Finance and Monitoring

Finance

The UNCCD Global Mechanism has prepared a draft business case titled “Why Invest in Land Tenure Security?”  which provides a value proposition on why to invest in tenure security as part of land-based transformative projects and programmes. The draft report demonstrates that the investments in land tenure can result in clear economic, environmental and social returns, and that the costs of inaction are largely associated with increased risks to land-based investments.

A Tenure Checklist has also been drafted to guide project and programme developers in identifying key tenure issues and design appropriate interventions, ensuring gender- and tenure-responsive project designs that mitigate risks and adhere to environmental and social safeguards, as well as the VGGT. The Global Mechanism is currently conducting a stakeholder mapping exercise to enhance the uptake of the land tenure checklist through a network of partner organizations.

In 2013, bilateral and multilateral donors and international organisations created a global coordinating mechanism – the Global Donor Working Group on Land – to cooperate on land-related issues. The group focuses on three main thematic areas: land tenure and resource governance, country-level coordination and land governance and food systems. The Tenure Facility focuses on securing land and forest rights for Indigenous Peoples and local communities. It is the first financial mechanism to exclusively fund projects working towards this goal while driving development, reducing conflict, improving global human rights, and mitigating the impacts of climate change.

Monitoring

SDG Dataportal

As part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which include targets on women’s land rights and secure access to land, three key indicators were developed to measure progress towards these targets with data housed in the SDG Dataportal.

• SDG indicator 1.4.2 monitors the proportion of total adult population with secure tenure rights to land: (a) with legally recognized documentation, and (b) who perceive their rights to land as secure, by sex and type of tenure.

• SDG indicator 5.a.1 focuses on gender equality and monitors the (a) proportion of total agricultural population with ownership or secure rights over agricultural land, by sex, and (b) share of women among owners or rights bearers of agricultural land, by type of tenure. 

• SDG indicator 5.a.2. assesses the proportion of countries where the legal framework (including customary law) guarantees women’s equal rights to land ownership and/or control.

Prindex

Prindex, an initiative by the Global Land Alliance and the Overseas Development Institute, surveys land users - including women, youth and non-property owners - on how secure they feel about their land and homes. Respondents are asked how likely they are to lose property rights against their will in the next 5 years and, if they are at risk of losing their rights, explain their concerns. This survey facilitates an assessment of the drivers of tenure insecurity across the world, regularly published in reports on Global Tenure Security.

Global Land Governance Index

Global Land Governance Index (LANDex) was developed through a consultative process among the members and strategic partners of the International Land Coalition (ILC) and monitors commitments to people-centred land governance on three levels. A-level indicators assess the strength of the legal and institutional framework. B-level indicators look at the degree to which programmes and policies outlined in the legal and institutional framework are implemented. C-level indicators focus on the outcomes of implemented programmes or policies assessing their impact and the perceptions of people.

LandMark

LandMark is an interactive global platform on Indigenous and community lands hosted by a consortium of local, regional and international organisations. It was launched in 2015 and allows Indigenous Peoples and local communities around the world to document the lands they hold and use to governments, development organisations, private sector, advocates, researchers and others – providing an overview of collectively held lands, increasing awareness of their legitimate land rights, and highlighting their contribution to sustainable territorial management. 

Land Projects Database

Land Projects Database is the most complete source of information on land governance projects worldwide. It includes development projects since 2012. Most of the data is retrieved from the International Aid Transparency Initiative and curated by a team of experts in the Land Portal. 

LandMatrix

The LandMatrix Initiative was established in 2009 to improve transparency and accountability around large-scale land acquisitions to enhance environmental and socio-economic sustainability. The independent land monitoring initiative comprises several global and regional partners and works with four Regional Focal Points (in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America) to capture country-specific data for almost 100 countries.

Status of Land Tenure and Governance

The Status of Land Tenure and Governance report published in February 2026 is the flagship knowledge product of the Global Land Observatory, an FAO initiative in partnership with ILC and the French Agricultural Research Center for International Development. This report offers new insights and assesses data and reporting on tenure systems, land distribution, governance frameworks, women’s land rights, and customary rights. Given the datasets mentioned above, one of the key findings is that it is possible to monitor and report on legitimate land rights in the context of the Convention.