Overview of the areas of collaboration between GLTN and LCPS
UN-Habitat / GLTN and LCPS will collaborate in the following five areas of work:
- Plan and carry out a study, which identifies and analyzes the different correlations between land tenure security and good land governance and combating land degradation and climate change in the Arab region.
- Organize and carry out an expert group meeting on “Land governance and climate change”.
- Organize and carry out an expert group meeting on “Pastoral land and range lands”.
- Expand the network of experts and institutions part of the Arab Land Initiative. Throughout the conduct of the different activities, LCPS will link up with new partners and develop new relationships with organisations and institutions – including the partners carrying out the other Agreements of cooperation. A list of organisations and institutions and their individual focal points with email contacts will be submitted at the end of the project to UN-Habitat / GLTN.
- Undertake communication and visibility initiatives, ensuring that the content being developed and the key activities undertaken as part of the project and the overall Arab Land Initiative will have a good media coverage and visibility (posts on websites, media and social media, etc.)
Background on the content
Land, climate and environment strongly intertwined. Climate related natural disasters such as droughts, inondations and other weather and climate-related catasrophes lead to displacement, eviction and migration, which directly impact the land tenure situation. Furthermore, demographic growth, climate change and land degradation lead to natural resource scarcity and land use change, which can heavily impact tenure security, especially of the most vulnerable groups, such as women and youth. Recent studies have shown the strong linkages between land tenure insecyrity and climate vulnerability and, vice versa, that improved tenure security could be an important enabler of climate-change adaption. Land governance is a central entry point for addressing a range of human vulnerabilities, e.g. arising from natural disasters, conflict, environmental migration, waters and food security. It is a critical component in enhancing community resilience to a variety of natural and human-induced shocks and stresses. Strategies that improve tenure security contribute to improved food and water secyrity, more sustainable livlihoods, reduced forced and unplanned human mobility that leads to landlessness, reduced environmental degratdation, less urban and rural poverty, reduced conflict over land and resources.
The aim of this study is to identify and analyze the correlations between land-related challenges (access to and control over land rights, land use, etc.), natural resources and climate change in the Arab region. To what extent are these three variables interrelated and which effect do they have on each other?
Furthermore, two Expert Group Meetings (EGMs) will be organized. A first EGM will bring together experts with different professional backgrounds (academic, civil society, government, etc.) for an open discussion about the mutual impacts of land and climate change in the Arab region. It will be an opportunity to exchange on past experiences on the interrelations between natural, climate and environmental incidents and land tenure security in different countries of the region; to share good practices, existing approaches and recommendations on how to improve tenure security in order to prevent land pressure and landlessness in context of environmental degradation.
A second EGM will address, more specifically, the challenges related to pastoral and range lands. Social dynamics related to land, access to natural resources, environmental degradation and climate change are affecting vulnerable groups, involving pastoral communities, especially those belonging to ethnic groups split across national boundaries. The aim of this meeting of experts is to discuss on empirical evidence of the impacts of climate change and environmental challenges on land tenure security in different countries of the Arab region and to identify best practices and recommendations.
