 has called for greater equality and inclusion to address barriers preventing women from accessing, owning and inheriting land in Eastern Equatoria State.){kind=link}
By Obiala Angel | De-Son, Torit
The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) has called for greater equality and inclusion to address barriers preventing women from accessing, owning and inheriting land in Eastern Equatoria State.
The call was made during a three-day capacity-building workshop on advancing women’s land rights and women’s engagement in peace processes, being held in Torit under the Building Women’s Economic Resilience for Sustainable Peace project.
The workshop brings together representatives from the national and state governments, as well as staff from the IGAD headquarters in Djibouti.
Opening the workshop, Joselyn Bigirwa, IGAD Head of Mission and Gender and Land Expert from Uganda, said the training aims to address the challenges women face in accessing, owning and inheriting land.
She called for stronger cooperation among the state government, communities and other stakeholders to resolve land disputes and promote women’s rights to land.
Bigirwa encouraged participants to use the workshop as a platform for dialogue and experience-sharing, to apply the knowledge and skills gained to address land disputes affecting women.
Representing the Eastern Equatoria State Government, Hon. Thomas Koteen, State Minister for Health, called for similar initiatives to be extended to other parts of the state to address women’s access to land and other land-related conflicts.
He reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to working with IGAD to ensure effective implementation of the project’s activities.
Meanwhile, Hon. Muras Chacha, Chairperson of the Specialized Standing Committee for Physical Infrastructure at the Eastern Equatoria State Transitional Legislative Assembly, said women have the constitutional right to access and own land.
However, he noted that some cultural norms and practices in the state continue to prevent women from inheriting land.
Speaking on behalf of the Undersecretary at the National Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Mr. George Ritti Richard, Director for Land, said improving women’s access to land ownership would contribute to family sustainability and economic resilience.
Ritti urged institutions and the public in Eastern Equatoria to implement the Land Act and Local Government Act of 2009, as well as the draft National Land Policy of 2023, which provide important foundations for improving land governance and promoting equitable access to land.
The Building Women’s Economic Resilience for Sustainable Peace project in Eastern Equatoria focuses on gender mainstreaming, women, peace and security, advancing women’s land rights, and strengthening women’s participation in peace processes.
The project is supported by the African Development Bank and implemented by IGAD in collaboration with the national and state ministries responsible for Gender, Child and Social Welfare; Peacebuilding; and Lands, Housing and Urban Development.