Addis Ababa — The Land Policy Initiative (LPI) is organizing this week two Experts Group Meetings (EGM) on monitoring and evaluation, and capacity development. The two areas of focus are highlighted in the African Union Declaration on Land Issues and Challenges as central to the realization of the agenda on land. The first EGM on the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Framework and the implementation plan for piloting the Framework is being held from 30 June to 2 July. The second meeting, focusing on Finalization of the Capacity Development Framework (CDF), will take place on 3 and 4 July. Both meetings will be held the United Nations Conference Center in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Speaking at the M&E Framework meeting, Mr. Stephen Karingi, the Director of the Regional Integration and Trade Division (RITD) of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), highlighted that the AU Declaration on Land urges Members States' leaders to prioritise and lead in land policy review and development, and allocate the budgetary resources needed. "The Declaration is also very clear on the need for an appropriate monitoring and evaluation mechanism, and the LPI has offered good leadership in the implementation of this decision," noted Mr. Karingi. He also reminded that the AU Declaration on Land mandated States to build human and technical capacity on land, and expressed the hope that experts' discussions will help finalize the capacity development framework developed by the LPI. The M&E Framework was examined during a workshop held in September 2013, and key recommendations were provided for its review and finalization. This week's EGM will focus on actualizing those recommendations to provide critical inputs to finalize the document. The meeting will also provide guidance for the Framework to be piloted in selected African countries. The meeting will bring together about 30 land experts and representatives of regional economic communities, development partners, civil society, farmers' and women's networks, and the private sector.
The LPI will take the opportunity of this gathering to raise awareness of Africa's stakeholders and partners on land of the need to include land in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) debate. Participants will be invited to deliberate on SDG so that land will be included in the post-2015 development agenda. The second EGM will focus on revising the Capacity Development Framework for land policy in Africa, in line with key messages and recommendations from the validation workshop held in October 2013. The CDF document will be examined to ensure that key messages are conveyed in an appropriate and accessible manner to the target audience, which includes government officials, heads of land administration agencies, leaders of civil society organizations, farmer and women organizations, as well as centers of learning and land experts. The working session will gather a small group of experts and resource persons selected from different institutions, based on their knowledge on capacity development and awareness of the LPI process of developing the CDF. The Land Policy Initiative is a joint programme of the tripartite consortium consisting of the African Union Commission (AUC), the African Development Bank (AfDB), and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA). Its mandate is to facilitate the implementation of the AU Declaration on Land Issues and Challenges in Africa.
