In 2026 the LANDac annual conference is centered on the theme of Land, Conflict and Peace. This conference offers the opportunity to explore issues at the crossroads of land governance and peace, conflict, and humanitarian studies. It invites reflection on how war and its aftermath reshape our understanding of land governance and call for new, context-sensitive approaches. Such reflection is more urgent than ever: today, around 50 countries of the world are experiencing war or organized violence, affecting roughly one in six people worldwide. In the current context of myriad global and local conflicts, this important theme aims to encourage rich discussion between participants from academia, practitioners, and policy makers.
The relationship between land and conflict, and the ways in which conflict redefines land access and rights, are common themes for practitioners working in land governance, and have also been explored in academic debates across a number of fields. Both research and practice have increasingly linked underlying dynamics of structural (in)justice around land to conflict, and the topic remains as relevant as ever: new findings continue to emerge, while evolving factors such as climate change further complicate the relationships between people, land, and conflict. Political and economic exclusion are central to conflicts, and these can often manifest through claims to land. In turn, conflict can engender loss of land, due to displacement, land grabbing, and militarisation. The aftermath of war can equally be a time of land loss, or of frustrated efforts to regain land lost in conflict. While war-to-peace transitions can bring the hope to correct some of these wrongs, they also bring new problems, such as through overlapping land claims, land grabbing in the name of development and reconstruction, and continued political competition. Moreover, experience shows that if not addressed in emergency response and post-recovery efforts, land issues can contribute to exacerbate or relapse of conflicts.
This year’s LANDac Conference turns its attention to these intersections. Key questions that motivate the conference are: How can different land governance approaches strengthen land rights in conflict-affected and challenging environments? How can land governance interventions support recovery, peacebuilding, and justice? And how can we better understand land governance as part of the broader politics of land before, during, and after violent conflict?
This conference offers the opportunity to explore the crossroads of land governance with peace and conflict studies. It invites reflection on how war and its aftermath reshape our understanding of land governance. Such reflection is more urgent than ever: today, around 50 countries of the world are experiencing war or organised violence, affecting roughly one in six people worldwide. If current trends continue, two thirds of the world’s poor will live in conflict-affected or fragile countries by 2030.
To reflect on these challenges, this conference aims to bring together scholars, policy makers and practitioners from the land governance field on the one hand; and the conflict, peace, and humanitarian field on the other. We believe these two communities can speak to each other in very meaningful ways. Early work on land in humanitarian and peace building contexts (by Sara Pantuliano in 2009 and Jon Unruh in 2013) has put these issues on the agenda, and experiences from different war-affected countries indicate the complexity of land governance interventions in these settings, technically, legally, and politically.
Among the peace and conflict community, land remains somewhat underacknowledged as a critical theme. Here, the land governance community may help put urgent issues of injustice as well as structural violence relating to land on the international peacebuilding agenda. Precisely in situations of threatening violence, a pertinent question is what can be done through land governance. Vice-versa, the land governance community stands to benefit from insights and theory-building on key issues in conflict dynamics, including the mobilisation for violence, the role of identity politics, and the dynamics of state formation; but also what it takes to think of peace in terms of transformation and justice.
Conference Programme
Please note that the programme is provisional and thus is subject to change. For the latest version of the programme, please regularly check the Conference Page. Times are displayed in CEST (Central European Summer Time).
The 2-day conference kick-offs on Wednesday morning 1 July with a key note address and a plenary conversation. This is followed by five parallel sessions and a closing plenary on Thursday 2 July with two keynote speakers. Both opening and closing plenaries will be live streamed. Registration prior to the event is necessary and can be done via this link. You only need to register once for both the opening and closing plenaries.
Below are the abstracts of each of the plenary sessions.
The Ground Beneath Peace: Land Rights, War, and the Future of Recovery – Jon Unruh
Dr Jon Unruh will open with a keynote on land rights, conflict and peace building. Titled “The Ground Beneath Peace: Land Rights, War, and the Future of Recovery“, the talk will trace broad shifts in how land rights have intersected with conflict over recent decades. Dr Unruh will argue that land rights in war-affected settings are not simply post-conflict technical matters to be resolved through standardised, top-down approaches. They are political and spatial processes in which international organisations, national authorities, civil society actors, and affected populations are all implicated. The lecture will be followed by a Q&A for interaction with the audience. In this short video Jon Unruh provides a snapshot of the issues that he will explore in his keynote speech. Or read this blog “After conflict, who gets their land back? Rethinking justice beyond the deed and the title” by our media partner Land Portal based on an extensive interview with Dr Unruh.
‘Engaging with Polarised and Fragile Spaces in a Shifting World Order’ – A plenary conversation
After Prof Unruh’s framing on the conference theme, a plenary conversation will explore what it means to operate in today’s complex environments at the intersection of land governance, conflict, peace, and humanitarian action. In this opening plenary, Ms Wampie Libon, Director Inclusive Green Growth Department Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Netherlands; Mr Michiel Servaes, Executive Director of Oxfam Novib; Dr Judith Verweijen, Researcher and Assistant Professor at Utrecht University; and Dr Mohammed Alsalimiya, Public Relations Director at the Land Research Center (Palestine), come together to share the lived realities behind their work. Each arrives with a different vantage point, from government decision‑making to frontline programming, from navigating activism and political pressures to conducting research in places where conflict is not an abstraction. This session opens a space for honest, thought‑provoking conversation, bringing forward both institutional and personal perspectives on how to address the root causes of emerging crises through policy, programming, and long‑term engagement in an aid landscape that is constantly shifting. Barbara Codispoti (Oxfam Novib) will moderate the conversation.
Parallel sessions
The plenary morning is followed by several rounds of parallel sessions in 1,5 hour slots on Wednesday and Thursday 2 July. As in previous editions of the conference, we offer space for a variety of formats: paper presentations, panel discussions, round tables for these two days.
On 1 July we will close the day with drinks and snacks, offering ample opportunities for networking.
Closing panel
The conference closes on Thursday afternoon with a closing plenary panel. In this plenary, two experts reflect on drawing on the key conference themes drawing on their work in central Africa (Prof Rose Mediebou) and the Middle East (Dr Pinar Dinç). How do to understand the intersections of land, conflict, and justice? And what could working towards justice look like? The two keynote presentations are followed by a discussion with the audience on the question: Where do we go from here? The panel will be moderated by Janwillem Liebrand (UU).
No Peace Without Land Justice: Rebuilding Territories in the Central African Republic – Rose MediebouChindji
The Central African Republic illustrates how land governance lies at the heart of conflict, displacement and peacebuilding. Drawing on empirical evidence from conflict-affected territories, this keynote argues that land insecurity is not only a legal or administrative issue, but also a crisis of legitimacy, belonging and social recognition. Violent conflict, forced displacement and climate pressures have reshaped territories, intensified competition over land and natural resources, and undermined social cohesion. Yet local mediation practices, customary institutions and community-based initiatives also reveal promising pathways towards reconciliation. The presentation argues that sustainable peace requires more than political agreements: it requires land justice. Building on discussions throughout the LANDac conference, it calls for inclusive, conflict-sensitive and climate-responsive land governance as a foundation for territorial peace, resilience and social justice.
Justice, Land, and Power in Times of Conflict and Peace – Dr Pinar Dinç
This keynote examines the relationship between land, conflict, and justice in the Middle East (West Asia), drawing on long-standing research to illuminate broader regional dynamics. It argues that environmental destruction is not merely a byproduct of war, but is deeply embedded in struggles over land, power, and inequality, with particularly profound consequences for stateless and marginalised communities. Moving beyond narrow notions of peace, the lecture calls for rethinking post-conflict futures through ecological repair, accountability, and justice.
Following the conference, on 3 July, we host an event for early career researchers, providing space for PhDs and MSc students to share their knowledge, think about how to present this knowledge to other stakeholders, and to inspire each other.
The conference will be concentrated on-site, at Janskerkhof 2-3 Utrecht. The opening and closing plenaries will be broadcasted live. To view this live broadcast you need to register via https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_dnwHGU5QQDyeI–nxbN2Xg#/registration. There is no option to participate in the Q&A via the live stream. Parallel sessions will be hosted in hybrid format, allowing online presentation (no online participation without presentation).
Conference Themes & Sessions
Land at the ‘triple nexus’: humanitarianism, development, peace-building.
Many of the countries where land governance interventions unfold, are directly or indirectly affected by conflict, while addressing land-related conflict and contested land governance are critical aspects to enable the transition from war to peace. This raises many questions.
Suggested questions for this theme include: What lessons can be learned from cases where inadequate land governance in post-conflict contexts undermined peace and stability? To what extent should humanitarians and peacebuilders integrate land and its governance in their work? What are the specific challenges of managing land governance in protracted crises or fragile contexts? How are factors such as needs for transitional justice, reconstruction, dealing with broken social trust, or threats to state sovereignty, integrated into approaches to land governance in protracted crises and fragile contexts?
The following sessions are open for abstracts:
The importance of inclusive land governance and restoration for stability and resilience in the Sahel region
To what extent are improved land governance and land tenure security contributing to conflict reduction and peacebuilding?
The following sessions are not open for abstracts:
Land governance, agricultural innovations and pathways to peace in fragile rural contexts
Promoting responsible use of housing and land in humanitarian and development programming: towards governing principles
Everyday politics of conflict- and peacemaking around land
The role of land in peace and conflict often functions through the ‘everyday’ of people’s economic, political, and social reliance on land. This can, for example, relate to the role of land in competition over livelihoods, or the role that cooperative governance of land at a local-level can help to build social cohesion and trust in public authorities.
Suggested questions for this theme include: How do conflicts emerge from competition over livelihoods? What does the framing of these conflicts as ‘land rights’ conflicts do to the potential to resolve them? What roles do ‘outside’ actors take in exacerbating or reducing ‘everyday’ conflict dynamics? How do transformations in land governance serve as a starting point for wider transformations towards peace? How do these practices variously relate to top-down efforts at integrating land into peacebuilding projects?
The following sessions are open for abstract submissions:
Environmental peacebuilding and land governance
Critical issues in land dispute resolution in contexts of conflict and displacement
Land, Livelihoods, and Everyday Peace: Rethinking ‘Land Rights’ in Times of Conflict
The following session is not open for abstract submissions:
VNG International’s approach to land governance: e-cadaster, conflict resolution and climate-resilient land-use
People on the Move: Addressing Land Rights for Displaced, Refugees, Returnees and hosting communities
Conflict-related displacement can be seen both through a lens of land dispossession, while displacement-related shifts in land access and ownership can in turn exacerbate risks of post-conflict peacebuilding depending on how it is addressed.
Suggested questions for this theme include: What are the specific challenges of securing access to land for “people on the move” (IDPs, refugees, and returnees) and how does this intersect with the rights of hosting communities? How to protect land rights of ‘people on the move’ during and after conflict? What are the effects of this? What lessons can be taken from existing experiences with restitution?
The following sessions are open for abstract submissions:
Land rights, prolonged displacement and mobility
From Policy to Practice: Protecting Displaced Women’s Housing, Land and Property Rights
Governance of Land and Property Rights Under Mobility-Driven Stress: Institutional and Legal Approaches for Protracted Crisis Contexts
When Titles Don’t Exist: Making Informal Land Rights Visible for People on the Move
Conflict Inducted Displacement and Land Administration
Forced Displacement and Urban Agriculture; Building resilience aligning place, people and processes
The following sessions are not open for abstract submissions:
Beyond land: Questioning land access for displaced people in context of climate change
Land Governance and Migration: A Rule of Law Perspective
Land, territory, and identity: how to understand land conflict
Often, the dynamics around land and conflict derive from and in turn build on historical problems of unequal land distribution and dispossession. Land conflict is also deeply entwined with contestation over identity, belonging, and citizenship.
Suggested questions for this theme include: How do historical claims, historical injustice, memory, and narratives of belonging shape contemporary land-related conflict? What analytical approaches best capture the complex relationship between land, memory, belonging, and violent conflict? How can gendered, ethnic, or generational dimensions of land access and conflict be integrated into conflict analysis?
The following sessions are open for abstract submissions:
Struggles of the Soil: Farmers, Land, and Agrarian Protests in Contemporary India and South Asia
“Land as “fictitious commodity”: property regimes, dispossession and struggles for belonging
Conflict Without War: Indigenous Land Rights, Internal Conflict, and the Limits of Peace in India
Wars and agrarian change
Reframing land conflict discourse: from land dispute to social cohesion
Cities, Land and Conflict: Dreams, Developments and Damages?
Geopolitics and the dynamics of land dispossession
As much as land can be linked to peace and conflict in the ‘everyday’ of people in particular places, geopolitics has long been part of land and conflict. From territorial disputes to the role of the global financial crisis in the 2008 ‘land grabbing rush’ geopolitics plays a key role in the dynamics of land dispossession and conflict. In the current context of a shifting international order and the complexity of the climate crisis, geopolitics is at the heart of new dynamics of land dispossession.
Suggested questions for this theme include: How does geopolitical competition, as part of a new emerging international order, figure in new forms of territorial conflict and land dispossession? In the context of the green transition, what is the role of geopolitical competition in engendering new forms or new dynamics of land dispossession? How do violent and non-violent forms of resistance to this dispossession engender conflict?
The following sessions are open for abstract submissions:
Policies of Pastoral and Collective Land Dispossession and Displacement: A Comparative Analytical Approach across Indigenous and Pastoral Communities
From Farmland to Frontlines: Urban Expansion, Agricultural Land Loss and Conflict Dynamics in Fragile and Peri-Urban Contexts
The Geopolitics of “Green Enclosures”: Comparative Perspectives on Mining, Carbon Markets, and Land Sovereignty in the Global South
These sessions are not open to session submissions:
Global Capital, Local Conflict: The Neoliberal Logics of Rural Dispossession
Shadows of Green: The Global Green Transition as a Space of Conflict and Community Claims
Climate Shocks and Land Disputes: From Conflict Risks to (re)Negotiating Land Rights
In both policy and research, there is a great deal of attention to the role of climate shocks as a ‘risk multiplier’ or ‘threat amplifier’ for conflict. These debates have often included land rights, land degradation, and/or competition over land in their analysis of climate shock and conflict risk.
Suggested questions for this theme include: What are the linkages between climate shocks and escalating resource disputes, and how do these conflicts manifest? Who are the most impacted groups? How can changing landscapes be an opportunity for (re)negotiating rights? What approaches to this could appropriately center justice?
The following sessions are open for abstract submissions:
Remaking Land Rights Amidst Climate-Conflict Dynamics
Re-thinking Power, Land, and Identity: Law from Below in a Changing Climate
Tenure Renegotiation as Adaptive Governance at the Intersection of Climate and Conflict
LANDac is proud to announce the following keynote speakers.
Jon Unruh, is a professor at McGill University in Canada. He has over 30 years experience in developing and implementing research, policy and practice on 1) war-affected housing, land and property rights systems; 2) the peace process and recovery from armed conflict; 3) the intersection between customary and statutory tenure; and 4) land rights and environmental change, and has published widely on these topics. He has worked with a variety of international agencies, governments and donors on the establishment of restitution/compensation programmes for housing, land and property in war-affected countries, including: UN agencies, NATO, The World Bank, OSCE, USAID, Global Affairs Canada and and The Japanese Global Infrastructure Foundation, among others. Dr. Unruh has conducted in-person research and policy work in: Ukraine, Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Cameroon, Mozambique, Angola, Madagascar, Colombia, Peru, Slovenia, Vietnam, East Timor and Sri Lanka. https://www.mcgill.ca/geography/people-0/unruh
Opening Plenary Conversation
Ms Wampie Libon– van der Wal is Director Inclusive Green Growth Department (IGG), Ambassador for Sustainable Development, and Arctic Ambassador at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands. Her directorate coordinates international climate and energy policy, and it manages a portfolio of ODA activities on water, energy and food. Prior to this position, she was the Director of the International Enterprise Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Head of the Economic and Climate Policy Department of the Netherlands Embassy in Washington DC. From 2014-2018, she was Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy in Belgium. She also worked five years as an European advisor to Prime Ministers Balkenende and Rutte. Starting her diplomatic career in 1997, she held various positions in The Hague, New York and at the Permanent Representation of the Netherlands at the EU in Brussels.
Dr JudithVerweijen – Assistant Professor at Utrecht University. Her research focuses on the interplay between militarization, environmental change and conflicts over natural resources and land in areas of protracted armed conflict. This includes conflicts over mining, nature conservation and logging. Her main geographical focus is Africa’s Great Lakes Region, specifically eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where she has regularly conducted research and worked since 2006.
Mr Michiel Servaes – Executive Director of Oxfam Novib since 1 October 2018. In various roles he was previously committed to international cooperation and human rights. After having gained experience at Amnesty International and the United Nations, he joined the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2001. More than 10 years and several posts further (amongst others former Yugoslavia and London), he exchanged diplomacy for politics. As a member of Parliament he was spokesperson on foreign affairs on behalf of the PvdA (Labour Party). Michiel Servaes is also a member of the Executive Directors Forum of Oxfam International and a board member of the ‘Samenwerkende Hulporganisaties/GIRO555’ in the Netherlands (a coalition of 11 Dutch NGOs working together on humanitarian aid).
Dr Mohammed Alsalimiya is the Director of Sustainable Development and Programs Manager at the Land Research Center (LRC)- Palestine, and an Associate Professor at Al-Quds University’s Institute for Sustainable Development. Alsalimiya’s work focuses on land governance, sustainable development, human rights, natural resources management, and thematic research, with particular attention to land and housing rights in Palestine and the wider region. Alsalimiya holds a PhD in Plant Production and Protection from the University of Córdoba, Spain, and has more than two decades of experience in natural resources management and development, donor-funded and development programming, human rights, and land governance. Alsalimiya’s current work bridges field-based research, academic teaching, and policy-oriented engagement on governance and sustainable development. Alsalimiya’s expertise is especially relevant to contexts affected by conflict and prolonged instability, where questions of land, tenure, housing, natural resources, and rights are central to humanitarian response, resilience, peacebuilding, and long-term development.
Closing keynotes
Dr Pinar Dinç is Associate Professor at Lund University, Centre for Advanced Middle Eastern Studies. She is a political scientist specialising in environmental peace and conflict studies, with a particular focus on the interplay between political power, climate and environmental change, ecological degradation, authoritarianism, resistance, and migration in the Middle East.
Dr Rose Mediebou Chindji is Associate Professor in Social and Development Geography at the University of Yaoundé I (Cameroon), where she coordinates the Master’s program in Urban Planning and Development. She is also affiliated with the Network of Excellence on Land Governance in central Africa (NELGA/AC). Her research focuses on land governance, spatial justice, and urban transformations in Sub-Saharan Africa, with particular attention to conflict-affected and fragile contexts. She examines how land tenure systems, legal pluralism, and urban expansion shape socio-spatial inequalities and fuel land-related conflicts. Her recent work explores the role of land governance in post-conflict reconstruction, displacement dynamics, and peacebuilding processes, highlighting the need for inclusive and context-sensitive policy frameworks. She has published widely on land, urban vulnerability, and environmental risks, and actively contributes to international debates on land governance, conflict, and sustainable development.
Early Career Researchers Day
Are you an early-career researcher working on topics related to land governance, justice and conflict? As part of the 2026 LANDac Annual Conference, we are pleased to announce the Early Career Researchers (ECR) Day. This event is dedicated to supporting and showcasing the work of PhD and Master’s students, both current and aspiring. This event is free for early career researchers attending the conference and will focus on fostering meaningful discussions and collaborations.
The ECR Day will take place on Friday 3 July 2026, immediately after the LANDac Annual Conference. This special event provides an opportunity for early career researchers to present their work, exchange ideas, hone their skills and receive constructive feedback in a supportive, interactive environment. The focus will be on topics that are particularly relevant to conducting research on land conflicts and in conflict environments. These include research methodologies, conflict analysis, and the ethical dilemmas involved in conflict research. To participate, please submit a contribution outlining some of the main methodological, ethical and/or analytical challenges that you have experienced or anticipate experiencing when conducting research (see below for details). This day will offer opportunities to present and discuss your research with peers and experienced academics, as well as networking with other young researchers and professionals in the field of land governance and related fields. The ECRD is only open to people who have received a confirmation that their contribution has been accepted.
Programme
09:00-09:15 Opening word
09:15-11:00 Methodologies of land research in conflict (by prof. Jon Unruh)
11:30-13:00 Conflict analysis (by dr. François Lenfant)
13:00-14:00 Lunch
14:00-15:00 Ethics of (field) research in conflict settings (by prof. An Ansoms)
15:30-17:00 Participatory theatre workshop
If you would like to participate in the Early Career Researchers Day, please submit the Contribution Form providing your research topic/theme, a description of the main methodological, ethical and/or analytical challenges you experience or anticipate to experience conducting research on conflict, and a short motivation. Entry to the ECRD is now closed!
Registration for the conference is now open. The regular fee for participation after 1 May is €235. Reduced fees are available for students: €100 for PhD students and €50 for Master students. Please send an email to landac2026@gmail.com to apply for this reduction. There is no additional fee for the Early Career Researchers Day. Online presentation is free of charge.
Our conference team will send you a payment link within 3 working days. Registration is confirmed after your payment has been received. Requests for letters for visa applications are also handled upon registration. We are not able to provide sponsorships or financial support to attend the event.
Please note: Visa application procedures to the EU are lengthy. We strongly advise to start booking an appointment well ahead of time.
Requests for refunds will not be accepted after Friday 19 June 2026.
Accommodation
Below you can find the hotels and hostels that have agreed to partner with us and have provided us with booking codes and discounts:
Inntel Hotels Utrecht Centre
The 11-storey Inntel Hotels Utrecht Centre is connected to the Central Station. The hotel is centrally located in Utrecht in an inspiring hub to meet, stay, and relax. The conference venue is about a 10 minute walk from Inntel Utrecht Centre.
Inntel Hotels Utrecht Centre offers a 15% discount on rooms for the nights of 1 and 2 July. Use this link to access this discount.
NH Hotel
The NH Utrecht hotel sits right in the heart of this historic city. It’s very near to Utrecht Central train station, and is about a 10 minute walk from the conference location. The hotel is one of the highest buildings in Utrecht – it’s 21 stories high and enjoys fabulous views over the city.
NH Utrecht offers a rate of €169 per night for a single person, including breakfast. This special rate is valid for the nights 1-3 July. This offer is valid until 24-06. You can use this offer here.
Bunk Hostel
Bunk Hostel is a trendy and affordable hostel located in a historic building (old church) in the heart of Utrecht. With a range of dormitory and private rooms, Bunk Hostel offers comfortable and stylish accommodation for budget-conscious travelers. The hostel also features a restaurant and bar, as well as a shared kitchen and lounge areas.
Bunk offers LANDac a 10% discount. When booking, enter promo code LANDAC26.
Stayokay Hostel Utrecht
Stayokay Hostel is a budget-friendly option for travelers looking for affordable accommodation in Utrecht. The hostel offers dormitory rooms as well as private rooms, all equipped with modern amenities such as free WiFi. Guests can also enjoy the hostel’s communal kitchen and lounge areas.
To use the special LANDac rate, enter coupon code UU after filling out your personal details.
Summer School
As last year, the conference will be integrated into the LANDac Summer School hosted by Utrecht University Summer School. The 2026 LANDac Summer School is focused on decolonizing land governance and the politics of conflict and peace. Since the start of the global land rush in 2010, land governance has increasingly been characterized by conflicts, compounded by crises of climate change, health decline, extractive capitalism, and geopolitical shifts. War and organized violence, and ‘old-fashioned’ conquests of land by states, is on the rise. In this course, we unravel this trend from a decolonial perspective on conflicts in land governance. Rather than viewing war, organized violence, and land conquests as incidents or (temporal) escalations, we understand conflicts as rooted in colonial histories and unfair dynamics of land governance, connected to the interests of states and powerful private actors. Connecting these observations to everyday life, we view conflict as a broader phenomenon that ranges from intra-household and intra-community conflicts, to national and global geopolitical conflicts. The course provides participants with thorough knowledge and plural decolonial perspectives of current issues in land governance and competing claims in relation to conflict and peace. Participants also build understanding of practical knowledge and possible solutions.
The LANDac Summer School will take place from 29 June to 10 July 2026. Summer School participation fees include full access to the conference. You can register now via the Utrecht Summer School website.
Updates on the conference will be published on the LANDac website.
Organising committee
Gemma van der Haar (LANDac & WUR), Femke van Noorloos, Judith Verweijen, Brent Sandtke, Pat Stys (IDS-UU), Mathijs van Leeuwen (Radboud University), Bertus Wennink (KIT Institute), Caitlin Ryan (University of Groningen), Barbara Codispoti (Oxfam Novib), Bernardo Ribeiro de Almeida (Leiden University College & Van Vollenhoven Institute), Elise Pinners (RVO), Wytske Chamberlain.
LANDac Annual Conference 2026
Land, Conflict, and Peace
1-2 July Conference, 3 July Early Career Researcher Event
Janskerkhof 2-3, Utrecht, the Netherlands
REGISTER NOW
In 2026 the LANDac annual conference is centered on the theme of Land, Conflict and Peace. This conference offers the opportunity to explore issues at the crossroads of land governance and peace, conflict, and humanitarian studies. It invites reflection on how war and its aftermath reshape our understanding of land governance and call for new, context-sensitive approaches. Such reflection is more urgent than ever: today, around 50 countries of the world are experiencing war or organized violence, affecting roughly one in six people worldwide. In the current context of myriad global and local conflicts, this important theme aims to encourage rich discussion between participants from academia, practitioners, and policy makers.
Contents
Land in peace and conflict
The relationship between land and conflict, and the ways in which conflict redefines land access and rights, are common themes for practitioners working in land governance, and have also been explored in academic debates across a number of fields. Both research and practice have increasingly linked underlying dynamics of structural (in)justice around land to conflict, and the topic remains as relevant as ever: new findings continue to emerge, while evolving factors such as climate change further complicate the relationships between people, land, and conflict. Political and economic exclusion are central to conflicts, and these can often manifest through claims to land. In turn, conflict can engender loss of land, due to displacement, land grabbing, and militarisation. The aftermath of war can equally be a time of land loss, or of frustrated efforts to regain land lost in conflict. While war-to-peace transitions can bring the hope to correct some of these wrongs, they also bring new problems, such as through overlapping land claims, land grabbing in the name of development and reconstruction, and continued political competition. Moreover, experience shows that if not addressed in emergency response and post-recovery efforts, land issues can contribute to exacerbate or relapse of conflicts.
This year’s LANDac Conference turns its attention to these intersections. Key questions that motivate the conference are: How can different land governance approaches strengthen land rights in conflict-affected and challenging environments? How can land governance interventions support recovery, peacebuilding, and justice? And how can we better understand land governance as part of the broader politics of land before, during, and after violent conflict?
This conference offers the opportunity to explore the crossroads of land governance with peace and conflict studies. It invites reflection on how war and its aftermath reshape our understanding of land governance. Such reflection is more urgent than ever: today, around 50 countries of the world are experiencing war or organised violence, affecting roughly one in six people worldwide. If current trends continue, two thirds of the world’s poor will live in conflict-affected or fragile countries by 2030.
To reflect on these challenges, this conference aims to bring together scholars, policy makers and practitioners from the land governance field on the one hand; and the conflict, peace, and humanitarian field on the other. We believe these two communities can speak to each other in very meaningful ways. Early work on land in humanitarian and peace building contexts (by Sara Pantuliano in 2009 and Jon Unruh in 2013) has put these issues on the agenda, and experiences from different war-affected countries indicate the complexity of land governance interventions in these settings, technically, legally, and politically.
Among the peace and conflict community, land remains somewhat underacknowledged as a critical theme. Here, the land governance community may help put urgent issues of injustice as well as structural violence relating to land on the international peacebuilding agenda. Precisely in situations of threatening violence, a pertinent question is what can be done through land governance. Vice-versa, the land governance community stands to benefit from insights and theory-building on key issues in conflict dynamics, including the mobilisation for violence, the role of identity politics, and the dynamics of state formation; but also what it takes to think of peace in terms of transformation and justice.
Conference Programme
Please note that the programme is provisional and thus is subject to change. For the latest version of the programme, please regularly check the Conference Page. Times are displayed in CEST (Central European Summer Time).
Format
The 2-day conference kick-offs on Wednesday morning 1 July with a key note address and a plenary conversation. This is followed by five parallel sessions and a closing plenary on Thursday 2 July with two keynote speakers. Both opening and closing plenaries will be live streamed. Registration prior to the event is necessary and can be done via this link. You only need to register once for both the opening and closing plenaries.
Below are the abstracts of each of the plenary sessions.
The Ground Beneath Peace: Land Rights, War, and the Future of Recovery – Jon Unruh
Dr Jon Unruh will open with a keynote on land rights, conflict and peace building. Titled “The Ground Beneath Peace: Land Rights, War, and the Future of Recovery“, the talk will trace broad shifts in how land rights have intersected with conflict over recent decades. Dr Unruh will argue that land rights in war-affected settings are not simply post-conflict technical matters to be resolved through standardised, top-down approaches. They are political and spatial processes in which international organisations, national authorities, civil society actors, and affected populations are all implicated. The lecture will be followed by a Q&A for interaction with the audience. In this short video Jon Unruh provides a snapshot of the issues that he will explore in his keynote speech. Or read this blog “After conflict, who gets their land back? Rethinking justice beyond the deed and the title” by our media partner Land Portal based on an extensive interview with Dr Unruh.
‘Engaging with Polarised and Fragile Spaces in a Shifting World Order’ – A plenary conversation
After Prof Unruh’s framing on the conference theme, a plenary conversation will explore what it means to operate in today’s complex environments at the intersection of land governance, conflict, peace, and humanitarian action. In this opening plenary, Ms Wampie Libon, Director Inclusive Green Growth Department Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Netherlands; Mr Michiel Servaes, Executive Director of Oxfam Novib; Dr Judith Verweijen, Researcher and Assistant Professor at Utrecht University; and Dr Mohammed Alsalimiya, Public Relations Director at the Land Research Center (Palestine), come together to share the lived realities behind their work. Each arrives with a different vantage point, from government decision‑making to frontline programming, from navigating activism and political pressures to conducting research in places where conflict is not an abstraction. This session opens a space for honest, thought‑provoking conversation, bringing forward both institutional and personal perspectives on how to address the root causes of emerging crises through policy, programming, and long‑term engagement in an aid landscape that is constantly shifting. Barbara Codispoti (Oxfam Novib) will moderate the conversation.
Parallel sessions
The plenary morning is followed by several rounds of parallel sessions in 1,5 hour slots on Wednesday and Thursday 2 July. As in previous editions of the conference, we offer space for a variety of formats: paper presentations, panel discussions, round tables for these two days.
On 1 July we will close the day with drinks and snacks, offering ample opportunities for networking.
Closing panel
The conference closes on Thursday afternoon with a closing plenary panel. In this plenary, two experts reflect on drawing on the key conference themes drawing on their work in central Africa (Prof Rose Mediebou) and the Middle East (Dr Pinar Dinç). How do to understand the intersections of land, conflict, and justice? And what could working towards justice look like? The two keynote presentations are followed by a discussion with the audience on the question: Where do we go from here? The panel will be moderated by Janwillem Liebrand (UU).
No Peace Without Land Justice: Rebuilding Territories in the Central African Republic – Rose Mediebou Chindji
The Central African Republic illustrates how land governance lies at the heart of conflict, displacement and peacebuilding. Drawing on empirical evidence from conflict-affected territories, this keynote argues that land insecurity is not only a legal or administrative issue, but also a crisis of legitimacy, belonging and social recognition. Violent conflict, forced displacement and climate pressures have reshaped territories, intensified competition over land and natural resources, and undermined social cohesion. Yet local mediation practices, customary institutions and community-based initiatives also reveal promising pathways towards reconciliation. The presentation argues that sustainable peace requires more than political agreements: it requires land justice. Building on discussions throughout the LANDac conference, it calls for inclusive, conflict-sensitive and climate-responsive land governance as a foundation for territorial peace, resilience and social justice.
Justice, Land, and Power in Times of Conflict and Peace – Dr Pinar Dinç
This keynote examines the relationship between land, conflict, and justice in the Middle East (West Asia), drawing on long-standing research to illuminate broader regional dynamics. It argues that environmental destruction is not merely a byproduct of war, but is deeply embedded in struggles over land, power, and inequality, with particularly profound consequences for stateless and marginalised communities. Moving beyond narrow notions of peace, the lecture calls for rethinking post-conflict futures through ecological repair, accountability, and justice.
Following the conference, on 3 July, we host an event for early career researchers, providing space for PhDs and MSc students to share their knowledge, think about how to present this knowledge to other stakeholders, and to inspire each other.
The conference will be concentrated on-site, at Janskerkhof 2-3 Utrecht. The opening and closing plenaries will be broadcasted live. To view this live broadcast you need to register via https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_dnwHGU5QQDyeI–nxbN2Xg#/registration. There is no option to participate in the Q&A via the live stream. Parallel sessions will be hosted in hybrid format, allowing online presentation (no online participation without presentation).
Conference Themes & Sessions
Many of the countries where land governance interventions unfold, are directly or indirectly affected by conflict, while addressing land-related conflict and contested land governance are critical aspects to enable the transition from war to peace. This raises many questions.
Suggested questions for this theme include: What lessons can be learned from cases where inadequate land governance in post-conflict contexts undermined peace and stability? To what extent should humanitarians and peacebuilders integrate land and its governance in their work? What are the specific challenges of managing land governance in protracted crises or fragile contexts? How are factors such as needs for transitional justice, reconstruction, dealing with broken social trust, or threats to state sovereignty, integrated into approaches to land governance in protracted crises and fragile contexts?
The following sessions are open for abstracts:
The following sessions are not open for abstracts:
The role of land in peace and conflict often functions through the ‘everyday’ of people’s economic, political, and social reliance on land. This can, for example, relate to the role of land in competition over livelihoods, or the role that cooperative governance of land at a local-level can help to build social cohesion and trust in public authorities.
Suggested questions for this theme include: How do conflicts emerge from competition over livelihoods? What does the framing of these conflicts as ‘land rights’ conflicts do to the potential to resolve them? What roles do ‘outside’ actors take in exacerbating or reducing ‘everyday’ conflict dynamics? How do transformations in land governance serve as a starting point for wider transformations towards peace? How do these practices variously relate to top-down efforts at integrating land into peacebuilding projects?
The following sessions are open for abstract submissions:
The following session is not open for abstract submissions:
Conflict-related displacement can be seen both through a lens of land dispossession, while displacement-related shifts in land access and ownership can in turn exacerbate risks of post-conflict peacebuilding depending on how it is addressed.
Suggested questions for this theme include: What are the specific challenges of securing access to land for “people on the move” (IDPs, refugees, and returnees) and how does this intersect with the rights of hosting communities? How to protect land rights of ‘people on the move’ during and after conflict? What are the effects of this? What lessons can be taken from existing experiences with restitution?
The following sessions are open for abstract submissions:
The following sessions are not open for abstract submissions:
Often, the dynamics around land and conflict derive from and in turn build on historical problems of unequal land distribution and dispossession. Land conflict is also deeply entwined with contestation over identity, belonging, and citizenship.
Suggested questions for this theme include: How do historical claims, historical injustice, memory, and narratives of belonging shape contemporary land-related conflict? What analytical approaches best capture the complex relationship between land, memory, belonging, and violent conflict? How can gendered, ethnic, or generational dimensions of land access and conflict be integrated into conflict analysis?
The following sessions are open for abstract submissions:
As much as land can be linked to peace and conflict in the ‘everyday’ of people in particular places, geopolitics has long been part of land and conflict. From territorial disputes to the role of the global financial crisis in the 2008 ‘land grabbing rush’ geopolitics plays a key role in the dynamics of land dispossession and conflict. In the current context of a shifting international order and the complexity of the climate crisis, geopolitics is at the heart of new dynamics of land dispossession.
Suggested questions for this theme include: How does geopolitical competition, as part of a new emerging international order, figure in new forms of territorial conflict and land dispossession? In the context of the green transition, what is the role of geopolitical competition in engendering new forms or new dynamics of land dispossession? How do violent and non-violent forms of resistance to this dispossession engender conflict?
The following sessions are open for abstract submissions:
These sessions are not open to session submissions:
In both policy and research, there is a great deal of attention to the role of climate shocks as a ‘risk multiplier’ or ‘threat amplifier’ for conflict. These debates have often included land rights, land degradation, and/or competition over land in their analysis of climate shock and conflict risk.
Suggested questions for this theme include: What are the linkages between climate shocks and escalating resource disputes, and how do these conflicts manifest? Who are the most impacted groups? How can changing landscapes be an opportunity for (re)negotiating rights? What approaches to this could appropriately center justice?
The following sessions are open for abstract submissions:
Keynote speakers
LANDac is proud to announce the following keynote speakers.
Jon Unruh, is a professor at McGill University in Canada. He has over 30 years experience in developing and implementing research, policy and practice on 1) war-affected housing, land and property rights systems; 2) the peace process and recovery from armed conflict; 3) the intersection between customary and statutory tenure; and 4) land rights and environmental change, and has published widely on these topics. He has worked with a variety of international agencies, governments and donors on the establishment of restitution/compensation programmes for housing, land and property in war-affected countries, including: UN agencies, NATO, The World Bank, OSCE, USAID, Global Affairs Canada and and The Japanese Global Infrastructure Foundation, among others. Dr. Unruh has conducted in-person research and policy work in: Ukraine, Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Cameroon, Mozambique, Angola, Madagascar, Colombia, Peru, Slovenia, Vietnam, East Timor and Sri Lanka. https://www.mcgill.ca/geography/people-0/unruh
Opening Plenary Conversation
Ms Wampie Libon – van der Wal is Director Inclusive Green Growth Department (IGG), Ambassador for Sustainable Development, and Arctic Ambassador at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands. Her directorate coordinates international climate and energy policy, and it manages a portfolio of ODA activities on water, energy and food. Prior to this position, she was the Director of the International Enterprise Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Head of the Economic and Climate Policy Department of the Netherlands Embassy in Washington DC. From 2014-2018, she was Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy in Belgium. She also worked five years as an European advisor to Prime Ministers Balkenende and Rutte. Starting her diplomatic career in 1997, she held various positions in The Hague, New York and at the Permanent Representation of the Netherlands at the EU in Brussels.
Dr Judith Verweijen – Assistant Professor at Utrecht University. Her research focuses on the interplay between militarization, environmental change and conflicts over natural resources and land in areas of protracted armed conflict. This includes conflicts over mining, nature conservation and logging. Her main geographical focus is Africa’s Great Lakes Region, specifically eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where she has regularly conducted research and worked since 2006.
Mr Michiel Servaes – Executive Director of Oxfam Novib since 1 October 2018. In various roles he was previously committed to international cooperation and human rights. After having gained experience at Amnesty International and the United Nations, he joined the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2001. More than 10 years and several posts further (amongst others former Yugoslavia and London), he exchanged diplomacy for politics. As a member of Parliament he was spokesperson on foreign affairs on behalf of the PvdA (Labour Party). Michiel Servaes is also a member of the Executive Directors Forum of Oxfam International and a board member of the ‘Samenwerkende Hulporganisaties/GIRO555’ in the Netherlands (a coalition of 11 Dutch NGOs working together on humanitarian aid).
Dr Mohammed Alsalimiya is the Director of Sustainable Development and Programs Manager at the Land Research Center (LRC)- Palestine, and an Associate Professor at Al-Quds University’s Institute for Sustainable Development. Alsalimiya’s work focuses on land governance, sustainable development, human rights, natural resources management, and thematic research, with particular attention to land and housing rights in Palestine and the wider region. Alsalimiya holds a PhD in Plant Production and Protection from the University of Córdoba, Spain, and has more than two decades of experience in natural resources management and development, donor-funded and development programming, human rights, and land governance. Alsalimiya’s current work bridges field-based research, academic teaching, and policy-oriented engagement on governance and sustainable development. Alsalimiya’s expertise is especially relevant to contexts affected by conflict and prolonged instability, where questions of land, tenure, housing, natural resources, and rights are central to humanitarian response, resilience, peacebuilding, and long-term development.
Closing keynotes
Dr Pinar Dinç is Associate Professor at Lund University, Centre for Advanced Middle Eastern Studies. She is a political scientist specialising in environmental peace and conflict studies, with a particular focus on the interplay between political power, climate and environmental change, ecological degradation, authoritarianism, resistance, and migration in the Middle East.
Dr Rose Mediebou Chindji is Associate Professor in Social and Development Geography at the University of Yaoundé I (Cameroon), where she coordinates the Master’s program in Urban Planning and Development. She is also affiliated with the Network of Excellence on Land Governance in central Africa (NELGA/AC). Her research focuses on land governance, spatial justice, and urban transformations in Sub-Saharan Africa, with particular attention to conflict-affected and fragile contexts. She examines how land tenure systems, legal pluralism, and urban expansion shape socio-spatial inequalities and fuel land-related conflicts. Her recent work explores the role of land governance in post-conflict reconstruction, displacement dynamics, and peacebuilding processes, highlighting the need for inclusive and context-sensitive policy frameworks. She has published widely on land, urban vulnerability, and environmental risks, and actively contributes to international debates on land governance, conflict, and sustainable development.
Early Career Researchers Day
Are you an early-career researcher working on topics related to land governance, justice and conflict? As part of the 2026 LANDac Annual Conference, we are pleased to announce the Early Career Researchers (ECR) Day. This event is dedicated to supporting and showcasing the work of PhD and Master’s students, both current and aspiring. This event is free for early career researchers attending the conference and will focus on fostering meaningful discussions and collaborations.
The ECR Day will take place on Friday 3 July 2026, immediately after the LANDac Annual Conference. This special event provides an opportunity for early career researchers to present their work, exchange ideas, hone their skills and receive constructive feedback in a supportive, interactive environment. The focus will be on topics that are particularly relevant to conducting research on land conflicts and in conflict environments. These include research methodologies, conflict analysis, and the ethical dilemmas involved in conflict research. To participate, please submit a contribution outlining some of the main methodological, ethical and/or analytical challenges that you have experienced or anticipate experiencing when conducting research (see below for details). This day will offer opportunities to present and discuss your research with peers and experienced academics, as well as networking with other young researchers and professionals in the field of land governance and related fields. The ECRD is only open to people who have received a confirmation that their contribution has been accepted.
Programme
If you would like to participate in the Early Career Researchers Day, please submit the Contribution Form providing your research topic/theme, a description of the main methodological, ethical and/or analytical challenges you experience or anticipate to experience conducting research on conflict, and a short motivation. Entry to the ECRD is now closed!
Registration
Registration for the conference is now open. The regular fee for participation after 1 May is €235. Reduced fees are available for students: €100 for PhD students and €50 for Master students. Please send an email to landac2026@gmail.com to apply for this reduction. There is no additional fee for the Early Career Researchers Day. Online presentation is free of charge.
Our conference team will send you a payment link within 3 working days. Registration is confirmed after your payment has been received. Requests for letters for visa applications are also handled upon registration. We are not able to provide sponsorships or financial support to attend the event.
Please note: Visa application procedures to the EU are lengthy. We strongly advise to start booking an appointment well ahead of time.
Requests for refunds will not be accepted after Friday 19 June 2026.
Accommodation
Below you can find the hotels and hostels that have agreed to partner with us and have provided us with booking codes and discounts:
Inntel Hotels Utrecht Centre
The 11-storey Inntel Hotels Utrecht Centre is connected to the Central Station. The hotel is centrally located in Utrecht in an inspiring hub to meet, stay, and relax. The conference venue is about a 10 minute walk from Inntel Utrecht Centre.
Inntel Hotels Utrecht Centre offers a 15% discount on rooms for the nights of 1 and 2 July. Use this link to access this discount.
NH Hotel
The NH Utrecht hotel sits right in the heart of this historic city. It’s very near to Utrecht Central train station, and is about a 10 minute walk from the conference location. The hotel is one of the highest buildings in Utrecht – it’s 21 stories high and enjoys fabulous views over the city.
NH Utrecht offers a rate of €169 per night for a single person, including breakfast. This special rate is valid for the nights 1-3 July. This offer is valid until 24-06. You can use this offer here.
Bunk Hostel
Bunk Hostel is a trendy and affordable hostel located in a historic building (old church) in the heart of Utrecht. With a range of dormitory and private rooms, Bunk Hostel offers comfortable and stylish accommodation for budget-conscious travelers. The hostel also features a restaurant and bar, as well as a shared kitchen and lounge areas.
Bunk offers LANDac a 10% discount. When booking, enter promo code LANDAC26.
Stayokay Hostel Utrecht
Stayokay Hostel is a budget-friendly option for travelers looking for affordable accommodation in Utrecht. The hostel offers dormitory rooms as well as private rooms, all equipped with modern amenities such as free WiFi. Guests can also enjoy the hostel’s communal kitchen and lounge areas.
To use the special LANDac rate, enter coupon code UU after filling out your personal details.
Summer School
As last year, the conference will be integrated into the LANDac Summer School hosted by Utrecht University Summer School. The 2026 LANDac Summer School is focused on decolonizing land governance and the politics of conflict and peace. Since the start of the global land rush in 2010, land governance has increasingly been characterized by conflicts, compounded by crises of climate change, health decline, extractive capitalism, and geopolitical shifts. War and organized violence, and ‘old-fashioned’ conquests of land by states, is on the rise. In this course, we unravel this trend from a decolonial perspective on conflicts in land governance. Rather than viewing war, organized violence, and land conquests as incidents or (temporal) escalations, we understand conflicts as rooted in colonial histories and unfair dynamics of land governance, connected to the interests of states and powerful private actors. Connecting these observations to everyday life, we view conflict as a broader phenomenon that ranges from intra-household and intra-community conflicts, to national and global geopolitical conflicts. The course provides participants with thorough knowledge and plural decolonial perspectives of current issues in land governance and competing claims in relation to conflict and peace. Participants also build understanding of practical knowledge and possible solutions.
The LANDac Summer School will take place from 29 June to 10 July 2026. Summer School participation fees include full access to the conference. You can register now via the Utrecht Summer School website.
Contact
Contact the conference organisers by email: landac2026@gmail.com
Updates on the conference will be published on the LANDac website.
Organising committee
Gemma van der Haar (LANDac & WUR), Femke van Noorloos, Judith Verweijen, Brent Sandtke, Pat Stys (IDS-UU), Mathijs van Leeuwen (Radboud University), Bertus Wennink (KIT Institute), Caitlin Ryan (University of Groningen), Barbara Codispoti (Oxfam Novib), Bernardo Ribeiro de Almeida (Leiden University College & Van Vollenhoven Institute), Elise Pinners (RVO), Wytske Chamberlain.
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