August 12, is International Youth Day, a UN day dedicated to raising awareness of the cultural and legal issues faced by youth around the world. This day provides an important opportunity to highlight why access to, ownership and use of land and other natural resources are important for youth.
Land matters to youth for a number of reasons: a) when youth have insecure land rights (as a result of being orphans, younger members of a household, or biased inheritance rules) they may face conflict and exploitation by more powerful actors; b) youth may be less able to access needed capital and inputs when their tenure rights are insecure. which may constrain their productivity; c) young women may face special challenges related to accessing and using land and inheriting property, which may limit economic growth and empowerment; and d) when rural land rights are insecure, youth may have incentives to migrate to urban centers, which can contribute to the growth of informal settlements.
Release Date: Tuesday, August 11, 2015