Following a series of strategic collaborations and high-level visits between the Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC) and various Brazilian federal institutions, the University of Twente has once again demonstrated its leadership in the global land governance arena. At the 2026 World Bank Land and Property Research Conference, held from April 29 to May 1 at the World Bank Headquarters in Washington, DC, Professor Jaap Zevenberger and his PhD candidate, Gabriel Pansani Siqueira from the ITC community, played pivotal roles in shaping the discourse on land tenure and technology.
Strategic Representation in Land Tenure Risk
A highlight of the conference was the session "Land Fraud, Crime, and Tenure Risk," which was chaired by Professor Jaap Zevenbergen from the University of Twente. Under his guidance, the session explored the critical intersections of governance gaps, illegal land allocations, and the enduring challenges of land grabbing.
During this session, Gabriel Pansani Siqueira, representing both the University of Twente and the Instituto Governança de Terras, presented the preliminary results of his research titled "Understanding land tenure-related risks: A case study for Brazil". The study addresses the urgent need for a standardized, scalable methodology to assess Land Tenure-Related Risks—a factor essential for maintaining sustainable global commodity supply chains and preventing human rights violations.
Key Research Highlights
Siqueira’s presentation detailed a multi-phase approach integrating geospatial certainty, legal status, and compliance with land-use regulations. Using Brazil as a primary case study, the research leveraged 14 distinct official datasets to create a tool designed for:
- Corporate Due Diligence: Assisting companies in ensuring ethical supply chains.
- Public Enforcement: Serving as a guide for administrative action.
- Civil Society Monitoring: Empowering organizations to track land governance efficiency.
Technological Innovation and Global Impact
The conference overall emphasized the transformative power of new technologies, such as the digitalization of land registration and the use of satellite data. This theme resonated with recent ITC initiatives, including the capacity-building missions in Brasília focused on the Land Administration Domain Model (LADM) and the digital transformation of land governance.
By contributing to sessions that bridge the gap between academic research and practical policy implementation, the ITC continues to strengthen its long-term commitment to modernizing land administration systems, particularly in complex environments like the Brazilian Amazon.
