Although ancestral rights to land are a cornerstone of the livelihoods of indigenous peoples, few countries have been ready to undertake their recognition. Lack of political will together with obstacles such as lack of legal recognition of indigenous rights in national legal frameworks and tenure regimes, different forms of discrimination and inappropriate policies towards indigenous peoples are at the root of some of the limitations that are found with regard to the recognition of indigenous peoples’ land rights.

The National Land Policy in Kenya: Critical Public Land Issues and Policy Statements is a guide to steer the debate and eventual formulation of a National Land Policy and legislative framework that will address issues of management and administration of public land in Kenya.

The second volume of Land Reform, Land Settlement and Cooperatives for 2004 comprises eight articles that examine a range of areas central to land tenure activity. They provide a stimulating and, in some cases, critical set of perspectives on how best to tackle some of these issues.

This manual complements FAO Land Tenure Studies 6: The design of land consolidation pilot projects in Central and Eastern Europe. The manual concentrates on the practical aspects of defining and implementing the first pilot projects. It identifies the main conditions that should be in place before the project starts, and it defines potentials and constraints. It draws attention to issues that should be addressed and it discusses methods, tools and techniques. The manual identifies the main activities in a pilot project and their sequence.

Access to land is essential to food production and income generation. It is also a key social and economic asset, crucial for cultural identity, political power and participation in decisionmaking. Social and cultural beliefs often discriminate against people because of gender, social class or ethnic group.

El acceso a la tierra es indispensable para la producción de alimentos y la generación de ingresos. Asimismo, constituye un bien social y económico decisivo, que reviste una importancia crucial para la identidad cultural, el poder político y la participación en el proceso de toma de decisiones. Las creencias sociales y culturales suelen dar lugar a discriminación contra las personas por motivos de género, clase social o grupo étnico.

L’accès à la terre est indispensable pour produire de la nourriture et créer des revenus. C’est aussi un atout social et économique déterminant qui donne accès à l’identité culturelle, au pouvoir politique et à la prise de décisions. Les préjugés sociaux et culturels sont souvent responsables d’une discrimination à l’égard d’un sexe, d’une classe sociale ou d’un groupe ethnique.

The EU Land Policy Guidelines (November 2004) are intended for EU donors when supporting interventions in rural land policy and administration. They are divided into Part I policy framework, Part II operational guidelines. Part I includes what is land policy and why does it matter?; links between land policy and other major policy areas (e.g. poverty reduction, gender equality, conflict, governance, environment); elements of a land policy programme; central issues for the design of land policy and land reforms (e.g.

Contains introduction; conflict in Rwanda; background to the development of the draft land policy; the context: land scarcity and distribution; aims and modalities of the draft land policy – consolidation, access to land for the landless, registration and tenure security, grouped settlements, land use and environmental protection; conclusions and recommendations.

The Historical Injustices Issues Paper seeks to present the various historical land claims issues and perspective related to them and consequently proffer policy statements for their redress.

Land distribution and access to land are key issues in Zimbabwe. In recent years, nearly all of the country's commercial farm land has been re-designated, leaving most farm workers dislocated from their farm villages. The government of Zimbabwe argues that the land reform programme is needed to achieve historical and social justice. However, this article concludes that the government is engaged in serious human rights violations and is appropriating land to distribute to its followers for political not social justice ends.

Examines (1) what is the issue and why is it important? – equality and economic growth, tenure insecurity, governance and institutions; (2) current evidence: what do we know? – land redistribution for productive use, policy reforms to strengthen security of tenure, state facilitation of land markets; (3) what we don’t know: closing the evidence gap – reconciling social justice / equity and agricultural growth, land administration, agricultural growth and poverty reduction, appropriate taxation of land and productive resources.