Supporting countries in digital transformation through several core focus areas

Effective land administration systems are essential for documenting, recognizing and protecting legitimate tenure rights. In many countries, however, land administration institutions face significant challenges, including outdated land systems and procedures and limited access to reliable land data. These challenges can affect the recognition of land rights and the ability of institutions to manage land in an inclusive and transparent manner.

Securing land rights requires institutions, methodologies, and inclusive processes that can record, protect and enforce tenure claims, including the collective and customary rights of Indigenous Peoples and other customary and rural communities.

In this context, FAO supports countries in modernizing land administration systems and improving service delivery by:

• Strengthening land information and spatial data systems.
• Supporting cadastral and non-cadastral records.
• Deploying fit-for-purpose and participatory mapping approaches at scale.
• Promoting inclusive and rights-based approaches that recognize customary and collective tenure systems, including those of Indigenous Peoples.

These efforts enable the recognition of individual, collective and customary rights, reduce disputes, enhance legal certainty, and support fair compensation and restitution mechanisms. They also contribute to improving transparency, accountability, and accessibility of land administration services, particularly for vulnerable and historically excluded groups.

These processes can contribute to strengthening resilience and responding to crisis situations while ensuring that legitimate tenure rights of all rightsholders, including Indigenous Peoples and communities with customary tenure systems, are recognized and protected.