Insights from ILC Women’s Land Rights and Gender Justice Global Learning Exchange
During the Global learning exchange on “Weaving Knowledge and Resistance, over 40 women from grassroots organisations across the world came together. Between June 24 to 29, 2024 they spent an intensive week in Turbaco Colombia learning from each other’s experiences and forging solidarities around women’s land rights that transcend geographic and cultural boundaries.
Organised by ILC together with the National Land Coalition of Colombia and the S4HL Women Coalition from Colombia – “Women’s Coalition of the Caribbean for the Land and the Territory” – the exchange emphasised the importance of gender-transformative approaches and the critical role of women in advocating for land rights.
Leaders from Latin America, Asia, Africa, and EMENA, broke down the successes and challenges of practical initiatives in their advocacy efforts to achieving women land rights in order to strategize ways to overcome obstacles in their territories. In particular, participants learned from Gender Transformative Approaches (GTA), such as the Stand For Her Land Campaign; , alternative reporting for CEDAW, CESCR, SDGs among others as well as Gender Justice initiatives implemented in the framework of ILC’s Gender Action Plan. Get to know some of the participants and learn about the experience in their voices:
Overcoming Gender Barriers in Peru
Andrea, a representative from the Organización Nacional de Mujeres Indígenas Andinas y Amazónicas del Perú (ONAMIAP), shared a candid overview of the state of gender justice and women’s land rights in Peru. Significant obstacles are rooted in deeply-entrenched cultural norms and a lack of governmental support. According to Andrea,
“The main obstacles are the government and the lack of political will. They either don’t make policies for women or have a different perspective on the issues. Women are often forced to leave their homes due to violence and lack of support. Traditional and religious beliefs also play a role in perpetuating gender inequality.”
These beliefs often result in victim-blaming, she added. Highlighting the importance of being part of ILC, Andrea discussed how it helps in raising awareness about the fact that gender equality is an ongoing process in Peru, allowing her to share stories for women’s land rights on an international platform. Andrea suggested that,
“the global movement should focus on understanding the barriers women face in accessing land and territory. In Peru, we need programs that address these issues directly."
Advocating for Gender Justice in the Philippines
Kimberly Alvarez, Project Manager at Kaisahan, discussed the significant challenges faced by women in the Philippines, particularly in decision-making within farming and indigenous communities. Traditional mindsets and patriarchal structures often exclude women from governance and resource management roles.
Kimberly participated in ILC's Global Learning Exchange on Gender Transformative Approach to strengthen her organisation, locally.
“These exchanges are crucial for learning about women's issues in different countries and understanding the interventions they use. This knowledge helps us improve our strategies for promoting women’s land rights and gender justice in our own country," Kimberly said.
Kimberly advised other organisations to conduct gender audits as her organisation did with the support of ILC. She furthermore recommended other leaders share learnings continuously, and use social media to elevate women's issues, highlighting the importance of community discussions on women’s rights for making households and communities accept and promote women’s land rights.
"We had a good experience conducting a gender audit which assessed our organisation’s gender policies and approaches. Other ILC members could benefit from a similar experience. Promoting women’s land rights and gender justice requires continuous sharing of learnings and activities. Social media campaigns are also vital for elevating women's issues," she recommended.
Strengthening Gender Justice Networks in Liberia
Willet Salue is from Liberia and is the Project Manager for the Women NGO Secretariat of Liberia (WONGOSOL). She is also a focal person for the Liberia Multistakeholder Land Platform and a participant in the Gender Justice Network under the International Land Coalition (ILC). She attended the learning exchange to learn practical experiences to strengthen gender justice efforts in Liberia.
During the event, Willet was impressed by the high connectivity and dedication of women's groups in the Caribbean and is determined to strengthen the collaborative networks in Africa to promote gender justice. After learning about successful coordination methods from other regions, Willet plans to apply these to her work in Liberia. Upon returning, she plans to develop a concept to enhance community women's land rights and gender justice advocacy and share the experiences she gained in Colombia during coordination meetings to inspire other organisation members to support new advocacy projects.
Willet stated,
"This event made me realise that we are not alone; women around the world are striving for similar goals. This gave me great confidence and motivation."
After the event, Willet also plans to become a member of the International Land Coalition to further strengthen her role in women's rights work. She recognizes that this is a gradual process that requires changing people's perceptions step by step and needs the support of key stakeholders, including religious and cultural leaders.
Empowering Women Farmers in Uganda
Hadija is from southwestern Uganda and leads a community organisation focused on empowering women in economic decision-making, particularly in sustainable agriculture and cross-border trade. She attended the learning exchange, hoping to amplify their voices and learn effective practices through exchanges with colleagues from other countries.
During the event, Hadija discovered that women in Latin America are very active and effective in protecting local seed varieties, which was an important learning point for her as a farmer. Using the insights gained, she plans to establish a local action plan committee, mobilise resources, train grassroots community educators, and use existing women's council structures to expand advocacy for women's land rights.
Hadija shared,
"Seeing women in other regions facing similar challenges and successfully addressing them has been incredibly inspiring. It shows that we can achieve the same."
Hadija emphasised that this is a gradual process that requires changing people's perceptions step by step. She also stressed the importance of including key figures such as religious and cultural leaders in changing social and cultural norms.
Advancing Women's Land Rights in Colombia
Maria Camila Barrera is from Colombia, and she is a promoter of the Colombian National Land Alliance and the Stand for Her Land campaign. Maria Camila is part of the team that organised the learning exchange; her intent was to learn effective practices through exchanges with colleagues from other countries to improve their work on women's land rights in Colombia.
D. Despite concerns about language barriers and logistical challenges, the event successfully allowed participants to share experiences and knowledge and feel the importance and support of each other. She found that women from different regions have many shared experiences and wisdom when facing similar challenges.
Maria Camila said,
"This event made me deeply feel the importance of women's solidarity. Supporting each other can take us further in promoting women's rights."
After the event, Maria Camila plans to form a local action plan committee, mobilise resources, train grassroots community educators, and use existing women's council structures to expand advocacy for women's land rights. She emphasised that this is a gradual process that requires changing people's perceptions step by step.
Empowering women in Bangladesh
Lipi, co-founder of Pagavamshanko, shared her journey in the development sector, which began in 2004. Women in Lipi’s region face severe disadvantages due to unfair land acquisition practices and inadequate compensation.
"Women in our area were often deprived of inheritance rights. Muslim women received only half of what their brothers got, and Hindu women received nothing. We aimed to educate women about their rights and push for policy changes to ensure gender equality in land inheritance," she noted.
Pagavamshanko’s grassroots mobilisation now extends to 212 villages, involving national advocacy and collaboration with 14 women-led organisations across Bangladesh. They focus on climate change impacts, violence against women, and supporting migrant women through training and economic empowerment initiatives.
Lipi emphasised the importance of inheritance rights and improving access to public land for women. She advocated for policy changes to ensure equal property rights for women, regardless of religion, and recommended digitising land documentation.
"During my visit to Colombia, I discovered similarities between our challenges and those faced by women there, such as land grabbing and using contaminated water. This global perspective has been enlightening and empowering,” she stated.
Lipi’s organisation recently received funding for a Gender Audit and is in the initial stages of implementation. This audit will help identify gaps in gender justice within their organisation and among their stakeholders. According to Lipi,
"Hearing stories from other organisations that have completed Gender Audits has been insightful, showing that even those perceived as gender-friendly have areas for improvement. We plan to start our audit next month, which will provide us with clearer insights and strategies for advancing gender justice."
Lipi outlined their plans to implement an action plan for their Gender Audit, involving comprehensive data gathering and stakeholder interviews. This process aims to create a more gender-just organisation.
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