Global Soil Week

Strengthening accountability processes for soil restoration and responsible land governance

The objective of the current work of the GSW (2021-2024) is to strengthen the profile of soil and land resources as a fundamental pillar of sustainable development. A key entry point is supporting efforts towards the Sustainable Development Goal 15 target of achieving a land degradation neutral world. These efforts build on a decision on land tenure adopted by the 14th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification in 2019. Referencing the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security, the decision positions people and vulnerable groups at the centre of the Convention’s agenda and recognizes the urgency of addressing land governance issues.
Ultimately, however, progress on this ambitious decision will depend on its implementation at the national and sub-national levels. For this, effective follow up, review, and reporting processes are essential to ensure transparency and accountability, and safeguard the legitimate land rights of smallholder farmers, indigenous communities, women, and other marginalized groups. Unfortunately, this important step is often overlooked because of various methodological and practical challenges. To bridge these gaps, this project seeks to enhance collaboration with civil society organizations working on responsible land governance issues, who have amassed a vast array of procedural knowledge and cannot only provide vital and meaningful expertise in monitoring and reporting, but also support parties in implementing land degradation neutrality measures that are in line with the land tenure decision.
The GSW started out as a conference series and was initiated by Klaus Töpfer, founding Executive Director of the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) in Potsdam and former Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme. In 2017, with support from its partners, the GSW moved from its base at IASS to TMG Research, with the objective of creating an independent global platform.
To learn more about the project, visit its official
Team

News & Blog Posts

Women's rights ARE human rights
Blog Post

Women's rights ARE human rights

Harnessing the power of human rights to secure women's land tenure security
Unlocking the potential of the Voluntary Guidelines on Land Tenure in food system transformation
Blog Post

Unlocking the potential of the Voluntary Guidelines on Land Tenure in food system transformation

A summary of the CFS 50 side event, Unlocking the potential of the VGGT through Land Degradation Neutrality
The race to net zero: Balancing between ecosystem restoration and safeguarding legitimate land rights?
Blog Post

The race to net zero: Balancing between ecosystem restoration and safeguarding legitimate land rights?

A summary of the GLF Africa session: Our Landscape, Our Rights, Our Investment
Responsible Land Governance in Land Degradation Neutrality Programmes: Insights from Benin and Kenya
Publication

Responsible Land Governance in Land Degradation Neutrality Programmes: Insights from Benin and Kenya

Translating UNCCD Decision 26/COP14 on land tenure into national processes and monitoring the impact of LDN initiatives on land governance
Lier les droits fonciers des petits exploitants aux objectifs de neutralité en matière de dégradation des terres
Publication

Lier les droits fonciers des petits exploitants aux objectifs de neutralité en matière de dégradation des terres

Des études menées au Bénin et au Kenya soulignent l'importance de garantir les droits fonciers communaux dans les projets de restauration des terres.
It starts with people: The human rights imperative for achieving large-scale restoration targets
Blog Post

It starts with people: The human rights imperative for achieving large-scale restoration targets

Contextualising a GFFA Expert Panel hosted by TMG Research

Publications

Responsible Land Governance in Land Degradation Neutrality Programmes: Insights from Benin and Kenya

Report

Responsible Land Governance in Land Degradation Neutrality Programmes: Insights from Benin and Kenya

Check Abdel Kader Baba, Brian Washe Kazungu, Jes Weigelt & Anna Kramer

Global Soil Week 2021 Synthesis Report

Governance foncière responsable dans les programmes de la NDT au Bénin

Working Paper

Governance foncière responsable dans les programmes de la NDT au Bénin

Kader Baba, Anna Kramer, Charles Tamou

Ce rapport de la Global Soil Week 2021 fait le suivi des effets des mesures de la neutralité en matière de dégradation des terres sur la gouvernance foncière au Bénin

Global Soil Week 2021: Kenya Country Report

Working Paper

Global Soil Week 2021: Kenya Country Report

Brian Washe Kazungu, Anna Kramer, Jes Weigelt, Oscar Schmidt

This report from the Global Soil Week 2021 monitors the effects of Land Degradation Neutrality measures on land governance in Kenya.

Global Soil Week 2021: Benin Country Report

Working Paper

Global Soil Week 2021: Benin Country Report

Kader Baba, Anna Kramer, Charles Tamou

This report from the Global Soil Week 2021 monitors the effects of Land Degradation Neutrality measures on land governance in Benin.

Global Soil Week - Benin Pilot Study

Info Brief

Global Soil Week - Benin Pilot Study

Oscar Schmidt, Check Abdel Kader Baba

Info brief on the Benin pilot study of the Global Soil Week project for sustainable soil management and responsible land governance

Global Soil Week - Kenya Pilot Study

Info Brief

Global Soil Week - Kenya Pilot Study

Oscar Schmidt, Serah Kiragu-Wissler

Info brief on the Kenya pilot study of the Global Soil Week project for sustainable soil management and responsible land governance

Videos

  • The State of Land Degradation Neutrality in Madagascar

    Just Transitions towards Land Degradation Neutrality: Tenure Rights for Soil Restoration

  • Building Back Better and Greener with Agroecology

    A video marking the launch of the Transformative Partnership Platform (TPP) on agroecology

  • Agroecology for Adaptation - Systemic Challenges/Systemic Responses

    A video sharing perspectives from diverse experts on how to create an enabling environment to support smallholder-led innovations for climate change adaptation

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TMG Think Tank for Sustainability consists of TMG Research gGmbH, an independent, non-partisan, non-for-profit organization registered in Berlin (District Court Charlottenburg, HRB 186018 B, USt.-ID: DE311653675) and TMG - Töpfer, Müller, Gaßner GmbH, a private company registered in Berlin (District Court Charlottenburg, HRB 177576 B USt.-ID: DE306832549).

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