Women
16
Policies changed
8
practises changed
11
Agendas
Less than 20% of the world's landowners are women.
Women play a pivotal role in food production, environmental stewardship, and household food security.
Yet, Although 164 countries legally recognise a woman’s right to access, own and control land, only 52 countries guarantee these rights in practice.
Globally, barriers to securing women’s land rights include discriminatory laws, cultural norms, and lack of access to resources and information. When they do own land, it’s usually of poorer quality and on smaller plots than men. As a result, women are often excluded from decision-making processes and economic opportunities, perpetuating cycles of poverty and inequality.
We’re working to change that.
Recognising that women’s land rights intersect with climate resilience, conflict resolution, and economic justice, the International Land Coalition’s (ILC) programme aligns with broader global efforts. Among other initiatives, we work in line with the Generation Equality Forum, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, and the SDG Land Momentum Group, to advance a just and sustainable future.
Securing land rights for women is not just a question of equity but by securing them, we move closer to systems that are more resilient, and sustainable.
HOW WE’RE DOING THIS.
The ILC is at the forefront of the fight for women's land rights. By partnering with communities and governments, by supporting women land defenders, ILC is working to advocate for policy change, reform discriminatory laws, empower women leaders and collect and utilise data for accountability, ensuring women have equal rights to land ownership and inheritance.
Shifting power to women’s organisations and leaders
Strengthening the participation of grassroots women’s organisations across 22 countries so they can influence national, regional and global land policies.
Direct support to women’s organisations
Establishing a grassroots women’s land rights fund to support local and community organisations initiatives to increase access to land, legal aid, and environmental protection, fostering local leadership and collective action.
Policy reform and legal accountability
Leveraging international frameworks such as CEDAW and the SDGs to hold governments accountable for commitments to women’s land rights.
Capacity strengthening
Supporting women through peer-to-peer training in becoming leaders and advocates for their land rights within their communities.
Research and data collection
Gathering sex-disaggregated data to highlight the disparities in land ownership and the challenges facing land rights defenders and use this information to drive policy changes and hold governments accountable.
Awareness campaigns
Conducting campaigns, such as the Stand For Her Land initiative to educate the public and policymakers about the importance of women's land rights for achieving gender equality and sustainable development.
Our women-led people's organisations
27
ORGANISATIONS
370,480
People Represented
21
Countries
Speaking up in Peru
“Women are no longer going to be like in the past, women are going to be equal to men, or perhaps even more so." - Maribel Barrientos Najarro, Community Treasurer, Santa Rosa de Huancapuquio
Meet Maribel
My husband's land
When Justine Epse Bel lost her husband, she also lost her land. As a woman, she had no inheritance rights over the land she called home. Like her, many other women - unmarried or widowed - in the village of Log-dikit in Cameroon
Meet Justine
Freedom, land and a home to call her own
Parvati Luhar tells us her story as part of the work of NLC Nepal
Meet Parvati
TRANSFORMATIVE LEADERSHIP FOR WOMEN’S LAND RIGHTS: A LEARNING JOURNEY
8 September 2020
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CEDAW SHADOW REPORT ON THE SITUATION OF RURAL WOMEN IN THE PHILIPPINES
2 October 2023
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An analysis on women’s land rights in the rural communities of Bangladesh
5 January 2023
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