Nairobi: The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), through its Land Governance Unit, recently convened a Regional Dialogue with Women Parliamentarians focusing on Gender, Land, and Climate Resilience. The dialogue aimed at fostering inclusive policy discussions and regional collaboration to expedite secure land rights and gender-responsive climate actions. It brought together women parliamentarians, duty bearers, policymakers, technical experts, and development partners from IGAD Member States to address the essential intersections between gender equality, land governance, and climate resilience.
According to Kenya News Agency, the Regional Dialogue is the result of a series of six national dialogue meetings held across Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, and Uganda. These meetings aimed to enhance the capacity of women parliamentarians to effectively advocate for gender issues within their legislative and oversight roles, primarily in the domains of land governance and climate resilience. The national-level consultations included women parliamentary leaders, members of key parliamentary committees on land, natural resources, climate change, and agriculture, in addition to representatives from Women Parliamentarians’ Associations and national land institutions.
The dialogue allowed participants to identify priority policy issues, highlight ongoing challenges, and propose actionable solutions. During the event, IGAD Deputy Executive Secretary Mohamed Abdi Ware addressed the issue of land injustices faced by women and urged stakeholders to acknowledge the severity of the situation. Ware highlighted the disparity by noting that women produce 70 percent of Africa’s food but own less than 20 percent of the land, and in the IGAD region, 70 to 90 percent of all wealth is derived from land, yet less than 10 percent belongs to women. He emphasized that when climate shocks occur, women disproportionately bear the burden.
Ware cited research indicating that if women were given equal access to land and resources, they could increase farm yields significantly and reduce global hunger. He asserted that solutions are within reach and that since 2021, the IGAD Women’s Land Rights Agenda has been moving from concept to practice. Ware revealed that through national dialogues across six countries, IGAD engaged 260 parliamentarians, resulting in the creation of national policy briefs and cross-border collaboration networks, especially in Uganda.
Ware encouraged women parliamentarians to become champions of this cause, emphasizing their potential to break longstanding barriers and prioritize justice. He highlighted Uganda’s Parliamentary Forum on Land Management as a successful example of prioritizing women’s land rights and urged other countries to follow suit. Ware called on government representatives to view gender-responsive land policies as investments rather than costs, which can lead to improvements in food security, economic growth, and climate resilience.
He also appealed to development partners to support grassroots innovations and hold stakeholders accountable to their commitments. Ware emphasized that the three-day dialogue would lead to the establishment of a permanent Regional Platform for Women Parliamentarians and actionable policy roadmaps, ready for immediate implementation upon participants’ return to their respective countries.
Meanwhile, the IGAD region continues to face significant vulnerabilities due to climate change, impacting rural communities and exacerbating inequalities in land access and natural resource governance. Women, who are pivotal in agriculture and community adaptation, often face exclusion from land ownership and decision-making processes. Weak land governance systems and policy gaps further hinder their ability to adapt and lead climate-resilient livelihoods.
IGAD’s Land Governance Programme aims to strengthen land administration, support inclusive natural resource governance, and enhance community resilience, particularly for women and vulnerable groups. The Nairobi Dialogue is part of IGAD’s ongoing efforts to align regional strategies, foster political will, and catalyze transformative actions for equitable land rights and sustainable climate responses.