of our most valuable services.
• The publication of the Open Up Guide for Land Governance was another milestone. The Open Up Guide is a tool for governments to publish land-related data for improved decision-making and public service. The publication is just the starting point! We will be piloting the guide implementation in Senegal and Madagascar with our trusted partners and the support of GIZ.

Opening up land data properly is not the end in itself, but we strongly believe that it can help advance land justice. Over the last two years the Land Portal has worked hard to embed land issues within key open data activities. Our partnerships are fundamental to this effort, and though it’d be impossible to name them all here, I’d like to highlight Open Data Charter and Global Data Barometer for forging this new direction of work with us.

Most of all, thank you for your continued support and confidence in the Land Portal. What we have achieved in 2021 is the result of a joint effort.

Wherever you may be, and however you may be commemorating, we wish you a safe and happy holidays and a happy new year. I look forward to connecting with you in 2022.

Sincerely,

Laura Meggiolaro
Team Leader