Global Land Tool Network (Gltn) Phase 2 (2012-2017) - (Fao-Kenya Funding)

Many countries globally have introduced new land policies, especially in Asia and Africa. Often it is not possible for these countries to implement pro-poor and gender sensitive land policies, because the underlying tools and practices do not always exist, or have not been sufficiently documented and disseminated. Emerging from the 1990s some organizations and individuals have been trying to address this issue, but have struggled with the scale of the challenge geographically and conceptually. In essence, most developing countries use conventional land administration systems which cover less than 30 percent of the country, leaving up to 70 percent of citizens looking to informal and/or customary approaches for their tenure security.

Prior to GLTN launch in 2006, an analysis was conducted which drew several important conclusions. First, while there are many examples of good land policies, there are few policies that have been fully implemented due to lack of pro-poor, gender-sensitive and large-scale land tools. Second, a conclusion was that conventional land titling approaches have largely failed to deliver their expected results: existing technical solutions are too expensive, inappropriate for the range of tenure found in developing countries, unsustainable financially or in terms of available capacity, and instead a range of land tenure options is more appropriate. Third, an agreement was that land sector work in country cannot be done at scale successfully in many countries without the combination of various underlying factors and strategies including better donor coordination, strengthening partnerships of key land actors, capacity development initiatives and continuous  dialogues and communications between and amongst key stakeholders including government (at various levels), professionals, civil society groups, academia/research institutions, grassroots and target communities themselves. 

To address these challenges, UN-Habitat has taken the lead and facilitated the establishment of the Global Land Tool Network that aims at contributing to poverty reduction and to the achievement of MDGs through the development of pro-poor and gender sensitive land tools to improve tenure security of the urban and rural poor since its launch in 2006. GLTN Phase 1 has already achieved significant results in its 4 years of operations as concluded by the independent mid-term evaluation and echoed by various partners and land actors. For example, there is now a growing paradigm shift towards the adoption of a pro-poor, gender sensitive and large scale land tools, policies and approaches; as well as the recognition of the need for a ‘continuum of land rights' to replace the more conventional approaches of reliance on cadastre and individual titles. Global discourse on key GLTN's tools and approaches are well captured by various global and regional interventions. Examples include the following: World Bank is taking the lead in the development of Land Governance and Administration Framework (LGAF) globally; FAO is taking the lead in the development and implementation by member-states of the Voluntary Guidelines on Responsible  Governance on Tenure of Land, Forests and Fisheries, wherein UN-Habitat has played a critical role, the adoption of the African Land Policy Framework and Guidelines which was supported and adopted by the Third African Ministerial Conference on Housing and Urban Development (AMCHUD) and the Bamako Action Plan.

Moreover, Phase 1 has already developed significant land tools and training packages ready for rolling out with partners at national and local government levels. Some partners are already adopting these land tools for their use and for their capacity development initiatives. For example, the gender evaluation criteria tool has now been adopted by Huairou Commission for their implementation and training for trainers (ToTs) will be conducted before the end of the year. Likewise, the International Land Coalition has indicated that they would like to adopt and implement the same on their country-level projects in various countries. Training for land professionals on this tool has also started. As part of GLTN Phase 2, the gender evaluation criteria will also be introduced and mainstreamed in UN-Habitat operations particularly in providing in-country support to tool implementation in targeted countries and/or cities/municipalities  and the needed capacity development initiatives will be undertaken. The Kenya experience in land policy formulation, donor coordination and engagement with non-state actors has been used as a model for other country's interventions by UN-Habitat (e.g. DRC, Eastern Caribbean Island States, South Sudan and Liberia). GLTN partners from the academia and training institutions are now adopting the land tools developed, concepts and training packages in their training and educational curriculum. For example, ITC-Netherlands is now teaching the concept and use of the Social Tenure Domain Model (STDM) – a pro-poor land rights recording system to their Masters' Program while the Technical University of Munich has been mobilizing resources to adopt some GLTN training packages for their curriculum as well as for conducting the same training sessions. GLTN's partnership with grassroots organizations has also yielded some significant successes. Aside from understanding the underlying reasons why good grassroots land projects have difficulties in going to scale, specific experiences like that of Brazil resulted in the regularization of an estimated 55,000 slum dwellers.

While significant results have been achieved by GLTN Phase 1, a great deal more work is required for gains made to be consolidated and extended.  GLTN Phase 2 will further expand its partnership and scope from its known international partners to UN-Habitat staff and selected land programmes/projects. It will also implement some of its priority land tools in targeted countries and/or cities/municipalities in partnership with UN-Habitat's field projects and/or international partners with their national and local networks, particularly in regard to the agencies new priority areas of urban land, legislations and governance. GLTN Phase 2, in close collaboration with UN-Habitat's regional offices and field operations, and other partners will ensure that in-country interventions will be within the framework of ‘One UN System' as delivering as one and in accordance with the country's Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) and/or strategic plans. The key objective is to have more change agents and champions that have the capacity and knowledge to promote and implement land policies, tools and approaches that are pro-poor, gender-sensitive, effective and sustainable to improve tenure security of  the urban and rural poor.

In this context, there is an urgent need and increasing demand for GLTN to: continue its work; expand its brand and help develop capacities of its partners (internal and external); and support the adoption and implementation of pro-poor and gender appropriate land policies, tools and approaches at national and local government levels through forging strategic partnerships and piloting and working at country level.

Local government throughout this document also refers to rural districts and villages as well as urban and rural municipalities.