This paper reports on a workshop held in Ethiopia in 2004, targeting stakeholders involved in implementing Ethiopia’s National Action Plan (NAP) for the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). The workshop was based on international, national and regional experiences,…

This report documents human rights abuses linked to efforts to control two key gold mining areas, Mongbwalu (Ituri District) and Durba (Haut Uélé District) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).Findings of the report include:competition to control the gold mines and trading routes has…

This article examines the external and internal dimensions and resources of post-conflict reconstruction in Sierra Leone. Foreign aid represents the bulk of the external sources of support, though its imminent reduction is a significant concern. Internally resources, such as diamond exports,…

This research paper critically evaluates the key issues and approaches in community-based natural resource conflict management. This assessment is done in light of USAID’s recent framework "Nature, Wealth, and Power" (NWP). The purpose of the framework is to provide a clearer…

By applying a template for risk assessment to the operations of the Canadian company DiamondWorks in Angola during the 1990’s, this report highlights the complex and dynamic interplay of commerce and conflict. Conclusions and observations arising form the analysis are designed to aid businesses…

Will an oil pipeline investment agreement between the governments of Chad and Cameroon and a consortium led by ExxonMobil, including Chevron and Petronas pose a serious threat to human rights in Chad and Cameroon? A report by Amnesty International examines possible roots of human rights abuses…

Since the early 1990s, the dominant consensus in the debate on land rights reform in sub-Saharan Africa has been that external interventions to privatise land rights are usually inappropriate and likely to remain so. This article suggests that two elements in the debate - the scope for varying…

What are the dynamics of land tenure in the CAS (Conda, Ambuim, and Sumbe) area in Angola? What are its opportunities and risks? This paper reveals a denial of land access rights to communal farmers, whose livelihoods are centred on land. The paper states that the perhaps greatest contribution…

Land degradation is a severe problem across sub-Saharan Africa, and Ethiopia is among the most affected countries. To stop further land degradation, the government of Ethiopia has initiated a number of projects including soil and water conservation works and the establishment of Area Enclosures…

With land being the main source of income for many people in the developing world, security of access or ownership rights is imperative to the alleviation of rural povety. Past polices of land redistribution, prohibition of land renting and later legalisation of short-term contracts only, may…

This tool aims to support the scrutiny and the improvement of positive outcomes of laws for rural communities. It explores the reasons behind variable practical outcomes (good, average and bad) then suggests changes in how to develop laws, put them into practice or enforce them. It lists the key…

This document investigates the concept of land reform in South Africa and argues that there is a need to redefine 'land reform' to take account of the realities of an urbanising, modernising, economy. It analyses recent political developments on land issues and sheds light on the…