Home to 60 percent of the Congo Basin—the world’s largest carbon sink—the DRC has long faced conflicts and deforestation linked to the absence of a clear land-use framework. In July 2025, the President of the DRC signed into law the country’s first-ever Land Use Planning Law, marking a historic step toward inclusive, rights-based land governance.
Indigenous Pygmy women collect water, DRC.
Photo: EnviroNews RDC
RRI, 2024
First adopted by Parliament in 2023, this legislation was shaped by sustained long-term advocacy from a broad civil society coalition with RRI’s financial and technical support, including the Center for Innovative Technologies and Sustainable Development (CTIDD); the Coalition of Women Leaders for the Environment and Sustainable Development (CFLEDD); Congolese Resources Institute (CRI); the Center for Support for Sustainable Management of Tropical Forests (CAGDFT); Congo-Watch; and Dynamique des groupes des peuples autochtones (DGPA).
Key provisions in the law include explicit recognition of community customary land rights; the requirement of local peoples’ free, prior, and informed consent for land-use projects; conflict resolution mechanisms; and environmental protections for wetlands, peatlands, and other sensitive ecosystems. Importantly, it aligns land governance with climate and development goals while strengthening communities’ tenure security.
Effective implementation of the revised national land law will require coordinated government action, resource mobilization, monitoring, and sustained community engagement—but its adoption is a critical step forward in fully securing customary land rights. RRI and its partners in the region remain committed to supporting the implementation of this hard-won legal victory and continued policy reform.
