Addis Ababa, 5 May 2014 (ECA) – The Steering Committee Meeting (SCM) for the Land Policy Initiative (LPI) was held today in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The Steering Committee examined progress in implementing decisions of the previous Meeting, held in November 2013, and the 2013 LPI work plan including fund utilization. The Meeting commended the LPI Secretariat for the rate of programme implementation, and for the recent completion of recruitment process of staff consolidating the team’s expertise.
The Meeting appreciated the increased efforts to reinforce collaboration with Regional Economic Communities (RECs), and to respond to specific countries’ requests for technical assistance, in order to advance the implementation of the African Union agenda on land.
The SCM discussed the 2014 LPI work plan with budget, recommending, among others: the finalization of the capacity development framework, the monitoring and evaluation framework, and the communications strategy; augmented dissemination of LPI publications focusing at country level partners; and improved reporting of LPI actions on the ground, at country level.
The Meeting was attended by representatives of the African Union Commission (AUC), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), African Development Bank (AfDB), the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) Agency, the Pan-African Parliament, RECs, the Pan African Farmers Organisation (PAFO), the European Union, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), UN-Habitat, and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
The next Steering Committee Meeting will be held on 15 November 2014, in Accra, Ghana, right after the inaugural biennial Conference on Land Policy in Africa.
The Meeting was preceded by a one-day planning workshop aimed at developing a joint work plan between the LPI and partners identified as key actors in the implementation of the African Union Declaration on Land Issues and Challenges, including RECs, the PAP, PAFO, the Regional Center for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCRMD), and civil society organizations.
The Land Policy Initiative is a joint programme of the tripartite consortium consisting of the African Union Commission (AUC), AfDB, and ECA). Its mandate is to facilitate the implementation of the AU Declaration on Land Issues and Challenges in Africa.
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