Arab Land Initiative – Reference Group Meeting Reviewing the progress made and paving the way forward

Since its establishment in 2016, the Arab Land Initiative, coordinated by UN-Habitat and the Global Land Tool Network, has been addressing key regional land governance challenges by empowering land governance champions from the region through increased coordination, collaboration, capacity, knowledge and information sharing.

Thanks for the financial support provided by BMZ in 2019, the Arab Land Initiative has been engaging on different urgent thematic areas: women’s land rights, land for climate resilience and food security, fit-for-purpose land administration, land and conflict, HLP rights of displaced people, and monitoring land governance.

Building on the momentum gained by the work carried out, the Reference Group of the Arab Land Initiative met on 13-14 July, in a hybrid meeting hosted by UN-ESCWA in Beirut, Lebanon. The meeting allowed land experts from UN-Habitat, GLTN, Arab Land Initiative partners and Reference Group members to discuss the state of land governance in the Arab region; share an overview of the work done and of the new content developed; discuss and consolidate a vision for the way forward for the Arab Land Initiative and its partners; strengthen the network of the Initiative and mobilize support for the way forward.

The event has been attended by approximately 30 land experts from UN-Habitat, the World Bank, the Arab Union of Surveyors, the Dubai Land Department, the Urban Training and Studies Institute, UN-ESCWA, BMZ, GIZ, FAO, the Dutch Kadaster, NELGA/IAV Hassan II, the International Land Coalition, the University of East London, the Jordan Department of Land and Survey, the Lebanon Real Estate Directorate, and many other national, regional and international partners.

Download the Concept Note included of the Agenda