Speaker: Paul Prettitore, World Bank and Visiting Scholar, School of Law, QUB

Chair:  Dr Lauren Dempster, QUB

This Seminar will explore the relationships among land markets, fragility, conflict and violence (FCV) and resilience.  These relationships are viewed through a new framework covering Policy & Institutions, Land Transactions, Equity & Inclusion, and Accountability.  Research is conducted as part of the World Bank’s ‘Global Policy Note on Developing FCV Land Markets to Promote Resilience’ that will support identification and assessment of risks and interventions that can promote resilience thorough the support of international development organizations.

The key themes covered include:

• Protection of land rights and safeguarding land transactions
• Elite capture and land grabbing
• Land tenure risk mapping
• Addressing gaps in access to land
• Accountability mechanisms for land-related abuses

This Seminar will cover global insights as well as country-level experience including Ukraine, Sierra Leone and Venezuela.

Paul Prettitore

Paul Prettitore is currently a Senior Land Administration Specialist at the World Bank.  Based in Zagreb, Croatia, Paul has worked on land conflict issues in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Palestine, Syria, Iraq, the Philippines, Colombia, Kosovo, Angola, Burundi and Uganda.  

During his career at the World Bank Paul has worked on issues of good governance, justice sector reform and land administration.

Prior to joining the World Bank Paul was Property Law Coordinator at the Office of the High Representative of Bosnia and Herzegovina (2000-2003), Legal Advisor at OSCE in Sarajevo (2003-2004) and Refugee Specialist at the U.S Embassy in Sarajevo (1998-2000).

Paul was a Visiting Scholar at the Faculty of Law at QUB from 2024-2025 and a pro bono lawyer at the Superior Court of Washington, D.C. (2013-2021).

Dr Lauren Dempster

Dr Lauren Dempster is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Law, Queen's University Belfast and Mitchell Institute Fellow: Rights and Social Justice.  Lauren's research is in the field of transitional justice, with particular focus on  the disappeared and responses to disappearance, conflict-related environmental harm, victim mobilisation, and efforts to address the legacy of the Northern Ireland conflict.  Lauren currently holds an AHRC Fellowship on Forensic Scientists and Knowledge Production in Transitional Justice.