"Integrated Assessment of Gender, Land and Water Rights in Southern Africa "

Local Organization : Women's Land and Water Rights in Southern Africa Platform - WLWRSA

Region: Zimbabwe - Southern Africa

Content: The project which aimed to support the Platform, was implemented in four countries of southern Africa Lesotho, Mozambique , Zambia and Zimbabwe . In each of these countries an assessment was undertaken of the laws and administrative frameworks governing land and water rights. The objective was to ascertain if the policy framework took into account the gender issue, bearing in mind that women form the majority of people using land and water for their livelihoods.

Results and Lessons learned, among others:

In all four countries represented in the Platform, women are treated as minors and have no right to own property due to the Constitution's customary law which is supreme in matters of personal rights.

Although the four countries in question had ratified the Convention on Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), this instrument is of no consequence to the practical reality of women in terms of property ownership.

Countries like Mozambique and Zambia have both the patrilineal and matrilineal systems while Zimbabwe and Lesotho are patrilineal. Cross border migration is prevalent in Lesotho , and to some extent in the southern part of Zimbabwe , thus creating a situation where women are de facto heads of households but have no direct control or ownership of the land and water resources they use on a daily basis. Land and water are the key factors of production in the region. Little or nothing has been done to integrate the two resources from a gender perspective.

From the analysis a clear need emerged to engage with different states and the SADC Council of Ministers for Water and for Agriculture, on the importance of integrating the management of these two productive resources underpinning the economic development of the region.

The Platform suffers from lack of financial resources to cover the cost of operation. However, the quality of the research-based results has been satisfactory.

• With support from the Land Coalition , the Platform participated at international advocacy events in order to present the results achieved.

• IFAD Seminar Event on Farmer's Views First: Linking Land and Water Governance at the 2004 World Water Week organised by IFAD in collaboration of the Land Coalition http://www.landcoalition.org/events/ev04wwwifad.htm

• Review and Appraisal of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the Outcome Document of the 23rd Special Session of the General Assembly New York March 2005 http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/Review