Latin American countries have pursued rural land titling and registration campaigns over the past several decades with a broad range of social and economic goals. These efforts represent a permanent or long-term legal recognition of rights to land as a primary economic asset for agricultural communities and a source of family subsistence, security, and social and cultural wellbeing. Land rights can provide multi-generational benefits to recipients.

Land rights are ascendant across the development sector. Movements addressing women’s empowerment, poverty, social justice, food security and climate change are all increasingly turning to land rights to strengthen their cause. In 2022, renowned philanthropist MacKenzie Scott joined these efforts by making an unprecedented $20 million investment in our work. Ms. Scott’s generous gift represents a profound endorsement of the power of land rights to improve the lives of women, men, and communities around the world.

There is a correlation between socio-economic development, human rights and the empowerment of men and women to participate at all levels of decision making. Secure land rights are an important precondition for the achievement of these goals, including and the realisation of a broad spectrum of human rights: adequate housing, equality, food, health, work and education.

Securing women’s rights, access to, and control over housing, land, and property (HLP) are important for livelihood generation, food security, a store of wealth, and other economic benefits. Ensuring women’s HLP rights also provides social benefits, such as improved bargaining power within the household and community. Data on women’s rights to HLP is limited, but available evidence from 53 countries shows that within those countries, over 70 percent of women do not own any land. Without action, women are at risk of being left farther behind.

Les politiques foncières redistributives suscitent souvent des débats controversés quant à leur équité. La politique de mise en valeur agricole, en cours en Algérie depuis 1983, a donné un nouveau souffle à l’agriculture algérienne et a considérablement élargi les perspectives de développement pour des milliers d’acteurs dans les zones arides du pays. En déverrouillant simultanément l’accès à la terre et à l’eau souterraine publiques, l’État joue un rôle d’allocation, ou dans certains cas de réallocation, des ressources productives.

Ces dernières années, le nombre de conflits d’héritage gérés par le tribunal de première instance de Cotonou a considérablement augmenté. Pourtant, même lorsqu’une décision est rendue, peu de familles exécutent le jugement. Partant de ce constat, cet article vise à comprendre la manière dont les héritiers comprennent et utilisent le droit dans la capitale béninoise. La justice y est mobilisée pour agir sur les hiérarchies familiales et l’accès aux ressources – un objectif qui ne nécessite pas toujours de respecter la décision du juge.