Nine partnerships agreements signed to implement land governance activities in the Arab region

UN-Habitat and the Global Land tool Network announced in July 2019 a call for proposals to solicit interest from organisations from the Arab region to implement activities as part of the Arab Land Initiative, under the BMZ-funded “Arab region programme on good land governance in support to inclusive development, peace and stability”. Fifty-seven applications were received. The applications, all of good quality and very competitive, underwent a detailed screening process that considered the relevance and quality of the proposals, the capacity of the submitting organisations and regional balance. We are pleased to announce that nine partnership agreements have been awarded to successful candidates that will undertake different streams of land governance work over a period of 24 months. A description of the selected organisations and the streams of work that they will lead are described below. Land and Conflict, awarded to the Arab Group for the Protection of Nature Arab Group for the Protection of Nature (APN) is an independent non-profit organization based in Jordan seeking to enhance the Arab region’s sovereignty over food and natural resources, particularly in areas impacted by war, conflict and occupation. This area of work includes a regional study on land-related causes of conflict in the Arab region and an expert group meeting on the different dimensions of the land and conflict nexus. Monitoring Land Governance and Land Tenure Security, awarded to Rasheed TI Rasheed (Transparency International) is a non-for-profit civil society organization based in Jordan. Rasheed aims at reinforcing the involvement of the Jordanian citizen in anti-corruption activities; protecting private entities and public and local governance institutions against corruption; supporting the anti-corruption movement; enhancing the efficiency and independence of control agencies specialized in the area of anti-corruption; and strengthening the integrity of the legislative and judicial authorities. This area of work includes the organization of an expert group meeting as well as two training events on dealing with the improvement of land governance in the Arab region through the collection and analysis of land data. Land, Women Empowerment and Socio-Economic Development, awarded to the Union of Agricultural Work Committees The Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC) is the largest agricultural development institution in Palestine. UAWC response to the vulnerable socio-political circumstance faced by Palestinian farmers, as a result of the Israeli occupational policies. Their projects vary from agricultural land development, implementation of water supplies, capacity building, development of rural women's livelihoods, legal awareness, emergency response, and other agricultural development projects. This agreement involves a study on the evidence-based linkages between access to land and socio-economic development and empowerment, especially for women, in the Arab region and the organization of an expert group meeting and two training events on women’s access to land. Capacity and Knowledge Development, awarded to the Urban Training and Studies Institute Urban Training & Studies Institute (UTI) is an organisation affiliated to the Housing and Building National Research Centre (HBRC), an Egyptian national government research institution. UTI seeks to strengthen institutional and human resources capacities that can nurture the improvement of the living and environmental conditions of cities in Egypt and the Middle East. This area of work includes a capacity needs assessment on land governance in the Arab region; a review of the land-related curricula used in the region and globally; an assessment of existing land governance-related courses and institutions in the region and two capacity development events. Fit for purpose land administration, granted to the Regional Center for Remote Sensing of North African States The Regional Center for Remote Sensing of North African States (CRTEAN) is based in Tunisia and it is a centre for research and studies aiming at encouraging the institutions of its Member States for using remote sensing techniques and upstream systems in the areas of sustainable development and scientific research. It also fosters technology transfer and capacity building for member states. This agreement aims at developing knowledge and capacity on fit-for-purpose land administration principles and approaches and adapt them to the countries in the region. Land, Natural Resources and Climate Change, awarded to the Lebanese Center for Policy Studies Lebanese Center for Policy Studies (LCPS) is an independently managed, non-partisan, non-profit, non-governmental think tank based in Lebanon. its mission is to produce and advocate policies that improve governance in Lebanon and the Arab region. The agreement includes a study on the correlation between land tenure security, land degradation and climate change, an expert group meeting on land and climate change and one on pastoral land and range land. The Role of Land Professionals in Land Governance, awarded to Istidama Istidama is a Sudanese independent policy making Center for Land and Environmental Governance. It delivers specific assignments, according to needs, on topics related to land and environmental governance in Sudan. This agreement entails a capacity needs assessment of land professionals and a knowledge exchange on the role of land professional in fostering good land governance in the Arab region. Baseline study on land related legal and policy frameworks This area of work is being carried out through a consultancy. The study will assess land-related legal, policy and institutional frameworks in Arab countries, providing an analysis and a set of recommendations for reform and improvement. The Role of the Civil Society in Land Governance, awarded to the International Youth Council of Yemen International Youth Council (IYCY) is a non-profit, non-governmental and youth-led organization based in Yemen. Its projects include WASH, nutrition, food, health, governance, energy, environment and climate change as well as youth development. This agreement consists of the organization of a knowledge exchange event on the role of the civil society sector in land governance in the Arab region. These areas or work will be undertaken in a collaborative manner. Organisations, institutions and individual experts interested in being involved and contributing to these streams of work are welcome to contact GLTN and the Arab Land Initiative partners to express their interest in participating to upcoming discussions, send useful documents and materials, putting selected organisations in touch with experts and organisations with knowledge and expertise in the specific topics or also taking part in the various events being organised under the different streams of work. Please reach out to know more and to get involved in this exciting work!