Includes background to the National Land Policy workshop, discussions with civil society, and key issues arising during the workshop (the role of chiefs, the sale of customary land, and the sale of land to foreigners). Contains what next? and a postscript on the Ministry of Lands’ assessment and position one month after the workshop.

Analyses the analyses made of The Land Act, 1999, and The Village Land Act, 1999, by Issa Shivji and Liz Wily. Includes engaging with the ministry, a national debate, lessons for civil society, genuine decentralisation, the next steps, and what lessons for Oxfam. Has an appendix of articles on the Acts.

Series of slides presented at a talk to the Royal African Society covering land tenure in Africa: common features; book outline; West Africa; land commissions, national land policies and land laws; implementation problems; Uganda Land Act 1998; land reform in South Africa 1994-9; tenure reform blocked in South Africa; conclusions; new approaches to land rights management; role of donors; Zimbabwe land invasions – different interpretations; Zimbabwe land chronology.

Land tenure reform policy has been affected by many different types of decentralization, but the literature has rarely explicitly addressed the implications of this. The paper provides a review of how the issues of decentralization are linked to land tenure reform in theory and practice. Begins with clarifying some key terms, then looks at contending perspectives on decentralization and how these relate to the UNDP’s pillars of democratic governance.

Research sought to evaluate the determinants of urban land markets, to analyse trends in urban land markets and values, and to assess impacts of urban land prices and policies. Concludes that if current land policies are not reformed there is a risk of increased negative impacts on the poor and more low-income people will be exposed to displacement to areas away from the urban centres which could cause social instability and an increase of informal settlements in suburbs.

Divided into 4 parts: land tenure issues today: historically unprecedented challenges; an analytical framework for land tenure; what land policies to meet the challenges of diversity and durability?; proposals for the French development aid position on land issues.

With examples from throughout Southern Africa, examines the objectives, impetae, importance, principles and important elements of a land policy; the policy development process and policy implementation; the relevance of a national land policy for Uganda and emerging lessons.

Most West African countries are in the process of reforming their land policies. Discussions tend to focus on the tools and mechanisms for securing and regulating land tenure. While tools are certainly a vital part of the process, it is important to understand that the same tool can serve very different interests depending on how it is conceived and used. Are we sufficiently aware of the diversity of issues that may be associated with a land policy? And what do we know about the real effects that tools have on all these different issues?

Land policy in Ethiopia has been controversial since the fall of the Derg in 1991. While the current Ethiopian government has implemented a land policy that is based on state ownership of land, many agricultural economists and international donor agencies have propagated some form of privatised land ownership. Traces the antagonistic arguments of the two schools of thought how their antagonistic principles of fairness vs. efficiency are played out and have trickled down in the formulation of the federal and regional land policies especially on the new Oromia regional land policy.

Presentation of civil society views for pro-poor land policies and laws in Zambia. Includes introduction and background; overview of the land policy options paper; context setting for policy development; policy options; implementation framework. Lays emphasis on protection of customary land, ability to convert leasehold back to customary land, need for size limits, 30% state land allocation should go to women, awareness raising on joint registration.

Includes situation analysis, the vision, rationale, guiding principles, objectives, measures, implementation, legal framework. A monitoring and evaluation framework for policy implementation will be developed, as will selected indicators to monitor the policy performance. After 7 years of implementation, a mid-term policy review will be carried out to determine progress achieved and to keep abreast with emerging trends in the sector.

Brief highlights key attributes of national constitutions, laws, and regulations that play a fundamental role in protecting indigenous and rural women’s rights to community forests and other community lands. These legislative best practices were derived from a 2017 analysis of over 400 national laws and regulations, Power and Potential, which evaluates the extent to which women’s rights to community forests are recognized by national law in 30 low- and middle-income countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America.