Rwanda Initiative for Sustainable Development (RISD) has started a campaign to increase awareness about land rights across the country. The launch took place on Thursday in Kacyiru, Kigali, attracting various development actors and RISD partners. Speaking at the launch, Annie Kairaba, the director of RISD, said certain areas need more emphasis than others. This is the second such campaign undertaken by RISD. “I think there’s more energy that we still need to invest to make the most of the existing strong policies and land laws,” she said. She added: “As we launch the second phase (of the campaign), we are asking ourselves whether land reform is increasing the productivity of the people, and even ask which impact is it actually having on ordinary people.” Kairaba also highlighted the success of the first phase of the phase of the project. “We achieved at least 92 per cent of what we had intended to. Our main aim in phase one was to contribute to the effectiveness of the Rwanda Land Reform implementation process towards poverty reduction and sustainable peace. We managed to improve the performance of Abunzi (mediators) and local leaders who receive land related issues; increased the protection of individual land rights, especially for women and children; and increased the understanding of land related laws and policies, among others,” Kairaba explained. At least a total of 13,101 land disputes were documented and 6,767 received by Abunzi, of which 5,404 were resolved. Emmanuel Nkurunziza, the director-general of Rwanda Natural Resources Authority (RNRA), called for strong partnership among stakeholders to achieve set goals. “When we talk of land, we are talking about every sector of the economy and, therefore, putting in place strategies which bring us together is the only to ensure sustainable development,” he noted. Different participants observed that many land disputes relate to women and children, who should be at the centre of the project. The project is expected to create awareness and advocacy, strengthen mediation skills and increase use of ICT to improve coordination, with mediators expected to be given smart phones. This project is running under theme, ‘Contributing to the effectiveness of the Rwanda Land Reform process towards Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Peace as a Basis for Food Security’. Stakeholders with specific interests in the areas of land, land use and the management of land related disputes such as the ministries of Local government, Justice, Infrastructure, Gender and Family Promotion, and Agriculture, as well as Rwanda Natural Resources Authority, Rwanda Governance Board, Gender Monitoring Office, and Civil Society (LandNet Rwanda Chapter Network), attended the event.
