Land in Crisis: Reframing Tenure as a Multiplier for Peace and Development in Fragile States

Editorial — When conflict erupts or crises unfold, land is often one of the first things people lose — and one of the last they recover. It is not only a source of livelihoods and shelter but also a symbol of identity, power, and belonging. In fragile and conflict-affected contexts, unresolved land issues frequently underlie patterns of displacement, violence, and exclusion. Yet, despite this centrality, land tenure security remains largely absent from global peace-building and recovery strategies.

More than a decade after fleeing Boko Haram violence in neighbouring Borno State, internally displaced families are being supported to rebuild their lives through the Labondo Local Integration project. Led by UNHCR in partnership with civil society, inter-governmental actors, and the Adamawa State Government, the initiative marks a bold shift in durable solutions programming — placing secure land tenure and community ownership at its core. (Photo: UNHCR Nigeria)

As donor governments, development banks, and humanitarian actors gather around high-level forums to discuss financing for fragile states, it is time to reframe how we see land: not simply as territory or property, but as a critical multiplier for peace, economic recovery, and sustainable development.

The Missing Piece in Peace-building

International policy mechanisms — from the New Deal for Engagement in Fragile States to the OECD’s States of Fragility reports — consistently identify inclusive governance and institution-building as essential to sustainable peace. But land tenure, a cornerstone of both, is routinely neglected. Instead, peace-building often focuses on power-sharing, security sector reform, and elections, while ignoring the ground-level disputes over who owns, controls, and accesses land.

In places like South Sudan, Haiti, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Afghanistan, unresolved land claims have reignited conflict, prevented returns, and undermined state legitimacy. Customary systems, often the only functioning tenure arrangements in rural or peri-urban areas, remain undocumented or unrecognized. Urban informality — whether in slums or post-disaster camps — persists without legal recourse. And restitution mechanisms, where they exist, are underfunded and poorly enforced.

Evidence from the Ground

In Haiti, post-earthquake reconstruction stalled for years due to lack of clarity over land ownership. In Colombia, successful reintegration of ex-combatants has hinged on access to productive land and land titles. In northern Uganda, returnee populations faced recurring disputes over customary land — many of which could have been resolved had basic mapping and tenure documentation been in place.

The message is clear: without secure land rights, peace processes remain fragile, displacement becomes protracted, and development investments are at risk. Conversely, where tenure security is strengthened — particularly in ways that are inclusive and locally grounded — societies are better positioned to recover, grow, and rebuild trust.

Strategic Framing for Funders

There is growing recognition that development finance must do more than fund infrastructure or service delivery. It must address root causes, build institutional resilience, and support systems that enable equity and inclusion. Land tenure is one such system.

For multilateral development banks, tenure systems should be viewed as development infrastructure — on par with roads, power grids, and digital networks. Investments in land administration, cadastral reform, and legal recognition of customary rights can unlock a cascade of benefits: increased agricultural productivity, reduced conflict, enhanced gender equity, and climate resilience.

For ESG-conscious private sector actors, especially in sectors such as agriculture, mining, and housing, tenure security is both a risk management issue and an opportunity. Secure rights reduce land disputes, foster community trust, and ensure compliance with global due diligence frameworks like the OECD Guidelines or the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive.

For climate and humanitarian funders, land is increasingly central to their mandates. Climate mitigation projects — whether afforestation or clean energy — require community land rights. And in humanitarian settings, durable solutions for displaced populations depend on access to safe, secure land for return or resettlement.

Enablers and Catalysts

The good news is that scalable, cost-effective tools exist. The global land community has developed a suite of innovations that make tenure security more accessible, affordable, and adaptable. Fit-for-purpose land administration approaches emphasise flexibility, local engagement, and progressive upgrading.

A key innovation of the Labondo Local Integration Project, has been the introduction of documentary evidence of tenure - a Certificate of Housing Unit (an incremental approach to secure tenure) - for beneficiaries in a community with no tradition of individual, exclusive rights in land. This breakthrough was the result of extensive negotiations between the Girei LGA, the Adamawa State Government, and UNHCR. (Photo: UNHCR Nigeria)

The Land Administration Domain Model (LADM), an ISO standard, enables interoperability across tenure systems and institutions. Participatory community mapping empowers communities to document and claim their land using accessible tools like GPS and mobile apps. Legal empowerment strategies train grassroots paralegals and local leaders to navigate complex tenure systems.

These tools work best when deployed in partnership with national governments, civil society, and local communities — particularly women, youth, and Indigenous peoples, who often face the greatest tenure insecurity.

Centring Local Leadership

Too often, land interventions are designed and delivered by international actors without sustained local leadership. This not only limits their impact but undermines legitimacy. Grassroots organisations, customary authorities, women’s cooperatives, and displaced communities must be at the centre of tenure reform efforts.

This requires more than token consultations. It demands investment in capacity development, flexible funding, and a shift in power toward those who know the terrain — literally and figuratively. It also calls for a new kind of diplomacy: one that recognises land not only as a domestic issue but as a global good.

A Call to Action

As the global community prepares for major financing summits, climate conferences, and multilateral reviews in the months ahead, land tenure must no longer be a blind spot. We call on donor governments to integrate land rights into all peacebuilding, humanitarian, and climate financing frameworks.

Multilateral institutions should fund tenure systems as core public infrastructure and track their contribution to resilience and equity. Private sector actors are urged to prioritize land due diligence and partner with local initiatives to strengthen land governance. And civil society and local communities must continue asserting their rights, innovating solutions, and demanding inclusion.

Tenure security is not a silver bullet — but it is a powerful enabler. When land rights are secure, people invest. When tenure is equitable, societies heal. When governance is transparent, peace has a place to grow.

In this moment of cascading crises, let us not forget that peace starts from the ground up — on land that is secure, shared, and just.