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"Green" and "un-green" grabbing entails questionable land acquisitions, by foreign and/or domestic entities, for environmental (green) or other ends. These emerging forms of land grabbing threaten to amplify existing inequalities and injustices and aggravate the negative impacts of climate change in many countries across the Global South. Despite being a critical issue in the Arab region, there is a limited body of theoretically grounded empirical research on these global phenomena and resistance against them.

To address this gap, The Policy Initiative (TPI) is launching a new collaborative research project titled "Climate, Land, and Rights: The quest for social and environmental justice in the Arab region". With a focus on Lebanon, Tunisia, Egypt, and Jordan, it will provide interdisciplinary analyses, evidence-based research arguments, and recommendations derived from the experiences of communities, organizations, groups, and individuals fighting land grabbing in the region.

More specifically, the project will critically examine the legal and institutional processes facilitating or blocking green and un-green grabbing in the four targeted countries, exploring the roles played by state and non-state actors and concerned communities. Through a series of national and regional level meetings and events, it aims to establish a multidisciplinary network of scholars, practitioners, policymakers, and advocates focusing on responsible land governance and just transition to a low carbon future.

The project has received funding from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) following an invitation to present concept notes on the theme of “Reclaiming Civic Space to Confront the Climate Emergency”. It will be implemented over a three-year span, starting November 2023, by a team of researchers and collaborators from Lebanon, Tunisia, Egypt, and Jordan.

Dr. Mona Khechen (TPI senior fellow who conceived and drafted the research proposal) and Dr. Sami Atallah (TPI executive director) are project leaders and co-directors. The Legal Agenda, led by Atty. Nizar Saghieh, is a main participating institution in project implementation. Dr. Mona Harb and Dr. Rami Zurayk (professors at the American University of Beirut) are project advisors.

TPI plans to reach out to other concerned institutions and potential advisors in the four targeted countries, form National Reference Groups and Regional Thematic Work Groups in each country, and organize several meetings and events that bring the different groups together and actively engage them in the project.

See the introductory paper by Dr. Mona Khechen to learn more about the rationale of the project, its objectives, and thematic focus.