Land, Diplomacy, and the European Union: A Quiet Opportunity for Strategic Influence

Could the quiet power of land be an untapped diplomatic asset amidst a fragmented multilateral order?

Editorial — Amid the complexity of today’s global challenges — from climate fragility and forced displacement to rapid digital transformation — the European Union finds itself at a crossroads: how to remain a credible and influential actor in a multilateral system under strain. In this evolving landscape, the need to forge deeper, more responsive forms of international engagement has never been more critical.

Aerial view of the typical rural European landscape, illustrating a patchwork of agricultural fields and clustered settlements that characterise rural life across the region, and highlighting the importance of land governance, spatial planning, and sustainable development in shaping resilient communities.

And yet, there remains a compelling yet often overlooked entry point into this effort: land governance.

For decades, land tenure security and broader issues of land administration have remained underprioritized in the traditional structures of multilateral diplomacy — seen as too technical, too sensitive, or too peripheral to warrant strategic attention. But that perception is beginning to shift.

The accelerating convergence of climate action, digital transformation, human rights, migration, and conflict prevention has revealed land not as a marginal concern, but as a foundational pillar of global resilience.

For the European Union — whose foreign policy architecture is anchored in normative leadership, multilateral engagement, and soft power — this offers an opportunity worth reconsidering.

The Strategic Value of Land in the Contemporary Global Order

Land is more than geography. It is identity, livelihood, memory, and opportunity. Secure land rights serve as a quiet guarantor of social stability and economic development — enabling food security, urban resilience, gender equality, and peacebuilding. Conversely, where land rights are absent, contested, or mismanaged, communities are left vulnerable, societies fragmented, and progress eroded.

It is no coincidence that many of the world's most pressing development and humanitarian challenges are underpinned by unresolved questions of land access, ownership, restitution, and governance. Yet land remains curiously absent from the high tables of diplomacy — more likely to be the subject of technical working groups than strategic foreign policy briefings.

There is now a clear case for change.

For the EU, engaging in the land agenda more deliberately and strategically could yield not only development dividends, but also important diplomatic capital — strengthening its influence, legitimacy, and credibility in key multilateral arenas.

Land as a Bridge to the EU’s Foreign Policy Priorities

The EU’s external action is guided by a set of priorities that reflect both its values and its strategic interests: climate change, gender equality, human rights, humanitarian response, peacebuilding, and digital governance among them. What is often overlooked, however, is that land governance lies at the intersection of each of these domains — quietly enabling or impeding progress depending on how it is addressed.

Take climate change, for example. Secure land rights are indispensable to climate adaptation, sustainable land management, and forest protection. Across the Global South, community stewardship of land and natural resources remains one of the most effective buffers against environmental degradation.

Without tenure security, however, investments in conservation or nature-based solutions are unlikely to be sustained. As the EU advances its climate diplomacy and champions global ecological responsibility, connecting these efforts with inclusive land governance would reinforce both credibility and impact.

Land is equally central to the EU’s human rights and gender equality agenda. In many regions, particularly in rural or customary settings, women continue to face formidable legal and social barriers to land ownership and inheritance.

Strengthening land rights for women and marginalised groups — whether through legal reform, participatory land use planning, or targeted programming — provides a practical way for the EU to translate its values into tangible, life-changing outcomes. It is also one of the most effective ways to break intergenerational poverty cycles.

Migration and displacement, too, are closely tied to questions of land. Whether individuals are forced to flee due to conflict, climate events, or economic precarity, their prospects for safe return and reintegration are often contingent upon access to land — to rebuild homes, cultivate livelihoods, and restore social ties. Here, the EU’s migration and humanitarian strategies would greatly benefit from stronger alignment with land policy interventions, especially in countries of origin or transit where land disputes often remain unresolved for years, if not decades.

The importance of land is also visible in fragile and post-conflict settings, where tenure insecurity, competing claims, and land grabs can destabilise already volatile environments. In such contexts, the absence of clear, trusted land governance mechanisms is a major obstacle to peacebuilding.

By supporting land restitution processes, conflict-sensitive land reform, and inclusive systems of land administration, the EU can help rebuild both institutions and social cohesion from the ground up.

Finally, as the EU advances its leadership in digital governance and AI ethics, new frontiers are opening in land administration. From digital cadastres to blockchain-based registries and satellite-derived land data, technology is transforming how land rights are documented and defended. The EU has a timely opportunity to shape these developments by promoting responsible, rights-based innovations in land systems — particularly in contexts where data protection, equity, and accessibility must remain front and center.

Toward Greater Visibility and Strategic Influence in the Multilateral System

In a world of contested narratives and evolving alliances, strategic engagement in land governance could help the EU reaffirm its role as a reliable and forward-looking multilateral actor.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has consistently underscored the EU’s commitment to multilateralism and the need for greater visibility and strategic influence within global governance institutions. (Photo: European Parliament)

The EU already enjoys considerable normative power, shaped by decades of rule-of-law promotion, development cooperation, and diplomatic engagement. By foregrounding land governance within these frameworks, the Union can signal an enhanced commitment to addressing root causes — not just symptoms — of vulnerability and inequality.

This, in turn, can elevate its voice in several key forums:

In the United Nations system, the EU can support greater coherence across land-relevant mechanisms — from the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) to the Human Rights Council and the High-Level Political Forum. Supporting reporting and accountability mechanisms under SDG Targets 1.4 and 5.a, for example, would add credibility to its leadership in sustainable development.

Within the African Union, ASEAN, and CELAC, land governance is increasingly seen as central to regional integration, climate resilience, and social justice. Partnering with these blocs through the EU’s Global Gateway or NDICI funding mechanisms can yield shared gains and reinforce the EU’s soft power.

Through Team Europe Initiatives, the EU can promote inclusive land governance as a cross-cutting priority — encouraging coherence between Member States and increasing visibility of coordinated EU action on the ground.

Importantly, land interventions tend to resonate with local populations. They often produce tangible, community-level impacts — from formalizing informal settlements to resolving intergenerational disputes — which in turn build trust in institutions and donors. Such visibility can serve as a powerful vehicle for public diplomacy, particularly in regions where the EU seeks to deepen its strategic partnerships.

What Will It Take?

Of course, translating this vision into practice will require more than policy alignment. It will require:

Narrative clarity — framing land not as a niche technical issue, but as a strategic enabler of peace, prosperity, and planetary health.

Political will — elevating land within foreign policy and development cooperation portfolios, and backing it with targeted investments.

Institutional coherence — fostering synergies between EU Delegations, Member States, and implementing partners to advance a common approach to land.

Visibility and storytelling — using public diplomacy to humanise land issues, share successes, and spotlight EU contributions in this space.

Conclusion: A Strategic Opportunity, Hiding in Plain Sight

Land governance is not a silver bullet. It is however an enabler of many things the European Union holds dear: sustainability, inclusion, peace, dignity.

As the global order becomes more complex and contested, the ability to engage meaningfully — and visibly — on issues that matter to communities, while reinforcing multilateral norms, will define the EU’s strategic influence in the years ahead.

In this respect, land offers a quiet yet compelling opportunity — to lead, to listen, and to shape the future from the ground up.