Efficient land governance has long been recognized as a major driver of sustainable and equitable
development. Carried out effectively, it can enable us to address critical challenges such as those of climate
change, urbanization, gender equality, and food security. But the technical complexity of land administration,
together with institutional and political hurdles, often made the governance of land weak and ineffective,
thereby reinforcing deep-seated inequalities and creating inertia, instead of contributing to growth and
shared prosperity. Since land governance provides a foundation for many issues critical to the post-2015 agenda, ways to draw out these links in the Sustainable Development Goals in a manner that facilitates monitoring and evidencebased decision-making is of utmost importance.Expansion of urban land has profound implications for the world’s biggest challenges. Cities consume around 70% of the world’s energy and account for nearly 80% of global greenhouse gas emissions, so they are at the core of any climate solution. One way to reduce carbon emissions is to ensure land is used efficiently, by developing cities which achieve the right kind of density with transport systems to improve connectivity. This will also contribute to more inclusive growth, enabling people to get to their jobs and creating opportunities.