In many African countries, the majority of land is under customary tenure: the rights, rules and responsibilities to possess, occupy and use it are based on community customs. But customary-held land rarely enjoys adequate protection under national laws; any legal mechanisms to uphold land rights may be easily circumvented. With land-based investments expanding rapidly in Africa in recent years, scarce resources are coming under pressure. Conflicts erupt between competing land users. Communities find themselves dispossessed.
Strengthening the legal framework for customary land-rights holders is crucial for their legal recognition and protection. IDLO works to elevate the land rights of communities in Africa and empower customary rights holders to protect their land.
For more information, see IDLO's publication Protecting. Community Lands and Resources. Evidence from Liberia, Mozambique and Uganda.
In Burundi, land tenure registration is the primary way for the government to deal with the large number of land disputes across the country. A series of pilot programs aimed at resolving land rights issues have been initiated in recent years. To date, however, it is unclear whether these pilot programs have had their intended effect of reducing the number of land disputes.
In June 2015, IDLO commenced the project: Researching the Impact of Land Tenure Registration on Land Disputes and Women’s Land Rights in Burundi.
Land Tenure Registration (LTR) programs involve issuing proof of ownership to holders of land rights to increase their legal certainty. Such programs are undertaken for a variety of reasons. While much is known about the impact of LTR on factors like access to credit and agricultural output, there is a gap in knowledge of its impact on land disputes, particularly in post-conflict settings.
Communities that survived years of violent strife still struggle to secure permanent rights
Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia are rich in forests, land and minerals, but have struggled to derive development benefits from these natural resources. Although land use investments can activate economic, social and environmental progress (such as local employment creation, wealth generation and infrastructure establishment), positive development outcomes are not automatic.
On Wednesday, IDLO Director-General Irene Khan met with the Minister of Justice of Mozambique, Benvinda Levi, and the Ambassador of Mozambique, Carla Elisa Mucavi, at IDLO’s offices in Rome.
 Évènement
6 oct 2021 |
 Évènement
15 septembre, 2020 |
