African Union endorses Pan African Women's Charter on Land Rights - women's rights groups call it "giant step forward"
One giant step forward for women’s land rights: The African Union officially endorses Pan African Women’s Charter on Land Rights
‘Our land, our lives, women let us mobilize!’ The famous chant of the Women2Kilimanjaro hike which led to the mass assembly of rural women from across Africa to adopt a charter of demands that advocates for more inclusive land rights for women.
There was singing and dancing, but most of all there was tenacity and utter determination to ensure their voices were heard. As it turns out, their climb was not in vain when the 9th Annual African Union Gender Pre-Summit held in Addis Abba officially endorsed the charter of demands initiated from the mass assembly of rural women. The charter, which includes 15 specific demands addresses women’s access to use, control, own, inherit and dispose of their land and natural resources” with the ultimate aim to help empower women across the continent...
Although there is no binding element to political action for Governments of the AU, the historic endorsement is a step in the right direction to help organisations like WiLDAF to continue in their mobilisation efforts.