Niamey — African countries welcome a platform for coordination and sharing of lessons, knowledge and experience in order to enhance land governance in accordance with the African Union Declaration on Land Issues and Challenges in Africa. This was pronounced by H.E. Ada Cheffou, Minister of Environment, Urban Safety, and Sustainable Development of the Republic of Niger, during the launch of the "EU-SDC-FAO-LPI Transversal Support Programme on Land Governance in Africa."
The Minister lauded the joint efforts of the African Union Commission (AUC)-Economic Commission for Africa (ECA)-African Development Bank (AfDB) Land Policy Initiative (LPI), the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and the development partners in developing this important platform, which will provide an opportunity for Member States and development partners to share experiences and promote synergy, coordination, and harmonization at country level.
The programme launch and related events are organized by the LPI and FAO, in collaboration with the Government of Niger, from 24 to 27 February 2015, in Niamey, Niger. The EU-SDC-FAO-LPI continental programme will support ten country-level projects which have received direct financial support the European Union (EU) and the German Federal Enterprise for International Cooperation (GIZ). The countries are: Angola, Burundi, Côte d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Niger, Somalia, South Sudan, and Swaziland.
The programme promotes and integrated approach to the application of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security (VGGT) and the Framework and Guidelines on Land Policy in Africa (F&G). The aim of the VGGT and the F&G is to promote food security and sustainable development by improving secure access to land, fisheries, and forests, and by protecting the legitimate tenure rights of people, especially the poor and vulnerable groups.
"The VGGT and F&G are ideal instruments to ensure food security, poverty reduction, and overall sustainable development," said Mr. Joseph Foumbi of ECA Subregional Office for West Africa, representing the AUC-AfDB-ECA LPI. He added that "land governance has received the support of the three institutions through the LPI for several years." Mr. Foumbi noted that the launch and support of pilot projects on land governance on the continent are in lines with the African Union Declaration on Land Issues and Challenges in Africa, which calls for enhanced country-level partnerships and support towards land policy development, implementation and monitoring.
Mr. Amadou Ouattara, representative of the FAO, reiterated his organization's commitment to supporting land governance in Africa, in collaboration with development partners. Noting that the VGGT is the first globally negotiated set of guidelines outlining how to govern land in the context of food security, fisheries and forests, ha lauded the integrated use of the VGGT and F&G. Mr. Ouattara further called for regular coordination and learning meetings among the country projects.
The representative of the Swiss Agency for Cooperation and Development (SDC), Mr. Stefano Berti, commended the Government of Niger for hosting the launch, and stressed that Switzerland is committed to supporting African partners in developing sound land policies. "Africa holds 60 per cent of the available land globally that can still be tapped for development, so this project will contribute to efforts by African governments to harness land for food security and sustainable development." He noted that SDC is pleased to see that women's land rights issues are being addressed in the context of upcoming land policy projects, and pledged continued support to the LPI.
"Land is central in the fight against poverty, and for food security, but when not properly governed land can lead to conflicts," noted Ambassador Raul Mateus Paula, the Head of the EU Delegation to Niger. He noted that land governance is a major priority for EU's engagement with Africa, as exemplified by the pan-African level support to the LPI, and the current support of about EUR 33 million provided directly to ten countries in Africa.
The launch brought together about 60 participants representing governments from the ten countries, traditional leaders, farmers' associations, civil society, and development partners. The official launch of the programme was preceded by a multi-stakeholder awareness raising workshop on VGGT and F&G. It will be followed by a learning and coordination meeting (25 and 26 February) for the ten country projects, and a comprehensive training on VGGT and F&G, scheduled for 27 February 2015.
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.
