Achieving Restoration Objectives through Safeguarding Legitimate Tenure Rights

Smallholders need secure land tenure to ensure investments in ecosystem restoration and food security and land-based adaptation options for millions of people around the world. As the global community scrambles to address multiple crises, responsible land governance is more urgent than ever before.

In this context, TMG Research and its partners have developed a human rights-based approach to land governance monitoring, including a reference tool called the Human Rights and Land Navigator, which they will launch during this side event session. The online tool aims to make the UN-backed Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries, and Forests in the Context of National Food Security (VGGT) more tangible by detailing the human rights on which they are based.

During the session, UNCCD stakeholders and human rights actors will discuss the potential of the international human rights system and the new tool to enhance the implementation of the VGGT and safeguard legitimate tenure rights for ecosystem restoration. The event will provide practical entry points for land rights defenders, national-level policymakers and human rights bodies to advocate for and monitor progress on land governance instruments.