Global Land Forum 2022 to kick off in Jordan on May 23

AMMAN — The Global Land Forum will be launched next Monday for the first time in the Middle East and Africa under the title "Towards Solutions to Climate Change Crises". 

More than 800 participants and speakers from 78 countries will attend the event to discuss critical issues related to climate change, land and government, food and other topics, according to a statement from the organisers.

The Global Land Forum (GLF) is organised once every three years by the International Earth Alliance (ILC) — the largest coalition working on land rights in the world — and Jordan will host the ninth edition of it, represented by the Ministry of Agriculture and the SEEDS Foundation, and in partnership with the European Union.

The GLF is a forum that will combine various values, such as sustainability, innovation, transparency, land governance and women’s land rights in one place, said Raed Gharib, co-chair of the National Organising Committee (SEEDS Jordan), in a recent interview with The Jordan Times.

“The GLF is geared towards strengthening policies and actions for responsible land reform, governance and management,” he added. 

Prior to the GLF, over 100 young people between 18 and 35 from 35 countries will attend the first ever Global Land Forum Youth (GLFY). 

The event, co-organised by the International Land Coalition (ILC), SEEDS Jordan, the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature, and the Ministry of Youth in Jordan, will take place over two and half days (21-23 May) at the Ajloun Forest Reserve.

The GLFY will include debates and actions to encourage youth participation in finding solutions for a more sustainable and a more resilient world, according to Gharib. 

He noted that “the two days at GLFY are also focused on putting forward the local community’s traditions and culture”. 

He also said a youth charter will be launched on the third day of the forum.

Acting RSCN director general Fadi Al Naser said that hosting the forum is a positive step for Jordan, adding that, “holding the first ever GLFY in a natural reserve is proof of the importance of the Kingdom’s natural reserves”.