Governing land for women and men: A Technical Guide to Support the Achievement of Responsible Gender-Equitable Governance of Land Tenure

This guide is a reference tool that provides administrators, technicians and professionals working in the land sector with guidance and examples of good practice – what has worked, where, why and how – for achieving land tenure governance that is gender-equitable. This guide consists of five modules, guiding equity from policy, to law, to implementation, but each module is designed as a stand-alone section that can be consulted and used separately or in combination with others.

Module 1 addresses gender-equitable participation in land policy-making processes, considering the issues for different sets of stakeholders and different levels of governance. Module 2 addresses legal issues, such as the legal pluralism, drafting of laws, access to justice, land dispute resolution and legal support. Module 3 addresses strategies for facilitating the representation and participation of all women and men in the institutions of land tenure governance – including customary institutions – and for developing the capacities of these institutions. Module 4 addresses two issues: i) how adequately land administration activities are designed to take into account and address women’s needs, interests and concerns; and ii) how women can participate equally with men in land administration activities, as target groups and clients. Module 5 considers the most effective communication strategies and methods and addresses key issues in getting the message across, including gender sensitization, awareness raising, advocacy, legal literacy and long-term change in values and attitudes