International consultation highlights women’s right to land and productive resources

16.11.2005 Over 90 activists, academics, members of government and community women from India and Nepal, SriLanka, India, Nigeria, Krgystan, and Uganda assembled at UNDP hall, New Delhi, on November 13th and 14th for an International Consultation on Women’s Land and Resource Rights. Community women’s experiences were supplemented with legal and conceptual information from people who have worked on the issue at the policy and law reform level.

16 November 2005

Over 90 activists, academics, members of government and community women from India and Nepal, SriLanka, India, Nigeria, Krgystan, and Uganda assembled at UNDP hall, New Delhi, on November 13th and 14th for an International Consultation on Women’s Land and Resource Rights. Community women’s experiences were supplemented with legal and conceptual information from people who have worked on the issue at the policy and law reform level.

The event was a collaborative effort between Consult for Women and Land Rights (CWLR), Action Aid India, UNIFEM, IWID, IFAD and UNDP. It follows a year and a half long process of dialogue at regional-level and state-level meetings on the issue of women and land rights.

The meeting was inaugurated by Dr Govind Kelkar, IFAD-UNIFEM Programme Coordinator. Dr. Maxine Olson, UN Resident Coordinator and UN Resident Representative, UNDP India, commended the effort. ‘Initiating cooperation with UNDP, UNIFEM and IFAD is critical at a time when governments all over the world are working to develop sustainable solutions to eradicate poverty by 2015 and achieve the Millennium Development Goals,’she said.

Ms.Reva Nayyar, Secretary, Department of Women & Children in India, reminded the delegates that her Ministry had managed to put through the Bill on protection against domestic violence, and also the amendment in the Hindu Succession Act. ‘Both of these have not been easy, but we have done it,’she said.

She said that the delegates, encouraged by these efforts of the government, should delve into the key concerns around land rights, and come up with a roadmap for action that will make a difference to women’s lives on the ground.

‘At the same time, we need to be aware of the connections between rights and violence, and ensure that our campaign to secure women’s rights does not result in increased female foeticide and other forms of violence against women,’ she said.

Ms.Feroza Mehrotra, Deputy Regional Programme Coordinator for UNIFEM in South Asia, brought the focus onto the larger issues of women’s access to land as well as cattle and other productive resources.

After two days of intense deliberations a list of 11 concerns were presented to members of the government. Community women, including Dueji - one among the 1000 peace women nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005 in recognition of years of involvement and struggle on the land rights issue – presented their real life concerns.

The primary concerns revolved around a substantive human rights perspective while formulating principles for women’s land and resource rights, recognition of women’s role as farmers, land users, producers and sellers, thereby legitimising ownership of land and other assets, as well as women’s need for information and knowledge for protecting rights and ensuring livelihood. The loss of livelihoods as a direct result of government policies supporting destructive globalisation was raised in the context of Tsunami-affected and other states.

In response to these voices, Dr.Sayeda Hameed, Member of the Planning Commission of India, committed support to the issue and pledged to organise a hearing for all Planning Comission members to incorporate the concerns into the eleventh national plan.

‘The National Commission for Women (NCW) in India will hold a series of public hearings on women and land rights in different states of India and seek understanding of the community women’s recommendations on the implementation of their land rights from the Government Ministries for implementation,’ said Ms. Nirmala Venketesh, Member, NCW.

It was pointed out by a representative that the Government has already planned through an order, to ensure that women are beneficiaries of at least 40% of all land redistribution schemes.

Other government representatives included Mr.Atul Sinha, Secretary, National Commission for Farmers; Mr.D P Roy, Joint Secretary, Land Resource Department under the Ministry of Rural Development; Ms.Parul Debi Das, Joint Secretary, Department of Women and Child Development; and Ms.Suneja, Joint Director for Extension at the Women Resource Centre, Ministry of Agriculture. All pledged their support to the cause of women's access in every possible manner.

Specific concerns included:

• Collection of gender desegregated data on land ownership.
• Including women’s name as occupants in land records.
• Offering incentives for retaining/transferring land in the name of women family members.
• Ensuring equal rights in marital property.
• Expanding options for collective ownership or leasing.
• Ensuring women’s participation in decision-making related to village commons.
• Giving primacy to subsistence use of village commons.
• Simplifying and standardizing procedures for land title transfers.
• Orienting policy implementers on the issue of women and land.
• Making government officials responsible to address violations of women’s land rights.
• Supporting women land owners.
• Supporting women’s resource/knowledge centers.

From
Geetha N Bhardwaj for the Millennium Campaign
OneWorld South Asia.