Land rights ceremony in Lao PDR celebrates major milestone for forest communities
This article is based on an interview with Hongthong Sirivath, Land and Livelihood Program Coordinator at Village Focus International in Lao PDR, who attended the ceremony in Khok Savang in May. Hongthong and Village Focus International were actively involved with the Mekong Region Land Governance (MRLG) Project in the Lao PDR national Customary Tenure Alliance […]
Supporting liveable climate sensitive cities through integrated urban land management
Renée Chartres, our Senior Land and Legal Specialist, shares her thoughts on urban land management and its many linkages with climate and other critical socio-political issues.
The MRLG Project Hosts the 4th Mekong Regional Land Forum, celebrating 11 years of the Project
In September 2025, the 4th Mekong Regional Land Forum brought together more than 450 participants in person and online to reflect on the future of land governance in the Mekong region.
Transformative Land Investment in Lao PDR, a conversation with Dr Thiphavong Boupha
TLI focuses on three interrelated pathways: investors, the national business ecosystem and the global and regional development community, employing a multi-tiered approach to change investor practices and enabling environments at all levels. The Project utilises a variety of tools and methods to do this including the development of tech tools like the Risk-Reward Model and […]
Piloting Resilience: Insights from the VARS Project in Vanuatu’s Urban Recovery
On 17th December 2024 around midday, a 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck just 30 km away from Vanuatu’s capital city of Port Vila. No stranger to disasters, the nation has weathered three major cyclones in 2023 alone. But recovery from this impact has felt a little different. 14 people tragically lost their lives, and an estimated […]
Building Resilience in Vanuatu: An Interview with Nik Regenvanu on Affordable Housing and Land Development Post-Disaster
In this interview, Nik Regenvanu, LEI’s Team Leader of the Vanuatu Affordable and Resilient Settlements (VARS) project, shares insights into his work addressing housing and land tenure challenges in Port Vila. With a background in banking, finance, and governance across the Pacific, Nik discusses the progress of the VARS project, its role in tackling affordable housing and secure land tenure, and the impact of the December 2024 earthquake on the region. He highlights the importance of collaborative efforts between the government, private sector, and communities in creating sustainable and resilient settlements for the future. Nik also discusses the critical role of financial institutions in facilitating affordable housing development, the need for long-term resilience planning, and his vision for Vanuatu’s urban growth beyond the immediate recovery efforts. The VARS project, supported by the World Bank and Vanuatu’s government, is seen as a potential model for similar initiatives across the Pacific, contributing to the region’s long-term stability and development.
Working on Improving Land Registration with Lesotho’s Community Councils
Good land registration is crucial for sustainable land management and securing land rights in Lesotho. It ensures clear ownership, resolves disputes, and protects tenure security. Overcoming challenges like women’s land rights and high registration costs can foster fairer, more transparent land systems.
Bringing Gender to the Forefront in Land Registration: Reflections from Lineo Rakaibe
Lineo Rakaibe is a gender expert working with LEI in Lesotho. She writes from her previous experience as a District Gender Officer under the Ministry of Gender, Youth and Social Development, and more recently as a Senior Gender and Social Inclusion Expert on the Land and Gender consultancy, part of the Market Driven Irrigated Horticulture (MDIH) project, which falls under the Millenium Challenge Corporation Lesotho Compact.
Social Integrity in Forest Carbon Investments: What Is It, and Why Do We Need It? Written by Naomi Basik Treanor
Finance for nature-based solutions is on the upswing. The voluntary carbon market (VCM) and carbon investments have seen remarkable growth, particularly for projects that incentivize protection of forests and other landscapes in carbon-rich regions such as the Mekong, and is projected to mobilize up to US$5 billion annually in the next decade. Yet, like any […]
Our Land Thoughts – Global Land Initiative Roundtable on Gender Issues in Post-Mining Land Restoration
5 billion ha globally are reported to be degraded – UN Global Land Outlook 2022 Global voluntary commitments to restore degraded land by 2030 have reached 1 billion ha – but these will take time. Every dollar invested in restoring degraded lands brings between $7-30 in economic returns $200billion financing flowed to Nature-based services (not […]
