WSSD Excerpts of Relevant Paragraphs on Access to Land

Report of the World Summit on Sustainable Development
Johannesburg, South Africa
26 August-4 September 2002

PLAN OF IMPLEMENTATION

II. Poverty eradication

Eradicating poverty is the greatest global challenge facing the world today and an indispensable requirement for sustainable development, particularly for developing countries. Although each country has the primary responsibility for its own sustainable development and poverty eradication and the role of national policies and development strategies cannot be overemphasized, concerted and concrete measures are required at all levels to enable developing countries to achieve their sustainable development goals as related to the internationally agreed poverty-related targets and goals, including those contained in Agenda 21, the relevant outcomes of other United Nations conferences and the United Nations Millennium Declaration. This would include actions at all levels to:

Paragraph 7 (c)
Develop national programmes for sustainable development and local and community development, where appropriate within country-owned poverty reduction strategies, to promote the empowerment of people living in poverty and their organizations. These programmes should reflect their priorities and enable them to increase access to productive resources, public services and institutions, in particular land, waters, employment opportunities, credit, education and health;

Paragraph 7 (d)
Promote women’s equal access and full participation in, on the basis of equality with men, decision-making at all levels, mainstreaming gender perspectives in all policies and strategies, eliminating all forms of violence and discrimination against women and improving the status, health and economic welfare of women and girls through full and equal access to economic opportunity, land, credit, education and health-care services;

Paragraph 7 (h)
Provide access to agricultural resources for people living in poverty, especially women and indigenous community, and promote, as appropriate, land tenure arrangements that recognize and protect indigenous and common property resource management systems;

Paragraph 10
Strengthen the contribution of industrial development to poverty eradication and sustainable natural resource management. This would include actions at all levels to:

Paragraph 10 (f)
Provide support for natural resource management for creating sustainable livelihoods for the poor;

Paragraph 11
By 2020, achieve a significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers, as proposed in the "Cities without slums" initiative. This would include actions at all levels to:

Paragraph 11 (a)
Improve access to land and property, to adequate shelter and to basic services for the urban and rural poor, with special attention to female heads of household;

Paragraph 40
Agriculture plays a crucial role in addressing the needs of a growing global population and is inextricably linked to poverty eradication, especially in developing countries. Enhancing the role of women at all levels and in all aspects of rural development, agriculture, nutrition and food security is imperative. Sustainable agriculture and rural development are essential to the implementation of an integrated approach to increasing food production and enhancing food security and food safety in an environmentally sustainable way. This would include actions at all levels to:

Paragraph 40 (d)
Promote programmes to enhance in a sustainable manner the productivity of land and the efficient use of water resources in agriculture, forestry, wetlands, artisanal fisheries and aquaculture, especially through indigenous and local community-based approaches;

Paragraph 40 (i)
Adopt policies and implement laws that guarantee well defined and enforceable land and water use rights and promote legal security of tenure, recognizing the existence of different national laws and/or systems of land access and tenure, and provide technical and financial assistance to developing countries as well as countries with economies in transition that are undertaking land tenure reform in order to enhance sustainable livelihoods;

Paragraph 65
Deal effectively with natural disasters and conflicts, including their humanitarian and environmental impacts, recognizing that conflicts in Africa have hindered, and in many cases obliterated, both the gains and efforts aimed at sustainable development, with the most vulnerable members of society, particularly women and children, being the most impacted victims, through efforts and initiatives, at all levels, to:

Paragraph 65 (b)
Promote and support efforts and initiatives to secure equitable access to land tenure, clarify resource rights and responsibilities, through land and tenure reform processes that respect the rule of law and are enshrined in national law, and provide access to credit for all, especially women, and that enable economic and social empowerment, poverty eradication and efficient and ecologically sound utilization of land and that enable women producers to become decision makers and owners in the sector, including the right to inherit land.

REPORT OF THE PARTNERSHIP PLENARY MEETINGS
ON THE THEME OF AGRICULTURE

Paragraph 24
The key issues mentioned for agriculture, particularly in developing countries, included:

Addressing land tenure and rights issues, including those related to women and indigenous people.
Paragraph 27
To achieve sustainable agricultural growth, changes are needed for:

Applying integrative approaches, since agriculture, water, energy, land, biodiversity and other factors are closely linked.

REPORTS OF THE ROUNDTABLES

Roundtable 1

"Mobilizing resources to support Millennium development goals and Summit priorities"

Paragraph 8
Sustainable development initiatives should take into account the specific social and economic conditions and cultural identities of indigenous people. Many stressed that programmes should be implemented on the basis of consultations with local communities, including women, youth and indigenous people. Recognition of land rights and the right of self-determination, and a right-based approach to addressing poverty that would contribute to improving policies at the national level, are essential for strengthening local and indigenous communities.

"Promoting cooperation in the five priority areas of water and sanitation, energy, health, agriculture and biodiversity"

Paragraph 13
The need for affordable and accessible water and sanitation projects was highlighted. On biodiversity, it was stressed that special ecological networks were needed and that options for balancing biodiversity and energy needs should be developed. Sustainable development concerns agriculture producers directly, and several participants noted that destruction of agricultural lands in areas of conflict has caused production to drop because of wasted water resources. Support was expressed for activities on water access, access to renewable energy and assistance in resource-efficient energy consumption. Several participants called for urgent, equitable and fair solutions to agricultural subsidies. Others noted that unsustainable patterns of production and consumption must be changed.

Bringing scientific knowledge to bear on decision-making and ensuring affordable access to critical technology and scientific knowledge.

"Recommendations from participants"

Paragraph 15
Recommendations included the following:

Fulfil official development assistance commitments and facilitate foreign direct investment flows to developing countries. Official development assistance should particularly target the least developed countries that have limited access to foreign direct investment
Develop financially viable projects and access to credits, regional and global cooperation, peace and security, capacity-building and economic stability
Create markets for environmental services with strong support from the private sector
Increase Global Environment Facility funding and make procedures simpler and more transparent
Ratify the Kyoto Protocol so that it can enter into force as soon as possible
Recognize the right to self-determination and land rights of indigenous communities.
Roundtable 4

"Recommendation from participants"

Paragraph 27
The summary prepared by the Chairman, an advance version of which was circulated in an informal paper, read as follows:

"Leading to renewed and stronger commitment to global solidarity"

"5. The recognition that business and should be part of the solution is a positive outcome of the Summit, as was discussed in detail by a number of participants Some shortcomings of non-governmental organizations, such as difficulty in obtaining long-term funding, were noted. Regarding forestry, for example, the private sector can more effectively address reforestation by working with small farmers, and through land and forest stewardship, providing incentives for conservation. Companies are potential partners not just for funding but also as means for implementing environmental projects.

"Promoting cooperation in the five priority areas of water and sanitation, energy, health, agriculture and biodiversity"

"17. Several participants noted that the draft plan of implementation contains a number of agricultural and sustainable development provisions that can inject dynamism into future action. The capacities of farm organizations should be built at the national level, and poverty in rural areas must be addressed in part through land ownership and water resources. Aid organizations working with farmer organizations through farmer-to-farmer exchanges have a greater potential to spread financial and technical assistance.