People Centered Land Governance: Unlocking Opportunities for Agenda 2063

We, the representatives of governments, intergovernmental bodies, think tanks and research bodies, civil society networks, and land experts gathered online for the 2020 Africa Land Forum, organized by the International Land Coalition-Africa (ILC Africa) in collaboration with the African Union Commission (AUC) and The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) on the theme: Delivering on the African Union Agenda 2063 by Promoting People-Centered Land Governance in Africa:

Recognizing that land is a valuable resource for secured livelihoods in Africa, an identity, citizens heritage and social marker as well as an economic asset for growth;

Recalling that good governance and people-centred land governance is important for achieving agenda 2063 and building the Africa we want;

Recognizing the importance of tools such as the AU Framework and Guidelines on Land Policy in Africa, the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in Context of National Food Security (VGGT), the AU Declaration on land issues and challenges in Africa, the AU Policy Framework for Pastoralism in Africa, the Monitoring and Evaluation of Land Governance (MELA) Framework in Africa, the AU Guidelines on Prevention and Addressing Land-Based Conflicts in Africa and the Guiding Principles on Large Scale Land Based Investments in Africa (LSLBI);

Cognizant of the 7 Aspirations of Agenda 2063 and Flagship Programmes/Projects of Agenda 2063, like the formulation of a commodities strategy and establishment of the Continental Free Trade Area;

Aware of the Agenda 2063 targets to be realized by 2023, like the reduction by 20% of the incidences of hunger, especially among women and youth, ensuring that at least 1 out of 5 women have secure access and control to productive assets including land, and that the youth unemployment is reduced by a quarter;

Recalling the AU Declaration on Land Issues and Challenges in Africa and how it integrates both the Agenda 2063 and 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and reviewing the status of its implementation, with the aim of accelerating growth in the continent;

Noting the growing evidence that COVID-19 has led to general regression on advancing gender justice and equality on secure land tenure;

Noting the significance and centrality of inclusion and diversity in achieving people-centred land governance;

Profoundly concerned by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on African economies and its resulting impact on land governance;

 

Convinced that:

I. Land is an enabler for transformation of Africa, and people-centred land governance key to the realization of Agenda 2063

II. Social Inclusion, women’s empowerment and gender equality are important African aspirations inscribed in the 2063 agenda and that lasting peace, stability, and prosperity can only come to Africa when there is gender justice and equality

III. Securing land tenure and control of productive assets for women and girls in Africa are critical for sustainable development

IV. The value capture of the potential of over 60% of unregistered/ documented land in Africa (community/customary land) is critical for inclusive growth and sustainable development

V. Security of tenure rights for all land users is crucial to unleashing the potential of Africa as envisaged in Agenda 2063, and in strengthening resilience to withstand negative impacts of hazards in the continent

VI. People-centred land governance has the potential to catalyze the rebooting of family farming and achieving a hunger-free Africa

VII. Sustainable rangelands management play important roles in reducing cross-boundary conflicts and in producing livestock that contributes to feeding Africa and building economies

VIII. Evidence-based land policy approaches is important in coming up with people-centred land governance policies at the national, regional and continental levels

IX. Responsible governance of landscapes, conservation and natural resource is critical to the fight against land degradation and climate crisis, thus enabling sustainable development

X. Land-based investments should be carefully handled to ensure they are responsible, inclusive, conflict-sensitive and beneficial to all

XI. Diverse multi-stakeholder participation at the local, national and regional levels and from all sectors of society, including civil society organizations, local government and the private sector, will be crucial to achieving the objectives and aspirations of the Agenda 2063

 

Do hereby make the following declaration that -

The AUC, Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and ILC members should:

1. Strengthen their engagement in supporting the delivery of land governance-related targets in the Agenda 2063 by improving synergy, coordination and participation of stakeholders at national and regional levels through facilitation of multi-stakeholders platforms
2. Intensify sensitization and awareness creation efforts about land governance in the context of achieving the aspirations of Agenda 2063 through national and regional plans and strategies, as well as the mainstreaming of the targets in the governance and development processes in all land-related sectors at country and regional levels
3. Enhance capacity development initiatives on land through developing relevant tools, organizing learning exchanges and conducting research to fast track the implementation of the continental, regional and global land frameworks at the Member State levels
4. Facilitate to have the Kilimanjaro Charter of Demand that was developed and championed by rural women in Africa in 2016 as part of the official documents of the African Union for use and reference by Member States
5. Support the mainstreaming of secure land tenure for women and girls within the Five Years (2021-2026) Transformative Action Plans to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment in line with the review of 25 Years since 1995 UN Women Conference and related Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action
6. Improve the monitoring and reporting on the contribution of land governance in delivering Agenda 2063 and urge Member States to regularly monitor and report on land targets within the CAADP Biennial Review Framework in contributing to the reporting of the Agenda 2063
7. Together with the Member States, organize Annual Land Forums jointly, as a basis of providing annual reports on the status of implementation of Agenda 2063

 

The ILC Africa through its programs on the National Engagement Strategies and Commitment Based Initiatives should -

1. Support the establishment and the strengthening of National Multi- Stakeholder Platforms in countries where its Membership exists
2. Foster collaborative relations with the IGOs and multilateral institutions to strengthen and increase interventions and innovations on land governance towards “The Africa We Want”.

 

The Regional Economic Communities should -

1. Adopt continental and global frameworks in the context of Agenda 2063 as a basis for developing their regional land governance strategies and plans
2. Facilitate, coordinate and support the resource mobilization and capacity development initiatives of their Member States on land for the Implementation of Agenda 2063
3. Serve as focal points for the facilitation of the adoption, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of all land-related continental and global frameworks in support of the achievement of Agenda 2063 by their Member States.