Thank you M. Chair, my friend Shadrack
Dear colleagues, all protocols observed.
As lead organization of ILC’s members working to promote inclusiveness in decision making in land governance I welcome this session.
I welcome the presence of all the colleagues and friends from global, continental and regional bodies gathered on this panel.
Your presence resounds as a response to our common call for a prosperous Africa based on inclusive growth and sustainable development.
Your presence here is acknowledged as a response to our common call for an Africa of good governance, of democracy, respect of human rights , justice and the rule of law.
Your presence resonates as a rallying call for an Africa whose development is people driven , relying on the potential of the African people especially its women and youth and caring for its children .
Your presence says we want a peaceful and secure Africa.
In no other area can we find that Africa we want, that Africa we are longing for… but in people centered land governance.
Our partners on the panel here namely the AUC, the ALPC , the IGAD have all gone a long way in that direction.
They have facilitated and supported the development of instruments, guidelines and directives.
They have established consultation mechanisms and spaces for constructive engagement.
They have developed information and capacity building tools.
Now let’s take stock!
In taking stock, some key factors come to my mind:
A Constructive and meaningful engagement from all of us is central to building sustainable policies and even more so in the land sector,
A good understanding and acceptance of the nature of our different organizations (State, NGOs, CSOs, CBOs) is crucial when developing expectations from each other. Talking as a member of civil society, we are sometimes saddened to be perceived as pacifiers of communities so that Large scale land investments can proceed! We can bring more and better if and when we are perceived as people-centered policy catalysers;
Leadership and determined commitment are crucial for the vision and policies to materialize and prosper
Last but not least: Access to information : no engagement is sustainable when the custodians of public Information find it difficult to avail that information to those for whom that information was conceived for !
Shadrack, M. Chair, the presence of the actors on this panel tells we want to go beyond that and co-construct strong and sustainable land policies, by sharing information on how far we have gone in implementing the African Union Land Agenda.
The land community welcomes that and thank you all for the opportunity.