The World Bank Land Conference is a leading international event in the land sector, drawing more than 1,000 attendees from governments, civil society, academia, development organizations, and the private sector. It serves as a platform to present research with policy implications, address technical challenges, and share best practices in the field. The conference also fosters collaboration across sectors and has been the starting point for many initiatives, investments, and research efforts—such as the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure (VGGTs), the Land Governance Assessment Framework, and the Stand for Her Land Campaign.
In 2025, the conference theme is all about moving from awareness to action to secure land tenure. Sessions will highlight effective strategies for land access and tenure security, as well as for scaling up land-sector investments and policy reforms that promote economic growth and environmental sustainability.
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CIFOR-ICRAF agenda
Transforming discriminatory norms to strengthen women’s land rights: Examples from the Stand for Her Land global advocacy initiative
Securing women’s land rights (WLR)—including rights to land, property, housing, territory, and natural resources—is essential for achieving gender equality and advancing the objectives of the three Rio Conventions on climate change, biodiversity, and land degradation.
However, despite strong legal and normative frameworks at both global and national levels, women’s land rights are frequently not realized in practice. This persistent “implementation gap”—the disconnect between policy and reality—is often driven by weak political will and deeply rooted patriarchal norms. Addressing this gap is the central mission of the Stand for Her Land global advocacy campaign, which is working in 10 countries and globally to turn legal rights into lived realities.
A core strategy of the initiative is the design and implementation of social norms and behavior change (SNBC) programming, aimed at shifting societal attitudes and promoting the enforcement of WLR.
This session will highlight recent work by the Stand for Her Land Ethiopia Coalition, which has partnered with church leaders to promote gender-equitable land rights. It will also feature additional SNBC and gender-transformative approaches from other partners in the coalition.
Mary Vigoda
Laura Bermudez
Christian Jörg Mesmer
