Revitalizing Ethiopian traditions
-In our traditional system of land management, land and the other natural resources over it are owned and managed communally for the benefit of society, says village elder Debsso Halake.
Read more(28.01.2008)
Background for the formaliation programme in Tanzania
The Tanzanian economy has lately enjoyed a very healthy socio-economic development in terms of macro indicators. However, micro level indicators at household budget level have been shown (e.g. household budget survey 2002) to remain stagnant or even to deteriorate.
Read more(19.10.2005)
Report on the formalisation programme in Tanzania
This NORAD-report, conducted by a research team headed by Nordic Consulting Group (NCG), presents the findings, conclusions and recommendations from a review of Phase 1 (Diagnostic Phase) of the "Property and Business Formalisation Programme" (PBFP), carried out by Institute of Democracy and Liberty (ILD), in Tanzania.
Read more(19.11.2005)
Agenda: Land rights
Land equals life. The challenge of people's land rights in Africa can be summarized as simple as this. NPA has gathered partners and experts to discuss future work on land and resource rights in Africa.
Read more(20.11.2006)
NPA- Focus on land and resource rights.
For NPA a rights based approach to land and resources implies that we focus on rural peoples capacity to secure their rights to natural resources on which they depend. Once these rights are secured, peoples livelihood security must be protected and enhanced through sustainable use of these resources. Thus land policy and reforms thereof are seen in the wider context of men’s and women’s rights to productive resources.
Read more(03.05.2006)
A need for action on the High-level Commission on Empowerment of the Poor
A "High-level Commission on the Legal Empowerment of the Poor” will be established in New York in September. Hernando de Soto and Madeline Albright will be the co-chairs of the commission. In the process of establishing the commission there has been no consultations with representatives for any major CSOs or NGOs. No representatives from the organisations of the poor has been part of the process to form the commission. Hernando de Soto has been criticized for pushing privatisation, cementing unjust ownership and for “one size fits all” approach. Many civil society organisations are sceptical. These organisations are now circulating a sign-on letter with requirements for supporting the commission.
Read more(05.07.2005)
Norwegian NGO Statement on the High-level Commission on Legal Empowerment of the Poor
The Commission will be launched at the UN, New York, 20-21 January 2006. Norwegian NGOs welcome the opportunity the Commission
provides in setting land rights issues high on the international agenda. However, we are deeply worried by the lack of involvement
of civil society in the process thus far and the present composition of the Commission. We are critical of the role of Hernando
de Soto as co-chair of the Commission. Read the Norwegian NGO statement at landrightswatch.net
MAKING DEAD CAPITAL LIVE: How can this happen in Tanzania?
Report on the information and discussion forum: Making dead capital live: How can this happen in Tanzania? Organised by the NGO Policy Forum. Co-hosted with Norwegian People’s Aid.
Read more(12.09.2005)
Is formalisation the solution to combat poverty?
The "High-level Commission on Legal Empowerment of the Poor" (HLCLEP) is to be pre-launched in the UN, New York, on the 13th of Sept. 2005. Norway, together with the other Nordic countries, has taken the initiative to establish this Commission. The Commission is inspired by the Peruvian Economist Hernando de Soto and the assumption that the fight against poverty can only be won through legal recognition of poor people's assets and their inclusion in the formal market economy. The objective "is to contribute significantly to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) with respect to reducing poverty by half by 2015".
Read more(12.09.2005)
