The livelihoods of billions of farmers, pastoralists, and other rural communities are highly dependent on secure access to land resources. Land tenure security is also directly linked to the progressive realisation of several human rights, such as the right to food and adequate housing, and gender equality.

With nearly 90% of its population directly dependent on agriculture, Malawi is a case in point. High population growth rates, growing urbanisation and land concentration, and the promotion of investments in large-scale farming, all place additional pressure on scarce land resources. The impacts are particularly felt by female farmers, who often lack decision-making power over land and other economic assets.

The landmark Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the context of national food security provide a strong foundation for monitoring land governance. By placing an emphasis on multi-stakeholder platforms, and other inclusive processes to promote tenure rights, the voluntary guidelines echo the spirit of the Sustainable Development Goals, and other global instruments that seek to promote inclusive and sustainable development.

The Human Rights-Based Land Governance Monitoring Project focuses on land conflicts and violations of rights experienced by vulnerable and marginalized land users. It aims to strengthen responsible land governance to improve the livelihoods of vulnerable and marginalized communities in Malawi. It does so by using a monitoring methodology linking land conflicts to possible human rights violations and the respective treaties.

Together with the Danish Institute for Human Rights (DIHR) and the Malawi Human Rights Commission (MHRC), the monitoring methodology is further refined and tools for case-based assessments are developed. The project aims to support NHRIs and CSOs working in the land and human rights sector to monitor existing land conflicts and to reveal governance deficits leading to human rights violations.