LandNet Rwanda Chapter input on the Land Sub-Sector EDPRS Self Assessment

LandNet Rwanda Chapter was consulted by the Rwanda Natural Resources Authority (RNRA) to give comments and observations to the draft version of the Land Sub-Sector EDPRS Self Assessment of the Land Thematic Working Group lead by Department of Lands and Mapping and DFID. Views from members were collected and joint feedback of the network was send to Didier  G. Sagashya (Deputy Director General Rwanda Natural Resources Authority, Lands and Mapping Department & Office of the Registrar of Land Titles).

First of all LandNet Rwanda Chapter welcomed the important mentioning of the Africa Land Policy framework and Guidelines (ALPFG) as one of the four strategic objectives in the Land sub-Sector Strategic Plan in the self assessment as well as the clear emphasize on the importance of including and involving all partners in the development of strategies and priorities towards sustainability and ownership.

But the network also stressed the special importance of civil society involvement in policy preparation, implementation and monitoring and reminded the Land Thematic Working Group that there is still room for effective engagement with partners, which is related to general capacity issues which have to be addressed.

LandNet Rwanda Chapter also requested more detailed information and questioned the idea of “monitoring CSO’s and NGO’s”  because of the “need to smoothen coordination of civil society activities” under MINICOFIN. LandNet Rwanda Chapter does not see the need to monitor civil society activities and questioned if MINICOFIN has the responsibility and the capacity to coordinate and monitor the work of civil society.

Closure of EEEGL and phasing out of activities

The project Enterprise, Environment, and Equity in the Virunga Landscape of the Great Lakes (EEEGL), funded by the Howard G. Buffett Foundation and implemented by CARE International and the International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP) in Rwanda and Uganda, is reaching its natural conclusion on 31/12/11.

This happens after five years of intense work, where the project has availed of a tremendous level of collaboration and cooperation from various partners, stakeholders and counterparts, drawn from NGOs, local government, central government agencies, community organizations and private sector.

Many stakeholders were involved in an evaluation carried out by the funder of this project last May. In addition, many have also been engaged in the external Final Evaluation carried out few weeks ago. The results of this evaluation will be disseminated early next year.

EEGL teams has approached and discussed with their partners and stakeholders the consolidation and phasing out of specific activities and spent considerable effort during the last phase to ensure that these activities have a vision for sustainability. Specifically the project Technical Advisory Committees in Rwanda and Uganda has been consulted to achieve that.

Both CARE and IGCP, consistently with their missions and resources, will continue remaining involved with the beneficiaries and the partners, as part of their long term commitment to the conservation and development agenda in the two countries. Moreover, EEEGL’s contribution to the development of the transboundary collaboration around the Virungas has benefitted from tangible progress under the leadership of the Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration and the support from IGCP, which will remain in place.

Information and reports produced by the project are available at www.virunga.net. Final reports will be posted there.

LandNet Rwanda Chapter in the Organic Land Law Review

LandNet Rwanda Chapter members were invited to a technical consultation workshop on the amendment of the Organic Land Law (OLL) which took take place on Wednesday, 19th October 2011 from 8.30 am to 5.00pm at La Palisse Hotel-Nyandungu.

Policy Brief: Women's land rights gains in Rwanda are eroded by cultural practices and negative attitude

Author: Rwanda Women Network (RWN), May 2011

A two-year (2009–2010) action research study entitled “Experiences of Women in Asserting their Land Rights: the case of Bugesera District, Rwanda", was carried out by Rwanda Women Network (RWN) in collaboration with the Makerere Institute of Social Research (MISR). The study shows that gains for women’s struggle on land rights in statutory law are undermined on the ground by the continuation of discriminatory practices, which are prejudicial to women and due to the negative attitudes towards women’s land rights in Rwanda.

Land scarcity in Rwanda is a huge problem due to population density and the fact that the country’s population is more than 80 percent dependent on agriculture. Due to the country’s history of conflict and the 1994 genocide, the complex land problem has deteriorated. Today, women constitute approximately 53 percent of the adult population and 50 percent of these are widows. Women continue to face the impact of genocide; for example, today 34 percent of all households in Rwanda are headed by women. In addition, of the Rwandan population infected with HIV, over 50 percent are women due partly to the mass rape during the genocide.

The struggle for women’s land rights has been helped by the progressive statutory regime that recognizes and protects women’s rights to own and inherit land. Relevant legislations include the Constitution (2003), Inheritance and Succession Law (1999), Land Law (2005), which together complement the 1960 Civil Code. In particular, Articles 4 and 9 of the Rwanda Constitution (2003) provide for equality of all Rwandans, men and women and between husbands and wives respectively.

Even though these policy and law reforms have greatly enhanced women’s land and property rights, in practice there is still a need for change. Click here to download the Policy Brief.

Experiences of women in asserting their land rights: the case of the Bugesera District

Author: Rwanda Women Network (RWN), International Land Coalition (ILC), March 2011

 

Poor women in developing countries rely on land as source of livelihood. Increasing pressure on land — brought on by globalisation pressures, increased population and privatisation — undermines women’s land tenure security. The comparison of women’s land access is predominantly measured against that of men, and this has been the basis for formulating policy aimed at increasing women’s land tenure security. However, this dichotomy reduces women to a homogenous group which experiences tenure security in an identical manner, so the dichotomy masks several differences which exist among women.

A focus on the differences among women allows for significant insight to emerge into how women experience tenure access differently, how various policies impact on different women and the specific ways these differences could be used to inform policy formulation and evaluation. Focussing on differentiation among women also illustrates other important factors shaping women’s access to land, normally overlooked when research focuses on differences between men and women.

This paper highlights how differentiation is useful to explain women’s differences in land access and how policy aimed at ensuring women’s tenure security could be more effective. Click here to download the Research Report.