This guide is intended as a quick reference sheet to assist shelter practitioners to understand the legal framework and the practices around land and property in the areas affected by the conflict. Understanding the rules governing land tenure and establishing the connection between displaced persons and their land is crucial to promoting sustainable return and restitution.

The three sections of this guide (Key Knowledge, Sources of Information on Land Tenure, and Key Laws Regulating Right to Land) aim to orient practitioners in their search for information on who has rights to which land, thereby increasing tenure security and reducing the risk of further disputes and evictions.

The guide is limited in its scope, focusing on the rules and institutions that emergency shelter practitioners will likely need to engage with in the Gedeo-Guji context. It is not intended as an exhaustive overview of the Ethiopian legal framework on land and property.

Ethiopia is in the process of reforming its land-related legislation and is currently implementing registration and certification of rural land parcels in Oromia and SNNPR. An editable version of this guide is being provided so that practitioners can amend, complement and rectify information as needed.