Land certification reforms help protect widows’ access to family land
Burundi is advancing people-centred land governance through reforms that strengthen the recognition of women’s land rights within its communal land certification system. New procedures encourage the inclusion of spouses’ names on land certificates and require that marital status be recorded in land registers.
By formally documenting the relationship of spouses to family land, the system helps ensure that women, particularly widows, are better protected from losing access to land following the death of a partner. This measure provides documented evidence of family land rights, which can be critical in preventing dispossession and resolving inheritance disputes.
This approach strengthens tenure security at the household level while addressing long-standing gender inequalities in land access. When women’s rights are recognised in land documentation, families are better protected, and communities are better positioned to manage land fairly and transparently.
The reform demonstrates how locally anchored land governance systems can promote gender equality and protect the rights of rural communities. By integrating gender considerations into land administration, Burundi is taking an important step toward building land systems that serve people more equitably.
Burundi Communal Land Certification Manual (2024)
Technical Manual for the Management and Operation of Communal Land Services in Burundi
Burundi Land Certification & Women’s Rights Guide
Guide to strengthening women’s land rights through communal land certification in Burundi
