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Issues Land & Gender related Blog post
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Colombia 2026, agrarian reform, and gender equality: Will it be the right time?

11 June 2025
Dr. Paolo Groppo

In February 2026, an International Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development will be held in Cartagena, Colombia, which will follow the one organized by FAO in Brazil in March 2006 (ICARRD). Having been part of the executive secretariat of ICARRD, where we had to manage the complicated internal resistance of the FAO, the doubts of the peasant movements, the pressures of the World Bank to direct it towards the “mainstream” of land markets, I take the liberty of writing some reflections and suggestions in view of the next event.

The Land Beneath My Feet: A Young Woman's Perspective on India's Land Question

21 May 2025
Rashmi Sridar
Growing up in cities all my life, land was a very complex yet simultaneously simple aspect of my life. Finding land was extremely difficult, but was mostly a question of affordability and more importantly, some form of security for a typical middle class family. I would overhear my mother and aunt discussing the ancestral home fondly, but living in a city and shifting multiple houses only put me in a place to choose what was most comfortable for me- a young girl who needed the right friends, school and at most well-lit roads.

Dalit Women, Land Rights, and the Fight for Equality: From Grassroots Empowerment to Research Advocacy

21 May 2025
Kalpana Sathish

Across the world, land is more than soil—it is security, dignity, power, and identity. For Dalit women in India, land can also mean safety, survival, and resistance against caste and gender violence. In Tamil Nadu, my journey over the past two decades has been shaped by these realities, working with rural women—particularly Dalit women—who persistently challenge the triple oppressions of caste, patriarchy, and landlessness.

Creating awareness on Women’s rights to land through interactive tools: Role play

19 May 2025
Global Programme Responsible Land Policy

In Cameroon, the applicable laws give women the possibility of aquiring and owning land, even if these laws are diverse, complex, obsolete and not easily interpreted. Customary law prevails in a predominantly patriarchal context in which women do not always inherit land and therefore have no control over it; their access is also often limited to so-called secondary land rights, implying women hold these rights through male family members.

Erased: Why Land Rights for Women in the Global South Are Missing from the UN’s Agenda

10 April 2025
Ms. Naomi Shadrack
While the landmark Beijing declaration 30 years ago on women’s rights mentioned land rights 30 times, this year’s UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) declaration fails to mention them at all. Naomi Shadrack explains why we need to put land firmly back on the global feminist agenda.

Between commitments and action: Milestones from the Third Arab Land Conference

24 March 2025
Dina Naguib
Shahd Mustafa

The Third Arab Land Conference, held in Rabat, Morocco from 18-20 February 2025 opened an avenue of possibilities for improving policies and practices to govern land in the Arab world. From the launch of several groundbreaking initiatives to empowering women and youth, and fostering data transparency and academic excellence, the event showcased commitments and collaborative work shaping the future of land governance in the region.

 

Land solutions for investments, resilience and innovation – Understanding how Land Governance contributes to Sustainable Development

13 March 2025
Aoife Ossendorp
Rebecca Rosario Hallin
Land is more than just a resource—it is the foundation of livelihoods, economic stability, and social justice. Responsible land governance plays a crucial role in sustainable development, conflict prevention, and climate resilience. These themes were central to the Third Arab Land Conference which took place the 18-20th February 2025 in Morocco, where policymakers, experts, and civil society organizations gathered to discuss pressing land challenges in the region. 

Advancing women's land rights on International Women's Day 2025

11 March 2025

On International Women’s Day, we reflect on the intersection of land rights and gender equity through a compilation of resources featured on the Land Portal’s platform. Women’s access to and control over land is fundamental to achieving sustainable development, economic empowerment, and social justice. However, despite international commitments, structural barriers continue to hinder women’s full participation in land governance.

Women and Land: Advancing Gender Equity in Land Tenure Across the Arab Region

21 February 2025
Women’s secure access to land, housing, and resources is a fundamental pillar of economic stability, social inclusion, and sustainable development. Across the Arab region, however, legal barriers, customary norms, and institutional challenges continue to restrict women’s land tenure rights, limiting their ability to invest, build wealth, and participate in decision-making.

How global climate initiatives can risk Indigenous women’s land rights

05 February 2025
Celine Salcedo-La Viña
Anamaría Martínez

Recognizing Indigenous lands is important to achieving forest and biodiversity targets and mitigation goals. This is directly acknowledged in initiatives like the Global Biodiversity Framework’s 30x30 Target, Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries (REDD+) and Net Zero by 2050.

However, the actions necessary to achieve these targets can sometimes result in pressure  and infringement on Indigenous and local land tenure systems that are already insecure due to lack of formal recognition and communities’ weak participation in decision-making related to climate initiatives. These pressures are experienced differently by women and men because of social, economic and political dynamics that influence land tenure and community governance systems. Failure to account for gender when implementing climate initiatives can risk eroding the traditional land entitlements of women and trigger additional negative impacts.

Breaking Ground: Professor Anju Vali Tikoo's Call for Gender Justice in Land Governance

03 December 2024

Professor Anju Vali Tikoo, a distinguished academic with a career spanning over three decades, delivered a passionate and incisive keynote at the 8th India Land and Development Conference (ILDC). Her address, a clarion call for gender inclusivity in land governance, explored the intersection of law, policy, and lived realities for women in India. With her deep-rooted knowledge of legal frameworks and her personal experiences, Prof. Tikoo brought to light the systemic barriers that continue to marginalize women in matters of land ownership and decision making.