An 11 minute film illustrating how rural villagers in Sierra Leone are seeking to ensure justice. When a Chinese rubber company seized their forest and land they came together;used the law and won. Since then they have taken part in a fight to transform Sierra Leone’s systems for land and environmental governance.
In Uganda land remains the most sought–after natural resource;but legal and structural mechanisms have not been effective in addressing illegal land evictions faced by vulnerable communities. Most local investors have taken advantage of the structural gaps in land administration which have exacerbated the issuance of multiple titles. This has been compounded by Uganda’s weak justice system and excesses perpetrated by some police officers and the military. In recent times Uganda has witnessed catastrophic forced evictions across the country.
The Ninth of March 2021 will go down in history for the residents of Mambasa Territory in Ituri Province as the day the government laid the foundation stone for the Mambasa Land Administration building.
On 27 April 2021 President Kenyatta launched the National Land Information Management System (NLIMS);the culmination of years of digitisation of chaotic land records. It is expected to ease title transfers and safeguard public land from grabbers. It coincided with the opening of a National Geospatial Data Centre;an online depository that will contain all the land records in the country.
Sustainable land governance requires that all members of a community have equal rights and say in decisions that affect their collectively held lands. Unfortunately women around the world have less land ownership and weaker land rights than men – but this can change and the WRI report shows ways how that can be done. It details case studies from communities in Cameroon;Mexico;Nepal;Indonesia and Jordan.
Law reform often involves political choices requiring public participation and consultation. Outlines how governments and civil society may promote participatory law-making;details the positive impacts of such processes;and makes various recommendations to ensure that all citizensvoices are heard during law-making processes.
There is greater recognition that policies and projects should respect legitimate tenure rights. But this concept has often proved difficult to operationalise. Discusses the meaning and implications of recognising legitimate tenure rights;then outlines ways forward for States;civil society;the private sector;and development agencies.
For many decades communities in West and Central Africa have been facing industrial oil palm plantations encroaching onto their community land. With the false promise of bringing ‘developmentand jobs;corporations;backed up by the support of the governments;have been granted millions of hectares of land under concessions for industrial oil palm plantations. The results of this expansion have been disastrous for communities living in and around these industrial plantations and in particular for women.
Report;through a cross-sectoral analysis of three recent case studies from sub-Saharan Africa;maps out the most effective tools and approaches for strengthening rural women’s voices in decision-making processes. The authors examine which are the key factors enabling or constraining rural women’s voices;what the main challenges are that practitioners should be aware of;and how projects can ensure rural women are able to participate in and influence decision making affecting their livelihoods.
Secure land tenure is key to eradicating poverty;increasing agricultural investment and ensuring food security;and is an essential element of climate action and climate resilience. Yet women have far weaker rights to land than men. These disadvantages exist broadly and with few exceptions globally and are especially limiting to the well-being of women and their families in rural areas;where land is the basis for livelihood;identity;social standing and social security.
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