Protecting and Strengthening the Land Tenure of Vulnerable Groups
October 13, 2016
Disputes over land access and control often escalate into violence and conflict leading to dispossession and forced displacement within and across borders. Estimates indicate that 56 percent of conflicts are related to land and that most conflicts take place in developing countries. At the end of 2015, 95 percent of the 65 million refugees and internally displaced people were living in developing countries. The central role of land to livelihood, identity and power, most notably in rural-based economies explains why disputes over access and control of land frequently escalate into armed conflict and mass displacement. This Note is part of a series of World Bank Thematic Guidance Notes on land and conflict that present key issues, challenges and guiding principles to address land tenure issues in conflict and post-conflict environments.
