3rd Regional Workshop of National Land Institutions for Securing Community Land Rights in Africa
FINAL COMMUNIQUÉ
We,
Participants in the Regional Workshop of National Land Institutions for Securing Community Land Rights in Africa, co-organised by the Ministry of Urban Planning, Housing and Land Reform of the Republic of Togo, the Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI) and the International Land Coalition (ILC), in collaboration with Konrad Adenauer Stiftung and Rural Self-Promotion for Sustainable Human Development (ADHD),
Representing land institutions and similar organisations carrying out land reforms in countries such as Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo and Uganda
- Noting the progress made since the Ghana workshop in 2017 to date;
- Taking into account the diversity of our local contexts, policies, regulatory frameworks and communities;
- Recognising that securing community land rights is crucial for poverty reduction, sustainable development, achieving climate goals and promoting social peace;
- Recalling our determination to contribute to securing community land in line with the African Union decisions on land governance and management, including the Declaration on Land Issues and Challenges in Africa (2009) which endorses the implementation of the Framework and Guiding Principles on Land in Africa; the resolution of the African Union's Specialised Technical Committee (STC) on Agriculture, Rural Development, Water and the Environment which recommends that states allocate at least 30% of land to women; and the endorsement of the use by the STC of the Guiding Principles for Large-Scale Land Investments in Africa to, among other things, protecting community land rights;
- Reaffirming the commitment of the African Union Member States, under the umbrella of the platform, to recognise the human, social, economic and cultural rights of local communities, women and indigenous peoples, including Agenda 2063 of the African Union, the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights, the Maputo Protocol to the African Charter on the Rights of Women and the Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa, as well as sub-regional instruments of ECOWAS, SADC, IGAD, ECCAS and COMESA;
- Recognising also that these African instruments also take into account commitments, initiatives and instruments at the international level, including the 2012 FAO Voluntary Guidelines, the 2018 UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other Rural Workers, the International Bill of Human Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Framework of the United Nations Convention on Climate Change;
- Noting the significant progress in the recognition of community land rights by some countries, through instruments but also through recognised and accepted practices;
- Noting the start of implementation on securing community land rights through pilot projects;
- Noting that challenges still need to be addressed, including mobilisation of financial resources, capacity building, harmonisation of cross-sectoral reforms, taking into account gender and social inclusion aspects and vulnerability;
Recommend to:
1. Strengthen the means of sharing information and experience between countries in the region for the promotion of community land rights;
2. Support institutions in the establishment and operationalisation of land information systems (LIS) that contribute to securing rights for communities;
3. Maintain efforts to identify, recognise and protect the land rights of communities, including the most vulnerable (youth, women, nomads, people with disabilities and others);
4. Strengthen land tenure security for women, youth and vulnerable groups to enable their effective participation in processes and efforts to achieve and sustain the SDGs;
5. Advocate with governments and key stakeholders, including communities and their representatives, technical and financial partners, for success in the ongoing land reform processes, and support them in the implementation of land laws and policies;
6. Take responsibility for and ensure funding of the development and implementation of participatory land policies and laws that take into account community land rights by states;
7. Prioritise the strengthening of human, financial and technical capacities of institutions in charge of land tenure by the States;
8. Advocate for effective decentralisation of land management;
9. Revitalise the African Land Institutions Network for Community Rights (ALIN) through monitoring, learning and peer accountability;
10. Encourage coordination and collaboration between land governance actors through multi-stakeholder platforms.
Done in Lomé, 14 October 2021.
The participants