The importance of land in the Great Lakes Region of Africa is undeniable. It is central to livelihoods and identity, and unfortunately also to conflict. Scarcity of land and questions about ownership drive violent conflict. Improper land governance problematizes prevention and resolution of this violence.

Read the one-pager of recommendations for land programming in the Great Lakes Region.

Together with Search for Common Ground, the Platform organized an expert meeting on 15 June to address land issues in the region. Bringing together a number of policy makers, practitioners and researchers working on and in the region, the meeting encouraged reflection on and exchange of (un)successful approaches to tackling land issues.

Root causes and drivers – and different priorities

Throughout the discussion, it was apparent that the priorities on the side of donor governments have shifted from land governance specifically to conflict more generally, and, in particular, migration. On the other hand, it was acknowledged that improper land governance and consequent land grievances are catalysts for both violent conflict and migration from the region.

The meeting highlighted a number of sources of conflict in relation to land. To begin with, various groups in society lack access to land, which leads to grievances that often flare into violence – even within families. Women in particular struggle with access to land. They are limited by patriarchal inheritance laws and unfavorable land registration policies. Additionally, the fear of reprisals or exclusion, and the lack of recourse to justice mechanisms, prevent women from taking claims to objective arbiters.

In Burundi, as well as elsewhere in the region, returnees that fled the country make claims on land that is now in the hands of others. Contested claims spur violence among neighbors and within communities. Unclear or outdated land registration documents prevent dispute resolution on the basis of fact, and, in some cases, only serve to worsen the situation.

While some participants argued that the lack of awareness of land governance legislation among communities in the region prevents them from addressing land injustices, others countered that often the awareness of laws is present, but enforcement by officials and local or state institutions is non-existent. Raising awareness through targeted campaigns must therefore be coupled with institutional development and real change in how land rights are enforced by authorities.

As often is the case, widespread corruption at every level of governance, from the community to the national level, exacerbates many of the aforementioned hurdles to peaceful land governance. Formal institutions tasked with land registration, adjudication and enforcement are all susceptible to corruption. As such, informal mechanisms, like mediation, present themselves as alternative options.

Addressing and mitigating conflicts

Training mediators – often women – proved to be a successful way to find solutions for land disputes that are acceptable to all parties involved, without recourse to local or state institutions. Mediators are taught to bring disputing parties together to find amicable solutions outside of regulatory frameworks. By training women and giving them an important role in resolving disputes, the program also helps to shift the perception and enhance the standing of these women in the community, as well as their involvement in land affairs in general.

A different method of mitigating or preventing land conflicts is to create opportunities for alternative livelihoods. Many land issues center on a lack of alternatives to subsistence farming. As such, employment in other sectors could help ease land scarcity and reduce contested land claims. However, doing so requires two major shifts. The first is the actual creation of sustainable alternatives. In many of the Great Lakes countries, this may be difficult to achieve without donor or government support. The second is a shift in attitudes towards a positive view of work in other sectors and away from the exclusivity of subsistence farming as a livelihood in the region.

Recommendations going forward

The Platform and Search for Common Ground will compile a one-pager that outlines the most important recommendations for policy makers and practitioners to address land issues.

The Dutch Knowledge Platforms are said to “have gold in their hands”.  A recently concluded learning review provides insight into the achievements and added value of the five Knowledge Platforms since their kick-off three years ago.

The Platforms were established following the Kennisbrief that was sent to Parliament in 2011 by the then Dutch State Secretary for Development Cooperation, Mr Ben Knapen. The Platforms have been structured around five strategic themes for development cooperation: food and nutrition security; sexual and reproductive health and rights; security and rule of law; water for development; and inclusive development policies.

While the Knowledge Platforms are diverse in their organization and strategy, the reviewers identify common “gems”, such as the multi-stakeholder approach that lies at the core of their institutional strategy. The Platforms do not operate in a vacuum. Instead, they are positioned among a diverse range of actors: ministries, NGOs, research institutes, consultancies, businesses,  and more. As such, their existence does not only serve to fulfil only the needs of the Dutch government, but rather provides a meaningful way to take stock of multiple and varied perspectives in order to pursue a greater good. The learning review highlights further achievements of the Platforms, including their convening power and their unique ability to address emerging and contested issues.

According to the review, the Platforms also offer an opportunity to move towards more institutionalized knowledge relations. The conception of the Platforms was prefaced by the identification of specific gaps in knowledge creation, exchange, and use in the Dutch development sector.. Significant lacunae included a lack of focus and coherence in research programming, weak relations between different stakeholders, and fragmented use of knowledge by ministries and other practitioners. The Platforms have so far been most successful in knowledge creation and exchange, while knowledge use remains a tough nut to crack. Nevertheless, the review shows that the foundations are in place to get ‘knowledge to work’ for the stakeholders involved.

Internationally, the Dutch approach to knowledge brokering has been well-received. International stakeholders have increasingly expressed interest to learn more about the added value of such an innovative approach to the development sector.

The Platform is looking to build on its successes over the past years and needs your help! We would like to know where we can improve and what you expect from us. Together, we hope to build a Platform that suits the needs of all its stakeholders. Take this short (3 min) survey to help us on our way.

On Wednesday 15th February at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Edouard al-Dahdah, senior public sector specialist at the World Bank presented the 2017 World Development Report on Governance and the Law, accompanied by reflections by Mrs. Engelshoven (vice mayor, The Hague), Mr. Heemskerk (Netherlands Executive Director of the Board of the World Bank Group) and Mr Rebergen (Director General International Cooperation).

Listen to the Platform's interview with Mr. al-Dahdah below.

The report was warmly received, with some hailing it as a game-changing document. It certainly reads differently from what one might expect of a World Bank resource. The discussions during and after the presentation offered interesting insights into the drivers and consequences of poor governance and the effectiveness or failure of political decision-making, as well as evaluating the role of law in development as much as the rule of law.

Read the summary report here.

The Knowledge Platform Security & Rule of Law seeks to improve understanding and approaches towards security and rule of law; influence and innovate policy and implementation both in The Netherlands and internationally; and facilitate mutual learning and uptake of new knowledge amongst experts, policy makers, practitioners, researchers and relevant other sectors.

In the next phase of our development, the Platform will be working to bring about a shift from knowledge exchange between individuals toward a culture of learning and knowledge uptake within and between organizations.

As an important first step, we are recruiting a consultant to conduct a scoping study on the state of learning within the Knowledge Platform’s members. In pursuit of that, we make a clear distinction between the processes of generating knowledge, of learning from it, and of subsequently applying that knowledge in practice (uptake).

Findings from the scoping study will duly inform the Knowledge Platform’s development of their theory of change and research uptake strategy. Finally, the data set produced by the study will provide the basis for future evaluations of the Platform’s work on learning and uptake.

For more information about the scoping study and its realization, please contact Will Bennett