Youth, Land, and Climate Justice: Turning Data Into Power
12 May 2025
Despite the fact that land supports the world’s food systems and community well-being, land continues to be unequally distributed, poorly governed, and insecure for billions of people. While 50-65 percent of the world’s land is occupied and used by Indigenous Peoples and communities, only an estimated 10 percent of the world’s land is legally recognized as belonging to them, with another 8 percent designated by governments for them.
From Data to Action: How Transparency Can Power a Just Energy Transition
07 May 2025
As the world races toward climate resilience and sustainable development, one truth grows clearer: we cannot reach a just energy transition without just land governance. On May 6, 2025, the World Bank Land Conference hosted the session “From Data to Action: Tools to Monitor Corruption, Improve Transparency, and Enable a Just Energy Transition” to tackle the persistent challenge of land corruption and transparency head-on. Drawing from case studies across Africa, Latin America, and the Western Balkans, panelists made a compelling case for transparency as both a shield against corruption and a catalyst for climate justice.
Global Land Governance and Tenure: A Call to Action
07 May 2025
On May 6, 2025, land tenure and governance took center stage at the World Bank Land Conference in Washington D.C., with the high-level plenary session “Global Land Governance and Tenure: A Call to Action.” This session convened an influential coalition of global actors—government ministers, technical experts, and civil society leaders—to spotlight how securing land rights can accelerate progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially SDG 1.4.2 on land tenure.
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Countries
Land-locked Laos has the lowest population density in Southeast Asia and livelihoods mostly rely on rice farming and non-forest products. In 2023, the remaining forest cover reached a historic low with 40%. As a result of the Turning Land into Capital Strategy in 2006, the country has experienced massive investments in hydropower, and agricultural and forest concessions. The revised Land and Forestry laws of 2019 recognize customary tenure for the first time. Laos is highly vulnerable to climate stress.
Nicknamed the "country of the distant sunset," due to its western location compared to Levant countries of the Middle East, Morocco is a Maghreb country characterized by a wide variety of natural environments. Its landscapes range from snow-capped peaks to desert areas dotted with oases, arable plains, and oak and cedar forests. Over time, Morocco's rich history has shaped the way land is governed. The Islamization of the country, its colonization, and then its accession to independence successively transformed customary practices but did not entirely eliminate them. This complex history has resulted in a layered land tenure system, with different categories of land established during these various periods existing side-by-side today.
Issues
Forests and woodlands provide livelihoods for many communities who rely on timber, firewood, building materials, non-wood forest products, fodder, food, medical plants, and water. According to FAO, more than 2.6 billion people depend on forests and their products and services which are mostly used informally. Despite the importance of forest tenure reform, it has not received enough attention. Forest tenure and property rights determine who owns and manages forest resources.
The SDG Land Tracker provides easy access to official data and information on all land-specific SDG indicators. It concisely explains the indicators, why they are important, and tracks progress.