Newly published UN-Habitat/GLTN case study “Advancing Fit-for-Purpose Land Administration for Peacebuilding and the Sustainable Return of IDPs in Darfur”!
Land and natural resources remain at the heart of inter-communal conflict in Darfur and constitute the key enabler to durable solutions for internally displaced persons and returnees. This brief presents practical experiences and lessons learned by UN-Habitat, GLTN and their partners from implementing fit-for-purpose land administration across Darfur since 2016, offering evidence-based guidance for policymakers and practitioners addressing land governance in conflict-affected contexts.
Drawing from field experience, the brief demonstrates how participatory, community-based land administration approaches can support the sustainable return of IDPs, strengthen tenure security and contribute to peacebuilding. The brief showcases innovative applications of the Social Tenure Domain Model (STDM), which was translated into Arabic for the first time, along with community-based mapping processes that facilitated the reintegration of IDPs in return villages.
Key outcomes include empowered local authorities and communities, enhanced land management tools and approaches and improved coordination among stakeholders. The brief also identifies critical lessons learned about building trust with national partners, managing expectations and investing in sustainable capacity building. These insights are especially urgent given the current displacement crisis in Sudan, now considered the largest globally.
Download the brief on Fit-for-Purpose Land Administration in Darfur.
Download Darfur Land Administration Assessment full Report (English)
Download تقييم إدارة األأراضي في دارفور summary Report (Arabic)
Photo: Aerial view of Goz al-Haj Camp, where civilians fleeing the civil war in Sudan complain of mistreatment by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), who they say displaced them as they struggle to survive the cold and a food crisis in Shendi city, north of Khartoum, Sudan, 25 December 2024. Source: Osman Bakir/Anadolu/Getty.
