LANDac Annual Conference 2025 – 3 July 2025, 10:00 – 12:00 CEST

In this opening panel of the LANDac International Conference 2025 we aim to set the stage for further debates on how a plurality of knowledge has shaped and changed the formulation and implementation of land governance activities. Collaborations, co-creation and knowledge sharing between academia, practitioners, CSOs, policy makers, donors and the like have been increasingly common, including in the LAND-at-scale knowledge management programme. Multi-stakeholder platforms and collaborations are the new normal in land governance. Yet we need a realistic, constructive and critical view towards the value, lessons, impact and potential of such collaborations and knowledge sharing. Whose knowledge counts and whose voices are heard? What inequalities and power dynamics come into play, and (how) can epistemic injustice be actively countered? How to deal with contested knowledge in times of changing global and local contexts and challenges of ongoing insecure land and housing rights, climate change impacts, conflict and human mobilities, gender inequality, etc.?

In the opening keynote panel we aim to bring together different perspectives and experiences on this issue to enhance debate and in depth reflection also throughout the conference.