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Inclusive land tenure governance and ensuring that human and legitimate land rights are respected and safeguarded is vital for achieving Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN). Without accessible and transparent grievance and accountability mechanisms, negative social, economic or environmental impacts may undermine efforts to achieve LDN and other development goals, especially at the local level. Decision 28/COP.16 of the UNCCD recognized the importance of accountability and grievance mechanisms in addressing land tenure issues. It called for the Secretariat and the Global Mechanism to enhance awareness of existing mechanisms, ensuring the widest possible reach among stakeholders.In response, the UNCCD-FAO Initiative on land tenure is developing a Compendium of accountability and grievance mechanisms related to land tenure to raise awareness on the diverse range of existing mechanisms, highlighting best practices in formal, informal and customary systems used across various levels — from local, national, regional to international — around the world.Call for submissionsTo support this initiative, the UNCCD and FAO are seeking case studies, reports, policy briefs, guidelines or any other written materials related to accountability, grievance or dispute resolution mechanisms at the local, municipal, provincial and national levels.These can include state-based judicial and non-judicial mechanisms, non-state-based mechanisms – customary, traditional, CSO-led or local mechanisms – regional or international mechanisms, business-led mechanisms and any other innovative and hybrid mechanisms.The submission must clearly outline:Relevance to land tenure and desertification, land degradation and droughtType of grievance or alternative dispute resolution mechanismInclusivity, accessibility and affordabilityEffectiveness and impactLong-term viability and sustainabilityHow to contributeDownload and fill out the submission form from the menu on the right. The deadline for initial submissions is 30 September 2025. You will receive a confirmation that your submission has been received. The submissions will be screened based the completeness and quality of the information provided, and the criteria above. A submission does not mean a guaranteed inclusion in the Compendium. Please to sure to provide your contact information for any follow-up. Your contribution will help shape a global resource that promotes the adoption of inclusive, accessible and transparent grievance and accountability mechanisms as a means to achieving LDN and other land restoration goals.

The Women's Land Rights Initiative (WLRI) is a collaborative network of over 60 partners, dedicated to prioritizing women's land rights within the frameworks of the three UN Rio Conventions: the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), and the Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The initiative emphasizes the crucial role of secure and equal rights to land for women in achieving the objectives of these conventions, making the case for integrated approaches to sustainable land use that can synergistically address climate change, biodiversity loss and land degradation. Ahead of the International Women's Day, our new video showcases why women's secure land rights must be at the heart of healing our relationship with nature. Learn more.    

On 17 May, one month before the Desertification and Drought Day 2024, UNCCD Goodwill Ambassadors Ricky Kej and Inna Modja released the new Her Land anthem to support land rights for women across the world. They are among the key activists and influencers that work with UNCCD to spearhead the campaign #HerLand and mobilize support to secure land rights for women and girls across the world. When land is degraded women and girls are impacted first and most. They are disproportionately affected by poverty, hunger, displacement and violence. And they have minimal control over land itself or decisions about how to manage it. Although women produce half the world’s food, they own less than one-fifth of land worldwide and make up the majority of the world’s hungry.  But it doesn’t have to be this way. When land rights are secured, we have seen women and girls increase yields, restore land, and build resilience to drought. Listen to the song, get inspired and join our call to action for Her Land, Her Rights!  

Imagine a world where every farmer, indigenous community and local group has the power to improve their land and their lives. It's not just a dream. By securing land tenure – the right to use, control and transfer land – we can unlock sustainable development on a global scale. The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) are working together to make this vision a reality. Land tenure determines how people connect with the land. Worldwide, 2.5 billion people depend on communally managed territories, which often lack legal protection. This vulnerability undermines sustainability, escalates conflicts and damages the environment. Although more than 50 per cent of communal lands are used by indigenous peoples and local communities, only 10 per cent are legally recognised. These challenges led to the launch of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure (VGGT) in 2012. A blueprint for fairness, the VGGT ensure that everyone – regardless of gender or social status – receives the same land rights. Incorporating principles of equity, transparency and sustainability into land governance is critical to creating secure and productive communities. These principles are not just theoretical; they are being successfully applied around the world, with transformative results. In Eritrea, the Serejeka sub-zone, part of the Great Green Wall initiative, introduced a new land tenure system called "xlmi" across 28 villages. This new system, which allows landholdings to be inherited as family property, replaced the previous seven-year lease system with redistribution among smallholders. The change has led to clear environmental and social benefits. It has significantly reduced deforestation and land conflicts, and provided farmers with secure, long-term benefits. This security has undoubtedly encouraged greater investment in sustainable land management practices, boosting household income. In the Senegal River Basin, a concerted effort to improve land governance has facilitated better management of vast agricultural resources, boosting food security and economic stability across the region. In Colombia, the government has launched a land regularisation programme with indigenous communities, employing the "Open Tenure" tool under the VGGT. This tool maps legitimate tenure rights, supporting a transparent process that helps stakeholders record and protect their rights. The programme also promotes joint land ownership for spouses, aiming to combat discriminatory inheritance practices. In many rural areas, land tenure security acts as a vital safety net for the poor, buffering them against uncertainties and securing their livelihoods. This security is more than just a piece of paper; it ensures that smallholder farmers can produce food and reduce poverty and inequality within their communities. The process of securing land rights – through formal recognition, proper documentation and robust dispute resolution – is critical not only to the well-being of farmers, but also to the promotion of sustainable agricultural practices. The challenge, however, is that in many developing countries land is often held under informal or undocumented arrangements. Simply formalising these arrangements doesn't automatically lead to true security and can even lead to 'elite capture', where only a few reap the benefits. The genuine recognition and enforcement of legitimate land rights – including access, use, management and ownership – is essential. This not only increases agricultural productivity, but also strengthens the rights and livelihoods of the most vulnerable, paving the way for a more equitable and sustainable future for rural communities. A major challenge in this area is the significant gender disparity in land governance, management and benefit-sharing, even under customary or informal tenure arrangements. Although women make up nearly half of the world's agricultural workforce, they own less than 20 per cent of the world's land. It is clear that investing in women's equal access to land and related assets is a direct investment in their future and the future of humanity. When women have secure land rights, they are more likely to invest in the land and participate actively in community life, leading to better outcomes for families and societies. When women's tenure security is improved, household spending on food and education increases by up to 30 per cent. The UNCCD and FAO are committed to continuing these efforts through national consultations and inclusive policy-making. By engaging a wide range of stakeholders, they aim to tailor land tenure reforms to local needs and open up new opportunities for cooperation and financing. These efforts will eventually reach more than 30 countries o have who have requested support on integrating secure tenure into their Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) programmes and restoration activities. Securing land rights and advocating for inclusive governance is a powerful tool for change. By protecting ecosystems and empowering millions of people around the world to have a say on how land and associated resources are managed, we are advancing multiple sustainable development objectives.

Bonn/Samarkand, 10 October 2023 – Today the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) entered into a landmark agreement with the government of the Republic of Uzbekistan. The Host Country Agreement marks the culminating chapter in the preparations for the upcoming 21st session of the UNCCD Committee on the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC21), to be held from 13-17 November 2023 in Samarkand.  For the first time since its inception, UNCCD is convening one of its most important meetings in the heart of Central Asia. The highly anticipated CRIC21 will serve as a global platform for cutting-edge insights into land degradation and drought while assessing the progress the countries are making in restoring productive land.  Welcoming the UNCCD delegation to the historic crossroads of culture and civilization in the city of Samarkand, Uzbekistan's Minister of Ecology, Aziz Abdukhakimov emphasized the upcoming UN conference's role in bolstering global partnerships and environmental innovation. Among the inspiring examples of the successful project in land restoration he shared is the ongoing tree-planting efforts on 2 million hectares to combat the Aral Sea environmental crisis.  UNCCD Executive Secretary Ibrahim Thiaw noted that CRIC21 meets at a time of increasing environmental turbulence: cataclysmic heatwaves in Europe and North America, devastating droughts in the Horn of Africa, torrential monsoons and cyclones across Asia. The significance of land degradation as both a contributor to and a consequence of these phenomena cannot be overstated.  Recent UN data paints a sobering picture, demonstrating that 420 million hectares of fertile and productive land between have been degraded between 2015 and 2019 – an area exceeding the combined landscapes of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.  CRIC21 – a global symposium of delegates from 196 nations and the European Union, leaders of the civil society, academia, and international organizations – will delve into progress on the Convention's strategic objectives. These range from sustainable land management and drought resilience to ensuring fair land rights for women and tackling the sand and dust storms and wildfires exacerbated by the climate change and environmental degradation.  The UNCCD secretariat wishes to express its sincere gratitude to the Republic of Uzbekistan for graciously assuming the role of the host for this pivotal event. Like an intricate carpet weaved by expert hands unfurls to reveal its detailed patterns, CRIC21 will roll out at the Silk Road Samarkand Congress Centre in Uzbekistan this November. 

Bonn/New York, 16 June 2023 – Women facing worsening droughts, raging wildfires and other climate change impacts will deliver an urgent message to the international community at the United Nations in New York, calling for better land rights for women and girls everywhere.  Drought, land degradation and desertification – all of which are becoming more frequent – are impacting women and girls first and worst, world leaders will hear at an event in the United Nations General Assembly on 16th June to mark Desertification and Drought Day.  The theme of this year’s global observance, led by the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), is ‘Her Land. Her Rights.’  Women make up around half of agricultural workers in developing countries and produce 60-80 per cent of food grown in these regions yet own less than one-fifth of all land worldwide. When land degrades and water and other resources become scarce, women and girls are exposed to poverty, hunger, displacement and violence.  Among the leaders and gender equality champions advocating for women’s full land rights will be the Prime Ministers of Iceland Katrín Jakobsdóttir and of Namibia Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, and the Vice-President of the Government of Spain Teresa Ribero Rodríguez. They will be joined by Finland’s first female President Tarja Halonen, UNCCD Goodwill Ambassadors and musicians Baaba Maal, Inna Modja and Ricky Kej, as well as indigenous and youth activists from countries as diverse as Canada and Chad.   In a shared call to action, they will show there is a solution: women. They will say that when legal barriers to women owning and inheriting land are removed, women are able to make decisions on how to manage land, and both soil health and agricultural yields improve. Women are also more likely to invest in their family’s nutrition, health and education which benefits the whole of society.  UNCCD Executive Secretary Ibrahim Thiaw said: “Investing in women's equal access to land is not just an act of justice. It is an investment in our future, a commitment to the prosperity of our planet. It is an affirmation that we value not only the land beneath our feet, but the hands that work it.”   To coincide with the event, UNCCD is launching a new analysis, which shows:  Despite comprising nearly half the world's agricultural workforce and producing up to 80 per cent of food in developing countries, women’s rights to inherit their husband’s property continue to be denied in over 100 countries.  Discriminatory practices related to land tenure, credit access, equal pay and decision-making often impede their active participation in sustaining land health. Today, less than one-in-five landholders worldwide are women.  If women had equal rights to land, agricultural production in the poorest regions would increase by up to 4 per cent and malnourishment would decline by 12–17 per cent, resulting in 150m fewer hungry people globally.   Countries with more women parliamentarians prioritize women and girls’ role in land protection and are more likely to ratify relevant treaties and set aside land for conservation. Meanwhile, only 12 per cent of the 881 national environment-related ministries run by elected officials are led by women.   The event will continue to build on UNCCD’s ‘Her Land. Her Rights.’ campaign, which was launched on International Women’s Day in March 2023.    Organized jointly by the UNCCD with UN Women, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the UN Human Rights Office, and the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the high-level event “Her Land. Her Rights: Advancing Gender Equality and Land Restoration Goals” will include debates and discussions on a woman’s role in sustainable land management.    A digital photo exhibition entitled ‘Her Land’ created and curated by Inna Modja will offer an immersive experience of the daily realities facing women and girls living on the frontlines of desertification, land degradation and drought. She will also be joined by fellow Goodwill Ambassadors Baaba Maal and Ricky Kej in a live musical performance.   In addition to New York, other events to mark Desertification and Drought Day – which officially falls every year on June 17th – will take place in all parts of the world, including China, Fiji, Hungary, Italy, Kenya, Mexico, Morocco, Serbia, Türkiye, and Vietnam.  ENDS  Notes to editors  For interviews and enquires please contact: unccd@portland-communications.com or press@unccd.int About UNCCD  The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is the global vision and voice for land. We unite governments, scientists, policymakers, private sector and communities around a shared vision and global action to restore and manage the world’s land for the sustainability of humanity and the planet. Much more than an international treaty signed by 197 parties, UNCCD is a multilateral commitment to mitigating today’s impacts of land degradation and advancing tomorrow’s land stewardship in order to provide food, water, shelter and economic opportunity to all people in an equitable and inclusive manner.