Re-Establishing an Asset Base and Protecting Access to Productive Resources in Post-Conflict Areas of Northern Uganda

Re-Establishing an Asset Base and Protecting Access to Productive Resources in Post-Conflict Areas of Northern Uganda

Land and conflicts in South Sudan: Taking the land question seriously in the peace building process

This report on the Scoping and Status Study on Land and Conflict reviews the global context and the inspiration driving the study, The three key findings of the study are the existence of multiple areas of UN engagement on land and conflict across the UN pillars, the existence of multiple entry points for improved synergy and that the status quo is not fit for purpose. Based on the above findings, the study presents six recommendations  for consideration by the Rule of Law Resource and Coordination Group, the UN Working Group on Transition, other non-UN entities and Member States.

Based on the experiences of Amerindian communities in Guyana, this briefing presents some of the main causes of forest conflicts in the country as well as recommendations for how to address these. In particular, the document presents the following points: 

• Lack of full recognition of indigenous peoples’ land rights in line with international law, absence of effective FPIC procedures and limited transparency in forest governance are key underlying causes of forest-related conflicts in Guyana; 

This is the first of a series of consultations on the human rights challenges and dilemmas involved in the
acquisition and use of land – held individually or collectively - for private or state-owned business and
economic purposes. The aim of the series of consultations is to develop a framework that leads to an end of
human rights abuses at any stage of the process – before acquisition, during acquisition, and after operations
have commenced and, if necessary, relocation and rehabilitation arranged, and compensation paid.

More than eleven years after the 1994 genocide, Rwanda might be an internally pacified, but by far not unified nation. There are different factors, which threaten the fragile social equilibrium. The issue of land is one of them. Land has long been a scarce and disputed resource in Rwanda. Ongoing shortages due to decreasing soil quality, growing population pressure and unequal distribution, as well as a lack of income generating alternatives beyond agriculture create an extremely precarious future to the national economy of the small, landlocked country.

Many authors contend that ethnic extremism coupled with political manipulation were the primary factors behind the Rwandan genocide. Yet, to oversimplify the cause of this tragedy makes one blind to the complicated nexus that generated the outcome. Even though this genocide was quick in its execution, the events that lead to this massacre took years to unfold. We argue that the evolution of human capital and the competition for scarce resources contributed to the genocide.

This report is part of a broader comparative effort by As the author worked with colleagues in Rwanda,
two other important dimensions of the Rwandan
experience became clear. Refugee return and land
access in Rwanda has been an extraordinarily
complex matter, with some refugees leaving just in
time for others returning to take up their homes and
lands. Rwanda has important lessons to teach us
about the need to maintain flexibility in dealing with
complexity, and raises questions about whether

Africa’s Great Lakes Region has in recent years experienced
political strife, armed conflict and population displacements
with severe humanitarian consequences. While these events
have clearly revolved around political struggles for the control
of the state, recent research has pointed to the significance
of access to renewable natural resources as structural causes
and sustaining factors in struggles for power in the region.
Contested rights to land and natural resources are significant,

This research investigates the changing landscape of gendered land rights in Rwanda, and examines the impact of the statutory changes introduced by laws governing land, inheritance, succession and matrimonial property passed between 1999 and 2013. In addition to assessing the extent to which gendered, land-related legal provisions are put into practice and rights secured, this research also seeks to understand whether changes introduced to the legal framework gave rise to land disputes, and if so, the types of land disputes provoked and whether they involved gender-based violence.

This case study, based on interviews in Rwanda and an extensive review of secondary material, builds on previous analysis, and examines proposed land reforms as articulated in the National Land Policy. However, it does not attempt to be a comprehensive review of the land policy – more in-depth studies have already been conducted. Instead, it situates the policy and the process involved within the wider debates about governance and conflict resolution in the country.