Land Tenure Security in the Philippines: A Discussion Paper for ADB

Land is a key enabler and accelerator for sustainable development. With the inclusion of “access to ownership and control over land” under Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Target 1.4, there is greater recognition that land issues are linked to national and global issues.

Multilateral development banks (MDBs), including the Asian Development Bank (ADB), have directly or indirectly been financing initiatives that impact of land rights of communities, through loans and technical assistance projects. To facilitate an informed discourse on land tenure security, this paper was prepared to: (1) present the perspectives of CSOs and communities on land rights – its importance and relevance in the national context; (2) describe the views, interventions, and challenges on land rights as experienced by the ADB Country Office in the Philippines; and, (c) provide options for engaging CSOs on land rights in the Philippines.