Nairobi — Experts from all regions of Africa have met from 6-11, May 2019 and developed guidelines to prevent and address land, ethnicity and conflict in Africa. The Guidelines are expected to support the implementation of inclusive land policies and land governance practices as key factors in conflict prevention, peace building and sustainable development.

The Writeshop to prepare the guidelines was organized by the AUC-ECA-AfDB African Land Policy Center (ALPC), with the financial support of the Swiss Development Corporation (SDC).

Ms. Joan Kagwanja, the ALPC Coordinator, appreciated the commitment of African professionals to develop homegrown guidelines to prevent and address land related conflicts in Africa. Ms Kagwanja noted that violent land related conflicts in Africa are often caused by competition over access to and use of land and other natural resources. "Once the Guidelines are endorsed by the African Union, they will serve the needs of many stakeholders who are engaged in developing policies and implementing land reforms at continental, regional, national and sub-national levels," she said.

It is expected that the guidelines will offer insights into land policy reforms by addressing, ethnic dimensions to land, the different types of conflicts, how to mitigate them and the best ways of securing land rights in order to build peaceful and cohesive communities. They will be used by governments, land policy reform institutions, peace builders, researchers, and ordinary citizens.

The six-day meeting was held at the Lukenya Getaway Hotel, Nairobi, Kenya and attended by 14 experts drawn from different regions and institutions in Africa, UN Habitat and ALPC secretariat.

The African Land policy center (ALPC) is a secretariat of the tripartite consortium composed of the African Union Commission (AUC), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), and the African Development Bank (AfDB) which has the mandate of facilitating the implementation of the AU Declaration on Land in Africa.