Contentious Words

This issue of Land Times comes at a time of much contention over language, terms and text that will form global standards against which future performance will be assessed. In the rethinking of land and natural resource development, this period of 2015 encompasses numerous, ongoing global-level consultations, debates and negotiations that will produce the new development agenda. The Post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals, the review of the World Bank Group’s safeguard policies, preparations for the New Habitat Agenda (Habitat III), the upcoming Conference on Climate Change (COP21), finalizing the draft Framework for Action for Food Security and Nutrition in Protracted Crises, adopting Responsible Agricultural Investment Principles and codifying the human rights dimensions of local government are among the occasions for verbal battle over words and meanings.

New concepts have emerged in these forums, reflecting contemporary practice and thinking; while others are simply old and familiar terms interpreted in a new context. Applying “resilience” to cities, describing agroecology defining the elements of “consent,” producing a “national report” to Habitat III, or explaining the subtle but vastly important difference between “food security” and “food sovereignty” may involve much contention before achieving conviction or consensus.

This issue of Land Times/لأحوال الأرض not only follows these contentious standard-setting processes, it reflects the direct engagement of civil society in them. While these processes also involve states and other self-interested parties, the civil society’s public-interest motive strives to keep the discourse grounded in reality and fact, rather than politics. That striving is what makes specialized civil society platforms like Habitat International Coalition and its Housing and Land Rights Network become knowledge-based institutions. It is toward that end also that HIC-HLRN organizes its regular Land Forum, reported here and in HLRN’s new publication The Land and Its People.

This issue contributes to that knowledge base in both word and deed. Words are important. That is why each issue features a Terminology Corner. [قسم مصطلحات العدد] It is through first understanding what is meant that enables the all-important deed (performance).

We hope that this issue of Land Times meets its mark by going beyond contentious words to bring meaning to the current global processes promising improved performance. We give you our word.

Land Times/لأحوال الأرض  editorial team