Regional Land Policy Development
The Declaration on Land Issues and Challenges in Africa, endorsed by the African Union (AU) 13th Ordinary Session of Heads of State and Government, held in Sirte, Libya in July 2009, invites Regional Economic Communities (RECs) to convene periodic regional platforms to facilitate experience sharing, lesson learning, and dissemination of best practices in land policy formulation, implementation, and monitoring based on Member States experiences. It further invites RECs to capture and address issues of land policies within their respective common agricultural policy framework.
The AU Declaration requested the African Union Commission (AUC), working in collaboration with the RECs, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the African Development Bank (AfDB) and other partners, to work towards the establishment of an appropriate institutional framework to provide coordination of follow up activities and facilitate mutual learning by AU Member States as they develop, or review, their land policies in accordance with the Framework and Guidelines on Land Policy in Africa, on which the AU Declaration is based.
Subsequently, African Land Policy Centre (ALPC) was established to provide the required coordination and mutual learning by AU Member States. ALPC has been working with RECs and AU Member States to develop capacity for the implementation of the Declaration, and to provide any needed technical support.
EAC region initiated capacity building on the implementation of the AU Declaration on Land. With support and collaboration with African Land Policy Centre, the draft assessment report on the status of land policy development, needs and challenges in Partner States was prepared in August 2022. A Regional Steering Committee to the implementation of AU Land Declaration in EAC region is being established.