DR CONGO

The NES DRC process was initiated in July 2012 to galvanise civil society organisations in response to ongoing land reforms initiated by the government through the National Commission For Land Reform (CONAREF). Since the start of the reform process, NES DRC’s work focused on engaging with CONAREF, campaigning for protection of communities' rights, and holding the government accountable for the reform process. In 2018, NES DRC repurposed its strategy to work more closely with CONAREF and other important stakeholders in DRC to encourage the development of a new land policy and a new Land Law by December 2021.

WHAT IS THE OBJECTIVE?

The main objective of NES DRC is to achieve a more inclusive land reform process that is open to stakeholder demands and promotes consensus-based options for the new land law. The specific objectives include supporting decentralisation of NES process to provinces, strengthening NES platform with more members, and influencing policy makers during reviews of land laws.

WHAT ACTIONS DO WE TAKE?

In order to fulfill their objective, NES DRC members aim to:

• Develop and disseminate good practice booklets to enhance skills and knowledge of members so they can capitalise on available data in the land sector and highlight important practices;
• Engage with provincial land actors through CONAREF, facilitating multi-stakeholder dialogues with public authorities, parliamentarians, and the land administration on transparency and accountability in the land sector;
• Advocate for the adoption of a Local Community Land Decree aimed at supplementing part of the current land law on promotion of community tenure.

OUR IMPACT

In 2018, DRC recorded the highest number of land and environmental defenders killed compared to any other country in Africa. In partnership with ILC’s work on Defending Land Defenders, a land observatory was established in DRC to help report land corruption and denounce land malpractices. When seven indigenous Pigmy land defenders faced prosecution, the land observatory was able to quickly bring it to public attention and document the state of the violation.

Additionally, NES DRC helped the Defending Land Defenders platform secure the release of 15 land rights defenders facing government criminalisation in the country.