Human Rights-Based Land Governance Monitoring in Malawi

Exploring innovative tools to link human rights to land governance monitoring

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.
Project Name
Human Rights-Based Land Governance Monitoring in Malawi
Duration
2021-2022

News & Blog Posts

The power of human rights to protect tenure rights
Blog Post

The power of human rights to protect tenure rights

A call to human rights and land actors to join hands and advance human rights-based approaches to land governance
Commemorating the 10th Anniversary of the Voluntary Guidelines on Tenure (VGGT)
Blog Post

Commemorating the 10th Anniversary of the Voluntary Guidelines on Tenure (VGGT)

A Decade of the CFS VGGT: assessing progress and enhancing accountability
Land governance in Malawi: assessing the results of human rights-based monitoring initiatives
News

Land governance in Malawi: assessing the results of human rights-based monitoring initiatives

A workshop conveying multiple partners from civil society, academia and government
Strengthening responsible land governance by linking land rights to human rights
Publication

Strengthening responsible land governance by linking land rights to human rights

New concept note outlines the rationale behind land rights project in Malawi
Strengthening Accountability for Responsible Land Governance: Linking Governance of Tenure to Human Rights
Publication

Strengthening Accountability for Responsible Land Governance: Linking Governance of Tenure to Human Rights

New article makes a case for adopting human rights-based approaches to monitoring in order to strengthen responsible land governance
How should we apply the Voluntary Guidelines on Tenure? Takeaways from a training session ahead of the 10th anniversary of the VGGT
Blog Post

How should we apply the Voluntary Guidelines on Tenure? Takeaways from a training session ahead of the 10th anniversary of the VGGT

TMG Research hosted a VGGT Training in August 2021, focusing on the practical implementation of the Guidelines within its partner countries. This article summarizes the key takeaways.

Publications

The Human Rights and Land Navigator: Strengthening responsible land governance

Working Paper

The Human Rights and Land Navigator: Strengthening responsible land governance

Ilse Pelkmans, David Betge, Elena Müller & Jes Weigelt

Introducing the Human Rights and Land Navigator, an online database that links the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests (VGGT) to binding human rights standards

Strengthening Accountability for Responsible Land Governance: Linking Governance of Tenure to Human Rights

Article

Strengthening Accountability for Responsible Land Governance: Linking Governance of Tenure to Human Rights

Anna Katharina Kramer, Frederike Klümper, Alexander Müller, Francesca Thornberry

Making a case for adopting human rights-based monitoring approaches to strengthen the implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure

Videos

  • Monitoring the Human Right to Land

    A tool for monitoring land-based human rights violations

  • No Sustainability Transition Without Securing Legitimate Land Rights - TMG @ COP 15

    TMG and partners bring "Rights to Land" agenda to COP 15

  • The Human Rights & Land Navigator

    A new instrument instrument for strengthening the application of the voluntary guidelines on tenure

Learn more about our activities

Check out our different channels where we publish articles, videos, and analyses of global and local debates

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).

Our main address is EUREF Campus 6-9, 10829 Berlin, Germany.

© 2023 TMG Think Tank for Sustainability. All Rights Reserved.