Bridging the Gap: The Role of UN Agencies and Civil Society in Financing Land Tenure Solutions

As the global development landscape evolves, financing secure land tenure remains a foundational challenge — and opportunity. While bilateral aid declines and donor fatigue sets in, new roles have emerged for UN agencies and international civil society organisations (CSOs) to act as enablers, connectors, and mobilisers of land governance finance.

This article explores how multilateral institutions and rights-based groups are innovating around funding, the global mechanisms they tap into, and the practical ways local actors can collaborate to scale land rights solutions.

1. A New Multilateral Moment for Land Rights

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Goals 1, 2, 5, 11, 13, and 15, have created political traction for land tenure as a cross-cutting issue. Institutions like FAO, UN-Habitat, UNDP, and IFAD have leveraged this momentum to embed land indicators and build programs with a global reach.

The Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure (VGGT) remain a key normative framework that many UN agencies continue to promote and operationalise with donor support.

2. Funding Through Collaboration and Alignment

One major strategy has been co-financing — pooling funds and efforts across UN agencies, INGOs, and CSOs. A strong example is the Global Land Tool Network (GLTN), hosted by UN-Habitat, which brings together over 80 partners to co-develop tools and channel support to governments and communities.

Another model involves mainstreaming land rights into existing funding windows — like IFAD’s rural development loans or UNDP’s climate adaptation programs — ensuring land tenure is not an isolated sector but embedded into broader development finance.

3. Scaling Civil Society Visibility and Access

International CSOs such as the International Land Coalition (ILC), Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI), and Landesa have pioneered mechanisms for regranting, capacity-building, and coalition-based advocacy. These networks serve as intermediaries that bridge grassroots demands with high-level policy and donor spaces.

Many have developed rapid-response grants, seed funding pools, and regional platforms where local groups can tap into opportunities without the red tape of larger institutions.

4. Mobilising Climate and SDG-Aligned Funding

UNDP and UNEP have played a growing role in aligning land rights with climate finance frameworks. Through vehicles like the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and the Adaptation Fund, land tenure interventions are increasingly framed as enablers of mitigation and resilience.

FAO and partners have used food systems dialogues to elevate the role of secure land tenure in sustainable agriculture. These efforts have drawn donor interest from both environmental and agricultural ministries — expanding the traditional funding base.

5. What Works: Successful Models in Action

In Colombia, FAO-supported projects have embedded land formalization into peacebuilding programs, financed by the EU and World Bank. In Nepal, UN Women and CSOs have advanced women’s land rights through gender-sensitive budgeting.

In Senegal, VGGT-aligned land governance pilots have been tied to food security programs led by international NGOs.Each example highlights the importance of integrating land into multi-sectoral development frameworks and forming robust coalitions between UN bodies and civil society.

6. Five Practical Recommendations

• Leverage UN and INGO platforms for visibility, joint proposals, and legitimacy

• Align land rights with climate, gender, and food systems finance

• Encourage donor governments to ring-fence tenure funding in SDG investments

• Strengthen south-south knowledge sharing across civil society platforms

• Use global events (COP, HLPF, UNGA) to launch and fund land-rights campaigns

In a world of competing crises, land tenure must not fall through the cracks. With the right coalitions and messaging, UN and civil society actors can be powerful stewards of funding equity.

7. The Role of Regional and Thematic Platforms

In addition to global UN bodies, several regional platforms play critical roles in resource mobilization. The African Land Policy Centre (ALPC), hosted by the UNECA, AU, and AfDB, brings together governments and CSOs to advance continental land governance frameworks. Their land governance monitoring index and biennial conference serve as springboards for both dialogue and funding.

In Latin America, platforms like the Instituto del Bien Común (IBC) and the Platforma Regional de Reforma Agraria have linked land rights advocacy with rural development financing. Similarly, the Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP) has enabled community access to both public and philanthropic financing by framing land rights as essential to biodiversity and human rights.

8. Engaging the Philanthropic and Private Sectors

Foundations such as the Ford Foundation, Omidyar Network, and the Packard Foundation have long funded land rights work. Yet most CSOs remain disconnected from these potential funders due to information gaps or eligibility barriers. UN agencies and INGOs can act as intermediaries, connecting grassroots actors with philanthropic capital through co-branded programs and regranting mechanisms.

The private sector, particularly ESG-focused investors and agribusiness actors, is increasingly interested in land tenure for risk mitigation. Multi-stakeholder initiatives like the Interlaken Group offer platforms for dialogue between businesses and rights-holders, while new frameworks like the UNPRI encourage private financing of secure land tenure as a sustainability benchmark.

9. Harnessing Visibility at Global Events

Global policy events offer vital spaces for elevating land rights within financing discussions. UN summits like COP30, the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF), and the World Bank Land Conference provide visibility, policy traction, and sometimes donor commitments.

For example, during COP27, land tenure was included in the Sharm el-Sheikh Implementation Plan under adaptation finance. CSOs and UN bodies can use these spaces to launch joint declarations, showcase pilots, and pitch programs to climate, development, and private donors alike.

10. Strengthening the Ecosystem for Funding Readiness

Despite political goodwill, many organizations lack the administrative systems, MEL frameworks, or institutional readiness to absorb large grants. This is where capacity-building partnerships come in. UNDP’s Capacity Development for Resilience program, the FAO–IFAD Technical Cooperation Programme, and ILC’s national engagement strategies help build the infrastructure that underpins financial credibility.

Long-term donor investment in these ecosystems is as crucial as the funding itself. Without readiness, even generous commitments may remain untapped. Alignment with standards like the OECD DAC criteria or SDG investment principles can also strengthen funding pipelines.

11. Conclusion: Seizing the Moment

The post-2025 global agenda offers a rare opportunity to institutionalize land rights as a driver of inclusive development. The work of civil society and UN agencies has already reshaped global discourse. The next step is to translate that momentum into sustained financial flows.

It will require persistence, cross-sectoral framing, strategic alliances, and smarter storytelling. But the architecture is in place — and the stakes are high. From indigenous territories to urban settlements, secure land tenure is not a luxury. It is a foundation. LPN Global remains committed to supporting this mission by connecting ideas, data, and funding with those who need it most.