Pastoralists are one of the most poverty stricken and underdeveloped existing human groups in the world. Until now, having remained practically invisible in the eyes of international law, it is desirable to open a debate concerning the recognition of their rights. The ideal situation would be to create a specific category of rights dedicated expressly to these pastoralist peoples. Therefore, one can surmise that there are two laws that constitute its essential content: the law protecting their way of life and their access rights to the land

The technical guide on improving the governance of pastoral lands is designed for several audiences including government and non-government actors. It covers specific challenges of pastoral tenure that are unique to pastoralism and considers how these different facets of pastoralist tenure (issues of the commons; free, prior and informed consent (FPIC); gender etc.) can be combined in a coherent approach to securing pastoral lands.

This manual is designed to assist development organizations to respect the right to FPIC when developing and implementing projects affecting Indigenous Peoples. It contains a six-step procedure to facilitate the FPIC process while showing its benefits, as well as provides the regulatory framework to be used when mainstreaming Indigenous Peoples’ rights within organizations’ policies and standards.

This manual of guidelines is distributed by the Ministry of Lands and Resettlement to guide Communal Area residents and land authorities about group land rights. This guidance is official. This means that advice should be followed – as relevant to the case in point. Although formal provision for group land rights is new, the idea of holding rights collectively is well known in Communal Areas. Under customary norms, many residents already hold rights to a particular area not as individuals but as members of families and communities (or ‘groups’).

In 1991, Terminology for Grazing Lands and Grazing Animals was published with the objective of ‘developing a consensus of clear definitions of terms used in the grazing of animals.’ This first effort involved primarily organizations and agencies within the USA but included representation from New Zealand and Australia. It was the intent from the beginning to expand this to a truly international effort at a later date.

INDEX 3.0 RECENT EVENTS 4.0 CERTIFYING CUSTOMARY OWNERSHIP FOR PASTORALISTS, UGANDA 5.0 MODEL FOR RECOGNISING COMMUNITY LAND RIGHTS IN KENYA 6.0 PARTICIPATORY MAPPING AS TOOL FOR SECURING RIGHTS 7.0 DEVELOPING A LAND USE MASTER PLAN, KITENGELA 8.0 SECURING WOMEN’S RIGHTS TO LAND, GARBA TULA 9.0 UPDATE ON RANGELAND OBSERVATORY 10.0 PROTECTING COMMON PROPERTY RIGHTS IN INDIA THROUGH COMMUNITY MOBILISATION 11.0 PASTORALISTS AND HUNTER GATHERERS SEEK PROTECTION IN TANZANIA’S NEW CONSTITUTION 12.0 ENDNOTES

INDEX 2.0 RECENT EVENTS 4.0 PASTORALISTS DO PLAN! EXPERIENCES OF MURSI LAND USE PLANNING, SOUTH OMO ETHIOPIA 5.0 PROGRESS OF THE COMMUNITY LAND BILL, KENYA 6.0 DEVELOPING SILVOPASTORAL SYSTEMS FOR MORE SECURE ACCESS TO LAND IN THE CHACO REGION OF SOUTH AMERICA 7.0 ONGOING CONFLICTS IN LOLIONDO, TANZANIA 8.0 EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN THROUGH THE PASTORAL WOMEN’S ALLIANCE, INDIA 9.0 PUBLICATIONS - RANGELANDS 10.0 NEW INITIATIVES MAKING RANGELANDS MORE SECURE 11.0 MORE RECENT EVENTS

Green energy is expected to be a significant part of the solution to Africa’s energy problems. But what new problems may arise if progress exacts at a high cost? Lake Turkana Wind Power is the largest private investment ever in Kenya, and Danish and international companies and investors have already sunk millions of euros into the project. But they now await a court decision which will determine whether the land on which the turbines will be built was illegally acquired.

This report presents grassroots women’s approaches to access justice with focus on land and property rights in Africa. This community empowerment-based research undertaken by the Huairou Commission and its partner groups across seven African countries – Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe – showcases women’s rights challenges and effective strategies to improve women’s access to justice.

Pastoralism has been under pressure due to a number of factors including climate change, population pressure and socioeconomic dynamism. These factors have affected the relationships among different pastoral groups and the functioning of the customary institutions in managing natural resources. Interference of the state structures into pastoral areas, land alienation for large scale investment and delineation of protected area from communal grazing areas have negatively affected the relationships between pastoralists and the state.

How worried are people, especially in poorer communities, about the risk that they could lose their homes or their land? The idea behind this initial survey is simple: to find out if people are worried about their existing property rights or lack of them – whether women or men, owners or tenants, in cities or in villages. The survey results reveal that insecurity of property rights is widespread in India, with about one in four owners and about half of renters expressing worry about losing their home.

‘This study is in-depth, up-to-date and the first of its kind on a massive infrastructure development project in the region, examining its history, politics, evolution, the emergence of actors and interests and effects on the poor and marginalized. It presents the ambitions and ambiguities of a megaproject never seen in the development history of the region. The report is a comprehensive analysis of the hopes and fears emanating from a megaproject in the region and provides invaluable data on which future studies will certainly have to rely.’