Global South Community Land Trust Initiative

Advancing housing rights and community ownership across the Global South

Overview

Secure land and housing is a human right — and a global struggle. Across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean, communities are building powerful movements to advance housing rights, reclaim land, secure housing, and resist displacement. Yet the pressures they face, climate shocks, speculative investment, and rapid urban expansion, intensify housing precarity and land grabs, especially in informal settlements.

The Global South Community Land Trust Initiative (GSCLTI) strengthens this ecosystem by partnering with community-led organizations, technical support providers, and movement leaders to advance housing rights rooted in equity, permanence, and local self-determination.

2025 Impact

7 training sessions on CLTs in Informal Settlements reached over 60 participants across 30 countries
Ongoing engagement with __ local groups in __ countries
Resources produced in four languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, and French

Why This Work Matters

Displacement and housing precarity are escalating across the Global South due to climate shocks, speculative investment, and urban expansion and weak tenure protections. Yet the communities most affected often receive the least support. From informal settlements to Indigenous territories, CLTs offer a way to:

Protect homes
Counter land grabs
Create permanent affordability
Build dignified alternatives to market-driven development

What the Initiative Does

Tailored support that helps local groups explore, adapt, and implement the CLT model

Feasibility assessments for launching CLTs
Guidance on governance structures, legal frameworks, and organizational formation
Workshops on real estate development, stewardship, affordability mechanisms, and policy contexts

Strengthen cross-regional relationships

Peer exchanges across Latin America, Africa, and Asia
Convenings that elevate leadership of Global South practitioners
Advocacy networks and cross-border learning to counter displacement and land grabs

Develop and share culturally relevant resources through Terra Nostra Press

Guides, case studies, and curricula
Research and policy briefings
Multilingual materials that support early-stage CLTs

Leadership and movement-building: peer exchanges, advocacy, and regional convenings
Direct multilingual technical assistance: mentoring, training, and hands-on guidance
Infrastructure for long-term community ownership: creating durable organizations and legal frameworks
Translation and publication of culturally grounded tools: produced and disseminated through Terra Nostra Press