Our Women’s Land Rights Institute is now accepting applications for our second online course scheduled for September 2021. The 10-week long online course explores pathways to address gender inequality in land tenure governance and systems, and it is designed to meet a critical need of moving beyond identifying problems to towards taking action on solutions.
“As a development community, we have some way to go before we can say that there is broad understanding of what works in practice to make a change in women’s lives through land rights. I believe that this course is an important step in addressing that challenge.” Jolyne Sanjak Sector Director, Land Tenure and Property Rights at Tetra Tech ARD.
We’ve been working with partners on addressing women’s insecure land rights for decades. In that time, we’ve seen many positive changes – not the least of which is growing global recognition of the critical role that land rights for women plays in achieving economic and social development, women’s human rights, and also in addressing climate change, providing humanitarian relief, and in peacebuilding.
“Women’s land and resource rights are now, more than ever, a central part of how we understand the development agenda. It is part of our investments in agriculture, food security, peacebuilding, and climate change, and features in the Sustainable Development Goals for both eradicating poverty and achieving gender equality” Renee Giovarelli, Resource Equity.
Yet, meaningful change seems a long way off because for many the question remains: what works to actually achieve secure land rights for women in practice?
“We designed the course to facilitate dialogue among students and with course leaders, and also to provide a strong evidentiary basis for promoting change. It integrates concepts and theory but is heavily geared towards practice so that by the end of the course, students will know how to analyze gender issues in laws, policies, and programs; understand what has/could work to address those issues in a real way; and know how to design policy and program solutions that equally serve women’s and men’s interests and needs from land and resource reforms.” Elisa Scalise, Resource Equity.
Our first course earlier this year was a great success. We asked students about what they liked most about the course, and they all mentioned how much they learned from other students who are working on similar issues in entirely different contexts.
“I would definitely recommend the course… even if you are a professional working in this field, it has something to teach you. It enlightens you about the issues that are facing women worldwide, but it also gives you a lot of connections that you can make.” Vivienne Francis, Course Graduate and Gender Officer with Action for Community Transformation in Liberia.
If you have a moment, hear it from the students directly, with these short videos from past students.
Our Women’s Land Rights Institute is an important space where practitioners, advocates, government, donors, and supporters can learn and strategize on how to move the needle on women’s land rights, and take a step towards making positive change in women’s lives. It is a meaningful way to contribute to the goals of the 2030 development agenda on gender equality.
“Equal property rights for women is a crucial global development goal. Generating awareness about the strategies necessary to achieve equality is a critical step on the path to achieving that goal.” Laura Meggiolaro, Team Leader of LandPortal Foundation.
You can learn more about the course, hear from past students, and learn how to apply at resourceequity.org/institute. Applications for the September course close on Monday July 26, 2021.
You can contact Kurstin the course coordinator (institute@resourceequity.org) if you have questions