By Stephanie Burgos, Oxfam America, Government Affairs Associate Director for Latin America, Land Rights and Trade
Colombia has the most unequal distribution of land in Latin America, yet equitable access to land is a decisive factor for consolidating peace in Colombia.
By Monique Villa and Peter Rabley
What would happen if you suddenly lost your home? Beyond bricks and mortar, this is a safe place for you and your family. It’s your sanctuary, a space which is yours. If you were forced from it tomorrow, with no alternative, how would you survive?
By Chris Jochnick, President and CEO of Landesa
The development community has experienced various “revolutions” over the years – from microfinance to women’s rights, from the green revolution to sustainable development. Each of these awakenings has improved our understanding of the challenges we face; each has transformed the development landscape, mostly for the better.
By Rachel Crome, Digital editor at Amnesty International
If there’s one thing we learned from January’s historic Women’s March, it’s that women are fed up of waiting. More than 3 million people – of all genders – marched worldwide for women’s rights, spurred on by US President Donald Trump’s misogynistic remarks and the growing backlash against women’s human rights around the world.
From November 28 to December 23, 2016, Land Portal hosted a successful Land Debate on land valuation and fair compensation. The debate focused on the question of what is fair compensation for land in cases of land tenure changes (e.g. expropriations and voluntary land transfers), and what measures are sufficient to ensure the livelihoods of affected landholders are restored.
Everyone was energised by the trek of 29 women from 22 African countries up and down Kilimanjaro this month to raise awareness of women’s land rights, producing a charter of 15 demands on how to protect and enhance these rights. A powerful statement and great mobilising a
By Marian Amissah-Ocran
First, Maame Kraba was diagnosed with HIV. Shortly thereafter, her husband died of the disease. For Maame, a young mother of two children living in Western Region, Ghana, her husband’s death marked an abrupt change in her family’s circumstances, one that would put her rights to land in jeopardy.
In Ghana, land is an indispensable asset. It’s a source of livelihood and social identity, and men and women should have equal opportunities to benefit from it. But when entrenched patriarchy tips the power scales, and corruption reinforces cultural norms, the impact on women can be devastating.
A recent survey reveals that one in three Ghanaians have been asked to pay a bribe for land-related services in recent years. The study was done by the Ghana Integrity Initiative, the local chapter of Transparency International in Ghana.
By Mary Jane Ncube, Farai Shone Mutondoro and Manase Chiweshe
As political parties gear up for the 2018 national elections in Zimbabwe, urban land appears to be emerging as an important campaigning tool for ruling party Zanu PF.
Amid recent mass public protests against corruption, economic decline and an import ban on basic commodities, young people who showed loyalty to the party werepromised land.
By Justine Uvuza, senior gender and land tenure specialist at Landesa
Property and citizenship are in many ways what define us, and they interact in fascinating ways.
By Ruth Meinzen-Dick, Agnes Quisumbing, and Sophie Theis
