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The purpose of this publication is to provide detailed guidance for lawmakers and policymakers, as well as civil society organizations and other stakeholders, to support the adoption and effective implementation of laws, policies and programmes to respect, protect and fulfil women’s rights to land and other productive resources. It is based on the results of an expert group meeting held on 25-27 June 2012 in Geneva, Switzerland, during which papers were presented from various sectors and regions. These papers, and the discussions which were informed by them, helped to bring to the surface many of the critical issues facing women today in relation to the enjoyment of their land rights. The publication also incorporates additional case studies submitted by key experts, as well as extensive thematic research. Land itself can be understood to include farmland, wetland, pasture, rangeland, fishery, forest, as well as harvesting and hunting territories. Throughout this publication the phrase “women’s rights to land” must be understood holistically and in a manner which is grounded in the international human rights framework. These rights entail the ability of women to own, use, access, control, transfer, inherit and otherwise take decisions about land and related resources. They also encompass women’s rights to secure land tenure and to meaningfully participate at all stages of land law, policy and programme development, from assessment and analysis, programme planning and design, budgeting and financing, implementation, to monitoring and evaluation. Women’s land rights must also be understood in the context of intersecting forms of discrimination (see also chap. III.A.2). While this publication focuses on women’s rights to land, it is also recognized that land is inextricably linked to women’s access to, use of and control over other productive resources, such as property, fisheries, livestock and game. Therefore, the publication also uses the phrase “women’s rights to land and other productive resources” to reflect this broader context. The publication recommends strategies to be incor porated in domestic laws, policies and programming, as appropriate. States are encouraged to reflect the recommendations within whichever framework best suits their context. Land law is the system of codified rules that are enforced through institutions that govern land tenure. Other types of law, for example marriage and family law, are also relevant to the protection of women’s land rights. Land policy refers broadly to the agreements, principles or guidelines which aid in the administration of land and other decision-making related to land. Land programming refers broadly to the activities or functions taken to implement land laws and policies, often by specific institutions responsible for such implementation.

Realizing Women’s Rights to Land and Other Productive Resources

Resource Key: 96QRXHNR

Document Type: Report

Creator:

Author:

  • United Nations

Creators Name: {mb_resource_zotero_creatorsname}

Place: New York, Geneva

Institution: United Nations

Date: 2013

Language:

The purpose of this publication is to provide detailed guidance for lawmakers and policymakers, as well as civil society organizations and other stakeholders, to support the adoption and effective implementation of laws, policies and programmes to respect, protect and fulfil women’s rights to land and other productive resources. It is based on the results of an expert group meeting held on 25-27 June 2012 in Geneva, Switzerland, during which papers were presented from various sectors and regions. These papers, and the discussions which were informed by them, helped to bring to the surface many of the critical issues facing women today in relation to the enjoyment of their land rights. The publication also incorporates additional case studies submitted by key experts, as well as extensive thematic research. Land itself can be understood to include farmland, wetland, pasture, rangeland, fishery, forest, as well as harvesting and hunting territories. Throughout this publication the phrase “women’s rights to land” must be understood holistically and in a manner which is grounded in the international human rights framework. These rights entail the ability of women to own, use, access, control, transfer, inherit and otherwise take decisions about land and related resources. They also encompass women’s rights to secure land tenure and to meaningfully participate at all stages of land law, policy and programme development, from assessment and analysis, programme planning and design, budgeting and financing, implementation, to monitoring and evaluation. Women’s land rights must also be understood in the context of intersecting forms of discrimination (see also chap. III.A.2). While this publication focuses on women’s rights to land, it is also recognized that land is inextricably linked to women’s access to, use of and control over other productive resources, such as property, fisheries, livestock and game. Therefore, the publication also uses the phrase “women’s rights to land and other productive resources” to reflect this broader context. The publication recommends strategies to be incor porated in domestic laws, policies and programming, as appropriate. States are encouraged to reflect the recommendations within whichever framework best suits their context. Land law is the system of codified rules that are enforced through institutions that govern land tenure. Other types of law, for example marriage and family law, are also relevant to the protection of women’s land rights. Land policy refers broadly to the agreements, principles or guidelines which aid in the administration of land and other decision-making related to land. Land programming refers broadly to the activities or functions taken to implement land laws and policies, often by specific institutions responsible for such implementation.

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