Formalized, transparent, and accountable land tenure empowers citizens to invest in their own communities and protect their natural resources, as well as interact peacefully with each other, private companies, and the government by reducing threats of land grabs. Likewise, when governments allow communities to participate in the management of their natural resources, those resources can become a source of significant economic benefits, helping break the poverty cycle in developing communities. These benefits are especially significant for women and other marginalized populations. In households where women own land, children are up to 10% less likely to be sick, and women save 3.8 times more income than in communities where these rights are not guaranteed.
As OGP Local grows, there is increasing interest in how land and space are used at the regional, provincial, and municipal levels. Encouraging entrepreneurship, social interaction, equal opportunities, and healthy communities is increasingly a priority in the modern era. Ensuring transparency in land use and planning decisions is essential for these goals.
More than half of all OGP members have made at least one commitment related to land management and rights. These commitments tend to be highly effective; commitments related to land management are more frequently completed and impactful than OGP commitments in other areas. According to OGP’s Independent Reporting Mechanism, more than one third of land and spatial planning commitments result in significant improvements to government openness.