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Global Land Tool Network - GLTN

Facilitated by UN-HABITAT

http://www.gltn.net/en/about-the-e-forum.html

The Global Land Tool Network (GLTN) secretariat, hosted by UN-HABITAT and located in Land Tenure and Property Administration Section (LTPAS), Shelter Branch is focused on establishing a continuum of land rights and the creation of innovative, pro poor, scalable and gender-sensitive land management and land tenure tools.

Despite progress on women’s rights on some fronts over the last few decades, it is recognized that women’s access to land and security of tenure remains very low. Although more gender disaggregated data is necessary in this field, it is estimated that only 2% of women in developing countries own land. Development approaches to implement women’s land rights are driven largely by a poverty-alleviation (pro-poor) agenda have largely been ineffective. Women are disproportionately affected by gender blind/neutral approaches and are unable to access ‘paper rights’.

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The GLTN - Global Land Tool Network, has started working on developing evaluation criteria on gender-responsive land tools through two workshops (one in Lukenya, Kenya in 2007 and one in Bagamoyo, Tanzania in 2008).

· Evaluation criteria from Lukenya

· Evaluation criteria from Bagamoyo

· Merged criteria

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http://www.gltn.net/en/on-going-initatives/islamic-land-tools.html

September 19, 2008

Islamic Land Tools

The objective of the GLTN Islamic Land Tools initiative is to facilitate the development of innovative, pro-poor, affordable and scalable gendered Islamic land tools that could be used appropriately in specific contexts.

The demand for pro-poor, gendered and affordable Islamic tools arose out of the engagement of UN-HABITAT and GLTN partners in a range of countries Afghanistan to Indonesia and Somalia to South Africa. Over 20 percent of the world's population is Muslim but there has been little research on the complex and distinctive forms of land tenure and land rights and rarely do global reviews of land tenure take Islamic laws sufficiently into account. However, it is apparent that though the influence of Islamic norms varies greatly from country to country, they need to be squarely dealt with in the pursuit of land, property and housing rights in the Muslim world.

UN-HABITAT has long recognized that while land, property and housing rights are generally cross-cultural and asserted within every socio-economic and political system, the practice regarding their regulation and protection may take different forms.  Islamic principles relating to land rights are therefore to be addressed as religious manifestations of cultural or traditional norms but must be constructively appraised in order to appreciate their relevance for Muslim societies in general.  In clarifying Islamic principles and developing effective tools, injurious cultural practices carried out in the name of religion could be countered. 

More information:

Overview of pages of interest

Publications and position papers

Read the Cairo declaration

Read the East London Guiding Principles on Islamic Land Tools

Land Property And Housing Rights In The Muslim World

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