Do No Harm in Land Tenure and Property Rights
Publisher: Nicole Goddard and Maureen Lempke (CDA)
Date: 2013
Topics: Governance, Land
In situations of scarcity and unequal access, the chances for conflict and violence increase significantly. Moreover, experience has shown that even the most localized conflicts over land are complex, highly charged, and can spread across local, state and international lines. In other words, land conflicts can become triggering events for larger conflicts, which are difficult to contain and resolve once they begin.
Development agencies recognize that land can lead to both positive and negative development outcomes and that it serves as a driver of conflict. Programs that deal with land are frequently seen as a universal good, a vehicle to achieve principles of reconciliation, reform, equity, conservation, inclusivity, reinforcement of local capacities, and a means of preservation for local identities and values. Land programs and interventions in the areas of Land Tenure and Property Rights, Governance, Law, Redistributive Reforms, Land Administration, Rural and Urban Land Use Planning, Natural Resource Management, and Land Market Development are becoming more common. The rationale of such programs is to consider the use, access, and allocation of land in an integrated manner, to minimize conflicts, to make the most efficient use of land, and to link social and economic development with environmental protection and enhancement, thus helping to achieve the objectives of sustainable development.