Land governance remains a critical, yet unevenly implemented priority across the Global South. While legal and policy reforms increasingly recognize various aspects of land governance, including the use of technology for greater efficiency, significant gaps remain in practice, institutional culture, customary systems, and implementation. Africa and India share common challenges, including patriarchal norms, weak enforcement of legislation, and the marginalization of grassroots women in decision-making processes.

This session will draw on lessons from various countries based on their experiences and the themes they have worked on in land governance. Each organization, specializing in a different theme, will share their insights on what has worked for them, focusing on one or two intersectional issues, such as gender or climate. By creating a South-South learning platform, the session will highlight both shared constraints and context-specific innovations that have enabled more inclusive land systems. It will also explore how research, community participation, institutional transformation, and locally led strategies can drive long-term impact.

2.  Objectives

The session aims to:

·  Share comparative experiences from different countries on advancing inclusive land governance.

·  Examine both legal and informal/customary systems, as well as technology, that contribute to better land administration.

·  Discuss institutional strategies for embedding gender/climate/land tenure/ equity in policy, research, and land administration.

·   Highlight opportunities for South-South collaboration in strengthening evidence-based and inclusive land governance.

Expected Outcomes

·  Strengthened cross-regional knowledge exchange in global South.

·  Insight into how policy commitments can be translated into implementation

·  Foundation for potential follow-up collaborations, publications, or South–South platforms