Country:

DRC

Region:

Africa

Date:

August 22, 2017 – May 31, 2018

Implementor:

Innovation et Formation pour le Développement et la Paix

Funding Amount:

$45,022

Details:

Innovation et Formation pour le Développement et la Paix (Innovation and Training for Development and Peace, or IFDP) which serves the Walungu, Kabare and South Kivu provinces in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), created and advocated for a local legal framework to recognize and secure the land rights of local communities and Pygmy Indigenous Peoples in South Kivu province. This framework will be implemented at the provincial level; however, it is also a powerful tool that will support future reforms in other provinces and at the national level.

Entitled “Decree to support mechanisms to recognize and secure land rights for local communities and Pygmy Indigenous Peoples in South Kivu Province,” the legal framework was a collaborative effort involving CSOs, provincial government officials, and local communities. Following the drafting of the framework, the final version was approved by officials from the provincial land minister’s office as well as members of the land sector coordination committee in South Kivu.

IFDP will continue to work with provincial government officials to pass the final version of the decree, and to implement the new law. With grassroots support from communities who are actively seeking ways to secure their land, IFDP has ensured buy-in for local-level land reform during the national-level land reform process in the DRC, which is ongoing.