Today, there are more than 1.2 billion youth in the  world, the largest number of youth ever to have  existed. These youth live, by and large, in cities and towns; the cities of the   developing world account for over 90 per cent of the world’s urban growth and youth account for a large percentage of those inhabitants. It is estimated that as many as 60 per cent of all urban dwellers will be under the age of 18 by 2030. This urban demographic “youth bulge” represents both a challenge as well as an untapped potential in moving the land rights and tenure security agenda forward. Youth are increasingly mobile, social and creative in a rapidly transforming world. This means that the needs and attitudes toward land are changing too.

This technical publication documents and draws lessons from the Philippine's experience in implementing alternative approaches in securing tenure for the urban poor. It also explores how these approaches can be institutionalized to achieve a larger scale and ensure sustainability.

The study examines three approaches: presidential land proclamations, the Community Mortgage Program, and the usufruct arrangement. The key features of each approach are described and their application illustrated through two actual cases.

The approaches are then analyzed in terms of the legal and institutional frameworks that supported their implementation and the benefits they delivered, both as perceived by the beneficiaries and in terms of meeting the broader social need for secure housing and tenure. The analysis also explores the factors which helped in the successful implementation of the approaches, as well as the constraints and difficulties encountered in the process.

Developing capacity in the land sector is central to the goals, objectives and activities of the Global Land Tool Network (GLTN), and we have embraced the idea of finding better ways to do it. We are actively engaged in integrating capacity development into everything we do. To guide us, we have formulated a comprehensive capacity development strategy, which is presented in this booklet.

The GLTN Capacity Development Strategy gives guidance on GLTN policy, operations and purpose. It provides the principles, strategic framework and operational guidelines needed to significantly gear up GLTN's work at the global, regional and, in particular, country level. Ultimately, the strategy will enable the development of the capacity of partners and institutions, necessary to test and implement pro-poor and gender responsive land tools for the achievement of land and property rights for all.

This publication is the summary of the proceedings of the Regional Learning Workshop on "Land and Natural Resources Tenure Security" held in Nairobi, Kenya from 29-31 May 2012 as jointly organized by UN-Habitat/Global Land Tool Network and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

The aim of the workshop was to deepen the understanding of land and natural resources tenure security issues and to identify opportunities to strengthen land tenure security and land access of the rural poor and marginalized groups in sub- Saharan Africa.

This report is also available in french.

This publication documents and draws lessons from the Philippines' experience in implementing alternative approaches in securing tenure for the urban poor. It also explores how these approaches can be institutionalized and ensure sustainability. The study examines three approaches: presidential land proclamations, the Community Mortgage Program, and the usufruct arrangement.

The key features of each approach are described and their application illustrated through two actual cases. The approaches are then analyzed in terms of the legal and institutional frameworks that supported their implementation and the benefits they delivered, both as perceived by the beneficiaries and in terms of meeting the broader social need for secure housing and tenure.

This document is intended to support the development of information about land (use, access, ownership, taxation, value, transfer and development potential) in a sustainable and effective way to facilitate urban land management. This framework draws on a range of field operations by UN-Habitat and others. It is the culmination of lessons learnt from a number of case studies covering a variety of developing and post-conflict countries (UN-Habitat, 2012).

The study of countries' experiences, based on the framework, focused on three main urban land management applications, namely: land administration (security of tenure and property administration), spatial planning (including regional and urban planning, settlement upgrading and regularization) and environmental management and planning. This framework is developed as a normative product in line with UN-Habitat's Medium Term Strategic and Institutional Plan (MTSIP) and its Enhanced Normative and Operational Framework (ENOF).

En marge de l’Assemblée Générale de la Fédération des Géomètres Francophones (FGF), ONU-Habitat et le Réseau Mondial des Instruments Fonciers (GLTN), a organisé une séance de formation sur la bonne gouvernance foncière. Cette rencontre technique et scientifique a réuni 130 experts géomètres, du secteur privé, du secteur public, enseignants, étudiants, venus de 13 pays d’Afrique Subsaharienne et d’Europe. Durant trois(3) jours différents thèmes ont été développés, relatifs à l’éthique et la déontologie de la profession de géomètre, le cadastre, la copropriété, la sécurisation foncière et la gouvernance foncière. La formation a été complétée par un exercice pratique sur l’utilisation du GPS. Cet atelier, premier du genre, répond à l’objectif de la FGF de promouvoir un haut niveau de qualification des géomètres, afin que la profession contribue efficacement à la sécurisation foncière dans les pays francophones, notamment en Afrique, continent où ses adhérents sont les plus nombreux et où le manque de formation est une réalité récurrente. Il fait suite au séminaire d’évaluation des besoins en formation des géomètres d’Afrique francophones, qui a lieu à Niamey au cours de l’année 2010. Les participants ont apprécié la qualité des débats et formulé des recommandations pour une poursuite de ce genre de formation qui participe à l’amélioration de l’expertise des géomètres et à la valorisation de la profession.

A mid-term evaluation of the Global Land Tool Network (GLTN) was carried out to inform the planning and decision-making of the second phase of GLTN. The GLTN was launched in June 2006 with the goal of contributing to poverty alleviation and the Millennium Development Goals through land reform, improved land management and security of tenure.

The Network is supported by a project implemented by UN-Habitat and funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) and the Government of Norway. The evaluation found that the GLTN had made impressive progress in achieving its expected outcomes, given its limited staff base and the short time in which funding has been available to implement activities. Further efforts are now required to reach national governments and those designing land projects.

This publication from the Global Land Tool Network (GLTN) belongs to a series of research reports examining the changing landscape of land tenure security in developing countries. The intent is to provide up-to-date information to land professionals and policy-makers working in the land sector and to raise awareness on what is being done at the country level.

This study focuses on how Ethiopian land law has been implemented in practice. In particular, it examines how the position of women, in cases of divorce or death of their husbands, may have changed and whether the new laws have impacts on the empowerment of women. Gender impacts are also captured by comparing the situation of female-headed househoulds. This report is an abridged version of the full research paper available on the GLTN website.