Land and Conflict Prevention / John W. Bruce with Sally Holt. (Both softcopy and hardcopy)

“Conflict Prevention Handbook Series"

1. Context and Analytical Framework 11
1.1. The Link between Land and Conflict 11
1.2. About the Handbook 12
1.2.1. Aims and Audience 12
1.2.2. Focus 13
1.2.3. Approaches 15
1.2.4. Handbook Structure 17
2. Process, Principles and Objectives 19
2.1. Process 19
Step 1: Scoping 19
Step 2: Assessment 19
Step 3: Proposing Response Options 20
Step 4: Ensuring Effective Roles 20
2.2. General Principles 20
2.2.1. Stakeholder Engagement 20
2.2.2. Developing Responses 21
2.3. Objectives 22
3. Navigating the Normative Environment 23
3.1. Legal Pluralism 23
3.1.1. Bodies of Law 24
3.1.2. Legal Pluralism and Conflict 25
3.2. National Law and Practice 26
3.2.1. The Nature of Rights in Land Resources 26
3.3. Customary Land Law 28
3.3.1. Nature and Characteristics of Customary Land Law 28
3.3.2. Relationship with National Law: Conflict Potential 30
4. International Law and Practice: A Framework for Assessing and Addressing
Conflicts Over Land 31
4.1. Fundamental Rights: Protection of—and Access to—Land Resources 32
4.1.1. Security in Land and Land-based Resources 32
4.1.2. Access to Land and Land-based Resources 32
4.1.3. Potential Tensions between Approaches 33
4.1.4. Trends 33
4.2. Non-Discrimination and Equality 33
4.2.1. Determining Discrimination 34
4.3. Rights Accorded to Specific Groups 36
4.3.1. Rights of Women 36
4.3.2. Children’s rights 37
4.3.3. Rights of Indigenous Peoples 37
4.3.4. Rights of Minorities 39
4.3.5. Rights of Refugees and Displaced Persons 39
4.4. Balancing Rights 40
4.5. Other Sources of International Standards 42
4.6. International Standards and National Law 42
5. Scoping (Step 1) 45
5.1. Identifying the Sources and Nature of (Potential) Conflict 45
5.1.1. Root Causes of Conflict 45
5.1.2. Proximate Causes and Trigger Events 49
5.1.3. Stages of Land Conflict 52
5.2. Preliminary Characterisation and Assessment 53
5.2.1. Process 53
5.2.2. Information Sources 55
6. Assessment (Step 2) 57
6.1. Stakeholder Analysis 57
6.1.1. Data Gathering 57
6.1.2. Analysis 59
6.2. Assessing Legal and Institutional Frameworks 60
6.2.1. Where to Look: Sources of National Law on Land Resources 60
6.2.2. Assessing the Legal Framework: Solution of Problem? 65
6.2.3. Identifying Normative Failures 68
6.2.4. Assessing Land Sector Institutions 71
6.3. Assessing Prospects for Change 76
7. Proposing Response Options (Step 3) 77
7.1. Process Measures 77
7.1.1. Reforms in Land Governance 77
7.1.2. Towards Effective Land Dispute Resolution 79
7.1.3. The Roles of Legal Awareness Building and Legal Enabling 84
7.2. Substantive Reforms 87
7.2.1. Normative Change as the Basis for Reform 87
7.2.2. Building Security of Tenure to Avoid Displacement 90
7.2.3. Limiting Dispossession: Restraining State Action 94
7.2.4. Limiting Dispossession: Restraining the Market 99
7.2.5. Improving Access 101
8. Ensuring Effective Roles (Step 4) 107
8.1. Nature and Potential Roles of Conflict Prevention Actors 107
8.2. Promoting Needed Responses 108
8.2.1. Fact-Finding and Awareness-Raising 108
8.2.2. Encouraging Policy and Legal Reform 110
8.3. Local Community Empowerment 115
8.3.1. Risks and Challenges 115
8.3.2. Potential Opportunities 116
8.4. Monitoring and Evaluation 118
8.4.1. Who Should do it? 118
8.4.2. Methodologies 118
8.5. Funding and Coordination 119
8.5.1. Obstacles to Coordination 119
8.5.2. Coordination Mechanisms 119
8.5.3. Organisational Roles and Initiatives 120
ANNEX I. SELECTED INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS 123
ANNEX II. SELECTED EXTRACTS FROM INTERNATIONAL INSTRUMENTS 129
ANNEX III. USEFUL LINKS AND PUBLICATIONS 141
I. Useful Links 141
II. Useful Publications 142
Series Topics 144

Provides step‑by‑step guidance on policy, law, and institutional reforms in the land sector for conflict prevention, with process-oriented tools to manage land-related tensions.