March 10 – 21, 2025 (NEW YORK, USA): The Intergovernmental Authority on Development is set to actively participate in the 69th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69) at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from March 10 to 21, 2025. This session will take place under the broader review of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (1995) and the outcomes of the 23rd Special Session of the General Assembly. IGAD’s participation will provide an important opportunity to profile the achievements, challenges, and key areas for further action regarding the advancement of women’s land rights in its Member States and the wider African region.
As the world marks 30 years since the adoption of the Beijing Declaration, IGAD will seize this global platform to advocate for the need for increased investment, comprehensive policy reforms, and strengthened collaborative action to ensure women’s access, control, and ownership of land and natural resources. Women’s land rights are critical for achieving gender equality, fostering economic empowerment, ensuring food security, and promoting sustainable development. Despite notable progress in terms of legal frameworks, implementation of these policies has been slow and inconsistent, largely due to deeply entrenched social norms and discriminatory practices that continue to hinder women’s full participation in land and resource governance.
In collaboration with the Government of Uganda, IGAD will co-host a high-level side event focused on accelerating the implementation of commitments made regarding women’s land, property, and resource rights since the Beijing Conference. The event, titled “A Review of Progress on Women’s Land, Property, and Resource Rights Since the Beijing Conference: Accelerating Implementation to Achieve Gender Equality and Sustainable Development,” will bring together a diverse group of stakeholders, including government representatives, development partners, grassroots women, civil society organisations, professional associations, and researchers.
The side event will provide a platform to showcase successful legal reforms, policy frameworks, and innovative community practices that have contributed to advancing secure women’s land, property, and natural resource rights. It will also explore the critical connections between women’s land rights and other key issues, such as climate change, food security, economic justice, and gender-based violence. Furthermore, the event will address ongoing challenges and emerging issues that continue to impede women’s full control over land, despite the presence of legal frameworks and policies aimed at promoting gender equality in land ownership. It will also offer a space for discussing actionable steps to accelerate the implementation of the commitments made under the Beijing Platform for Action and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
In Africa, land remains one of the most critical gender equality issues. Despite regional frameworks such as the IGAD Women’s Land Rights Agenda, the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Strategy, and the Generation Equality Forum, there are significant barriers to translating policies into meaningful change on the ground. The Beijing Declaration explicitly called for legislative and administrative reforms to guarantee equal access to land and inheritance rights for women, yet gaps in implementation persist, preventing women from fully benefiting from these commitments.
Women’s land rights are central to achieving the SDGs. Five out of the 17 SDGs explicitly reference women’s land rights, with nine of the 169 SDG targets focused on land tenure security. IGAD’s engagement at CSW69 will be a key advocacy opportunity to highlight the need for increased investment in legal reforms, community engagement, and institutional support. Such initiatives are essential to ensuring that women can access, own, and inherit land, which is a fundamental economic and social right necessary for achieving broader development goals.
IGAD’s participation at CSW69 will serve to galvanise the political will required to drive the changes necessary for women to fully enjoy their land rights. By drawing attention to the gaps in implementation and providing evidence of the tangible benefits of securing women’s land rights, IGAD aims to foster greater commitment to achieving gender equality, reducing poverty, and supporting sustainable development across the African continent and beyond.
For further information, please contact:
Ms. Joselyn Bigirwa
IGAD Head of Mission to the Republic of Uganda / Gender and Land Expert
📧 Joselyn.Bigirwa@igad.int
