Princetonlaan 8a, 3584 CB, Utrecht landac.geo@uu.nl +31 30 253 13 63

LANDac | Final learning event for WLRA in Nairobi (Scaling up women’s land rights in Africa) – video and report now available!

 

The LANDac project Scaling up women’s land rights in Africa (WLRA) just had its final learning event in Nairobi, Kenya. The 2-day learning event was organized by LANDac (the Netherlands Land Academy), GROOTS Kenya and ActionAid in Kenya, Enda Pronat in Senegal, ADECRU and Forum Mulher in Mozambique, and Oxfam in Malawi. It builds on the LANDac initiative ‘Securing women’s Land Rights in Africa’, a one-year program funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, that aims to identify, build upon and scale successful practices and experiences of grassroots organizations and movements that work to strengthen women’s access and control over land and natural resources in Africa.

 

To kick-off the event LANDac organized a women’s march with tree-planting ceremony on International Earth Day. The ceremony was attended by the Dutch Ambassador in Kenya Frans Makken, and the entire two-day learning event received a lot of positive and enthusiastic feedback.

Download the Learning Event report: Mobilising grassroots women and local chiefs to advance women’s land rights in Africa

Check out the trailer of the WLRA learning event in Nairobi on 22 and 23 April 2018 in which grassroots women, traditional and official leaders as well as donors, policymakers and Civil Society Organisations were brought together to discuss how to move the women’s land rights in Africa forward.

Or watch the full (15 min) video with highlights of the WLRA learning event

 

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LANDac | New publication: LANDac Masterclass @ World Bank Conference 2018

On March 23rd 2018, at the World Bank’s Land and Poverty Conference 2018 in Washington D.C., LANDac hosted the Master Class Land governance from the bottom up: including local communities in multi-stakeholder processes. With the Master Class, LANDac aimed to build on discussions held during the World Bank Annual Conference that often highlighted the need for policymakers, academics and practitioners to better adapt interventions around land governance to the local context and situation. However, less discussed during the conference were practical ways, methods and tools to do that. Guided by presentations from two ongoing LANDac research programmes (Scaling women’s land rights and the Learning Platforms) the Master Class focused on practical tools that are used to ensure that the priorities of local women and men are put first in decision making processes and implementation strategies around land governance. Following the presentation of the programmes, a lively discussion took place amongst the 25 participants of the Master Class. This report shares the main discussion topics.

 

LANDac Masterclass report – WB Conference 2018

LANDac | World Bank reflection meeting in Utrecht – 12 April 3-5pm

 

WORLD BANK LAND AND POVERTY CONFERENCE REFLECTION MEETING

THURSDAY APRIL 12, 3-5 PM @ UTRECHT

 

LANDac is organizing a debrief meeting following the World Bank Land and Poverty 2018 conference. At this meeting you are invited to share your impressions with colleagues of the Netherlands land community. Also those who did not attend the WB conference are very much invited to attend the reflection meeting and hear and discuss about key topics and promising avenues.

This is an excellent opportunity to reflect on what is happening at the international level, with other organizations and platforms – and if and how we in the Netherlands want to respond. We invite representatives from various sub themes (land registration, women’s land rights, financing, large scale agro-investments, etc.) to share their impressions, and all who are interested to join us in Utrecht!

 

What:                  World Bank Land and Poverty conference reflection meeting

When:                 Thursday April 12, 3–5 pm followed by drinks

Where:               Utrecht city center (Drift 21, room 109)

 

RSVP to landac.geo@uu.nl. We hope to see you on April 12 and together further the dialogue on land in the Netherlands!

 

 

GIZ | New publication: Safeguarding Human Rights in Land-Related Investments

The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development commissioned a study to compare the Voluntary Guidelines on Land with the IFC Performance Standards and the World Bank Environmental and Social Safeguard Framework. The result is the analysis ‘Safeguarding Human Rights in Land-Related Investments’ which was written by Michael Windfuhr and published early 2018. The study can be downloaded here: IfM – Analysis voluntary guidelines 2018.

The study aimed to help identify whether there are topics and potential issues in the VGGT that are currently omitted or only partially covered by the IFC PS or the World Bank Safeguards. It also discusses how potential gaps might be addressed and whether there are issues that require closer examination and further investigation in order to provide a complete and adequate framework/international legal instrument committed to ensuring the respect for and implementation of human rights. 

LANDac | Inventaire des projets de recherche en cours/ Call for ongoing initiatives

ENGLISH VERSION BELOW

 

L’Académie néerlandaise de gouvernance foncière pour un développement durable et équitable (LANDac, www.landgovernance.org) a initié ce projet pilote de recherche pour mieux comprendre la relation entre les investissements fonciers en Afrique de l’Ouest et leur influence, positive et négative, sur la migration des jeunes.

Dans le cadre de la Conférence Internationale de 2018 (http://www.landgovernance.org/annual-international-conference/, LANDac s’intéresse à cette liaison entre migration et dynamiques foncières. Si vous êtes intéressé par ce projet pilote et si vous souhaitez le rejoindre (voyez l’inventaire des projets de reserche), vous pouvez envoyer une courte description de votre projet de recherche actuellement en cours (une page maximum) à g.steel@uu.nl  avant 31 Avril 2018.

 

LANDac, the Netherlands land academy for sustainable and equitable development, has initiated a pilot project to get a better understanding of the multiple linkages between land investments, migration and youth in West Africa. In the framework of the 2018 international conference http://www.landgovernance.org/annual-international-conference/ , focusing on the land-mobilities nexus, LANDac partners will have a closer look at the various ways in which migration and land dynamics are intertwined. If you are interested in teaming-up to this pilot project, please find the full Call for ongoing initiatives and send us a short description (maximum 1 page) of the project you are working on, the place and organization you work for and the way your work can contribute to the above described agenda and objectives to g.steel@uu.nl  before 31 April 2018.

LANDac | Announcing the LANDac Conference 2018!

LAND GOVERNANCE AND (IM)MOBILITY: Exploring the nexus between land acquisition, displacement and migration

 28th and 29th June 2018

Muntgebouw, Utrecht, the Netherlands

 

 

Key notes including:

Prof. dr. Tania Li, St. George Campus; Canada Research Chair in the Political-Economy and Culture of Asia; Centre for Southeast Asian Studies;

Prof. dr. Bernhard Truffer, Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development; Utrecht University;

Prof. ir. Klaas van Egmond, Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development; Utrecht University;

Ms. Sheela Patel, Society for the Promotion of Area Resource Centres (SPARC), India; Slum Dwellers International (SDI);

Mr. Michael Uwemedimo, Collaborative Media Advocacy Platform (CMAP), Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

 

LANDac’s Annual International Conference 2018 will look at land investments through the lens of mobility. What are the implications of land based investments on the movements of people? And how have displacement and population movements contributed to new and contesting land claims?

The 2018 conference takes this land-mobilities nexus as a starting point, focusing on the extent to which land acquisitions trigger the inflow or outflow of particular groups of people – and also yield other mobilities (capital, goods, ideas etc.) and land claims. Providing people with secure and equal access to land is fundamental in giving people the ‘right to remain’, but land acquisitions simultaneously contribute to evictions and displacements, and the resettlement of groups. Up to now, the discussion has focused on respecting land rights, informing the local inhabitants in advance, and, in the case of forced displacement, offering fair compensation.

Given the variety of mobilities, what are good ways forward in land governance?  To what extent can land governance contribute to inclusive development – preventing eviction and displacement, while supporting vulnerable groups to settle in safe places and build secure and sustainable livelihoods? How can property regimes (and ideas of fixing people to the land) move along with these changes and be made more suitable? How do economic transformations – value chain integration, market liberalization or reregulation – affect the ability of rural people to make a living on their lands? What do we know about the stability of ´foreign´ investor communities – and what are the implications of their land investments for the mobility and immobility of local communities? And what is the role of migrants who themselves invest in land – and who are sometimes powerful actors in land-related negotiations that might disadvantage others? At the heart of the conference debates will be the Sustainable Development Goals – what is the role of land governance in the context of the ambition to “leave no one behind”?

 

We now invite you to submit your abstract proposal for one of the panels listed below. For an overview of all panels, check here.

 

 

Besides these thematic panels, we organize country sessions on the following regions: Mozambique, Ethiopia, Sudan, India, Indonesia and Brazil.

 

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

We now call for the submission of abstract proposals.

For information on submitting an abstract proposal, check here.

For abstract proposals, use the following Abstract template. Abstracts should include:

  • Title of paper
  • Name, affiliation and contact details of presenter
  • Panel to participate in
  • Abstract of maximum 300 words

Abstract proposals should be received before 8 April 2018 and must be submitted, in English, via email to: landac2018@gmail.com.

LANDac also welcomes other innovative and original ideas; if you have other suggestions for materials to present or exhibit at the conference – such as short films, interactive websites, photos, posters – please contact the organisers at the above email address.

An impartial selection committee will review submissions. Successful applicants will be notified in the course of April 2018.

Please note that registration for the conference is open. Registration costs are €150. (€75 for BSc and MSc students upon proof of a valid student ID). We regret that LANDac is unable to cover participant expenses. You can submit your registration through the following registration link:

 

The conference will be followed by the Annual LANDac and Utrecht University Summer School Land Governance for Development which will take place in Utrecht from July 2-13, 2018. For more information, and to register, please visit the Utrecht Summer School website.

 

Organising committee: Annelies Zoomers (LANDac and Utrecht University), Guus van Westen (LANDac and Utrecht University), Griet Steel (LANDac and Utrecht University), Gemma van der Haar (Wageningen University), Christine Richter (ITC – University of Twente) and Barbara Codispoti (Oxfam Novib).

LANDdialogue | APG Reference Guide for Risk Assessment in relation to LAND – document and webinar

In the context of the LANDdialogue, APG initiated a LGD_Reference Guide 2017. The guide provides a useful tool that can help investors identify and monitor ESG risks, and gives an overview of available information on general land-related topics for specific sectors and regions, including land use legislation for a number of countries.

Investments in real estate, large scale infrastructure, farmland and timber assets are becoming increasingly popular among institutional investors. Investments involving land acquisition carry a unique set of social and environmental risks and require specialist expertise for successful due diligence.

On 6 March 2018, 15.00 – 16.00 hrs (GMT), PRI hosts a Webinar in which the Guide will be introduced and discussed. More information about the event can be found here: PRI Planting the Seeds.

Erasmus University | 5 PhD fellowships in Development Studies

More info available here.

Thematic areas

In the 2018 round, holders of a Master’s degree can apply for research positions related to the following cross-cutting themes in the ISS research programme Global Development and Social Justice:

  • Migration and diversity
  • Environment and climate change
  • Social protection and inequality
  • Conflict and peace

ISS has a clear preference to recruit PhD students who are working on one of these themes from an interdisciplinary approach to development research, and favour proposals that speak to more than one of the four current research lines of the ISS research programme.

Terms of the fellowships

The PhD fellowships are for a maximum period of four years, starting in 2018.

PhD students will receive a fellowship of approximately €1,750 net per month, plus an additional allowance to cover the costs of their field work, which normally takes place during the second year into the PhD programme.

The PhD fellowships are available only for citizens of countries that are not part of the European Economic Area. Candidates from African, low-income or low-middle-income countries are especially encouraged to apply.

Land Portal | Launch New Country Portfolios for Kenya, South Africa and Zambia

Developed in partnership with local experts and organizations, Land Portal’s latest country portfolios for KenyaSouth Africa and Zambia on the Land Portal offer an in-depth look at both the current and historical land governance situation as well as access to a wide range of datasets, publications, and other land-related content.

Each portfolio visualizes data from a variety of land-related indicators, enabling cross-country comparisons on maps, infographics and tables. The various indicators displayed on the portfolios are pulled from global indices, such as the UNDP’s Human Development Index, FAO’s Gender and Land Rights Database, and OECD’s Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI). The portfolios also showcase user-friendly infographics covering the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure and the World Bank’s Land Governance Assessment Framework (LGAF).

With the click of the button, users can also access the latest news, blogs, debates and events. The portfolios display links to profiles of organizations working on land issues in these three countries. Additionally, the portfolios provide free access to thousands of targeted Land Library (LL) resources: 1097 LL resources are available for Kenya, 680 for South Africa, and 759 for Zambia.

Find out more here.

COUPLED | Sustainability challenges in land use – 15 PhD positions

COUPLED is a four-year, European Training Network granted by the EC under Horizon 2020.

They put the research approach of TELECOUPLING into action for solving sustainability challenges for land use. How to understand processes and actors that influence land use in an increasingly interconnected world? The program will train a new generation of young scientists to better integrate research, innovation and social responsibility.

  • Are you interested in land-use change?
  • Would you like to be trained in the telecoupling framework and be on the forefront of understanding processes and actors that influence land-use in an interconnected world?
  • Would you like to become an expert in trans- and interdisciplinary concepts and methodologies?
  • Are you interested in moving between science and practice in order to qualify for a successful career in research, consulting, industry or governance?
  • Are you in the first four years of your research career, or will you graduate soon?

The COUPLED European Training Network aims to attract international Early Stage Researchers for high quality PhD training. The aim of the programme is to increase the international, intersectoral and interdisciplinary mobility of researchers. Fifteen students will be selected for a 3-year advanced multidisciplinary research training, preferably starting July 2018 or earlier.

Deadline: 24 November 2017, 23:59 CET

For further information please see the available positions or contact the project coordinator Prof. Jonas Østergaard Nielsen, the project administrator Kathrin Trommler or the potential supervisors at the respective institutions.