IGAD Strengthens Project Management Capacities For Djibouti Drylands Project Focal Points

25-04-2019, Djibouti: The Deputy Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, Mr. Mohamed Moussa, today signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the International Land Coalition – ILC AFRICA to have a close relationship of cooperation and partnership, with the view of favouring the scaling up of best practices, formulating and developing programmes and projects to support land reform processes, and promote people centred land governance in the IGAD Member States.

This Memorandum of understanding will enhance the implementation of the IGAD Land Governance Project, designed to improve land governance in the IGAD Region. The cooperation between the two organizations shall be based, among others, on the following areas:

• Support the successful establishment and functioning of the IGAD Civil Society Platform on Land Governance;
• Jointly promote and support the establishment and functioning of national and regional multi-stakeholder platforms on land governance in as many IGAD Member States as feasible;
• Promote in the IGAD Member States the integrated application of the African Union Framework and Guidelines on Land Policy in Africa (F&G), Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security (VGGTs) and the ten ILC Commitments for a people centred land governance.
• Jointly promote Women’s Land Rights in the IGAD Member States;
• Jointly expand the work on pastoralist land governance in the IGAD Region
• Promote the expansion ILC presence/membership in all the 8 IGAD Member States;

 In his remarks, Mr. Mohamed Moussa Welcomed the cooperation and underscored it as timely particularly in responding to the need to strengthen multi-stakeholder processes on land governance at country level through enhancing the capacity of NGOs working on land. He welcomed the need to have a vibrant civil society in the region closely engaging with governments to create sustainable and systemic change in land governance at country and regional level.

Mr. Audace Kubwimana Regional Coordinator for International Land Coalition-Africa, emphasized the significance of cooperation in furthering a people centered land agenda in the region. IGAD is the first Regional Economic Community to fully engage on land governance. ILC is excited at the opportunity to strengthen the reach of its work in Africa though this cooperation.

The signing of this Memorandum of Understanding is under the framework of the IGAD Region Land Governance Business Plan whose goal it is to improve access to land and security of land rights for all land users in the IGAD region achieved through implementation of the AU Declaration on Land Policy.