Emerging UNDP crosspractice initiative

1
Emerging UNDP cross-practice initiative

• Land Tenure
• Access to Land Water Resources

2
Background

• UNDP has recently adopted Sustainable Land
  Management as a Service Line.
  
• Despite being central to sustainable land
  management, economic growth and peaceful
  development, access to natural resources has
  often been ignored.

3
Background

• In this context, UNDP is launching a
  cross-practice initiative to build a global
  partnership for land tenure reform throughout the
  developing world.

4
Objective

• The goal of this UNDP brokered partnership is to
  assist participating countries to identify
  practical solutions to key land tenure
  challenges.
• It will seek to remove policy and capacity
  obstacles and identify innovative practical ways
  in which sustainable land management can be
  achieved.

5
Rationale

• Land and Water are key assets for the dryland
  poor providing important foundation for economic
  and social growth.
  
• Access to these resources is mediated by
  institutions and policies, working often at the
  detriment of marginal groups.
  
• These groups often have only customary rights to
  land and water resources. Legal recognition of
  these rights is important to ensure that their
  rights are not removed when changes are
  introduced.
• Facilitating access of the poor to land and water
  resources is therefore essential for developing
  effective solutions to combat poverty and promote
  sustainable land management.

6
Rationale

• Access and use rights to land cannot be discussed
  separately from rights to water
  
• This is especially true in the Arab States
  because of water scarcity in pastoral areas for
  example, control of water determines control of
  land and access to pasture.

7
Progress to date

• Expert workshop on Land Tenure organized jointly
  by UNDP, the International Land Coalition (ILC),
  the CGIAR Collective Action on Property Rights
  (CAPRi) in Nairobi, Kenya February/March 2005.
  
• Its objectives were to bring together experts and
  major players to debate land tenure theory and
  practice, to map out potential partners and to
  identify elements for a Global Programme on Land
  Tenure.
• For the proceedings of the workshop please refer
  the Drylands Development Centre website at
  http//www.undp.org/drylands/lt-workshop-05.htm

8
Progress to date

• E-conference on land tenure (March 7th -April
  1st)
  
• Objective to build on the outcomes of the
  workshop and expand the dialogue beyond the
  expert consultation to include stakeholders and
  interested parties.
• The summary document for the E-conference can be
  found at http//www.frameweb.org/ev_en.php?ID106
  81_201ID2DO_COMMUNITY

9
The way forward

• A regional workshop is planned during the first
  week of December.
  
• Objectives
• Bring regional stakeholders (National
  governments, UNDP COs, Experts, Donors and local
  actors). together to discuss current policy and
  practice with respect to land tenure issues.
• Share good practices in promoting Access to Land
  Water Resources.
  
• Identify needs, requirements and entry points for
  a regional initiative on land tenure reform.
  
• Promote land tenure as a cross practice
  initiative (environment, poverty, governance)
  within UNDP COs.
  

10
Work in progress

• The regional initiative will build on on-going
  efforts
  
• Iran Reviving traditional arrangements for
  rangeland management (on-going project).
  
• Jordan The Badia Programme expressed interest in
  DDC assistance on land tenure issues.
  
• Morocco Documentation of good practices related
  to strengthening of pastoral rights.
  
• Syria Possibility of including a land tenure
  component within the ERED Programme (GEF
  alternative).
  

11
Discussion

• Can you tell us of burning issues related to
  Access to Land and Water Resources in your
  country?
  
• Are there on-going relevant initiatives (by
  national partners, UNDP COs)?
  
• What are possible entry points for intervention?