WOCAN Report from Pan African Conference on Land Rights and Justice for African Women – May 30th-June 2, 2011
The conference addressed gender based issues related to land, sexual and gender based violence. It reviewed the status of on-going programmes of CAADP in various African countries as well as the role of grassroots organizations in alleviating injustices resulting from land-based relationships. The conference highlighted key aspects that need to be focused on to ensure that land based issues no longer impede the agricultural development potential of women in Africa.
Various issues were identified as impediments to African women realizing their land rights. At the international level, it was shared that funding often lacks a gender perspective, hence limiting the translation of programmes and activities into tangible benefits for African women. At the regional level, leaders lack political will and coordination within existing structures and frameworks to protect women's human rights and to link with national and local populations. Regional bodies can play a stronger role in strengthening women's land rights, including protecting their access and usage of land. At the national level, bad leadership and inappropriate policies on land and land use in Africa have been major obstacles for women. Leaders have negotiated land deals and other types of investment to the benefit of the outsiders or the international communities, and without consideration of women's rights. At the grassroots levels, women lack a voice in decision-making. Traditional systems have safeguarded customs, norms and values that discriminate women when it comes to land access, control and ownership. Clearly, this needs to shift.
Climate change was identified as a major issue that will curtail further the rights of women to land in Africa as well as deteriorate agricultural production - the basis of livelihoods in Africa. These sentiments were earlier reflected in the Fourth Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessment that highlights Africa as the most vulnerable continent to climate change. There have been many institutions, debates and organizations that have championed for climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies to alleviate the possibility of African populations and Africans' fragile ecosystems' negative impacts. However, gender issues have so far received little attention in the climate change debate. This is despite the fact that 70% of the 1.3 billion people in the developing world living at or below the poverty threshold are women, a majority of which are women farmers. Climate change will increasingly exacerbate the stresses on the vulnerable and poor - much of which have a gender-differentiated impact. Climate change effects will not be linear and if unchecked, those who are most vulnerable will be tipped into acute poverty. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD); have not clearly outlined how women issues in regard to climate change will be tackled. REDD initiatives provide a framework for supporting projects that can have positive impacts on communities, improve livelihoods, conserve and restore forest resources. However, REDD presents opportunities for outcomes of forest dependent communities, but also risks serious negative outcomes, especially for women who rely on forest resources to sustain their families and livelihoods. The current discussions on REDD are weak with respect to the gender dimensions and its impacts on rural women who have few or no options at all. It would be wise to revisit the REDD and other protocols, policies, principles to engage local communities into the development plans of investors, which should be facilitated by national leadership and women's participation.
Civil society's organizations identified priorities for in the coming period, including more engagement with various government ministries, departments, institutions, regional bodies and international bodies in support of justice for the African women and their right to land.
