Museveni to Officiate IGAD Conference on Land & Conflict in East and Horn of Africa

The Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development is organizing a High-Level Conference on Land and Conflict in the East and Horn of Africa from October 24-28, 2022 in partnership with Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the International Development Law Organization (IDLO).

According to Judith Nabakooba, the Minister of Lands, Housing & Urban Development, the overall objective of the Conference is to enable high-level policymakers to exchange country and cross-country policy experiences and lessons learned with a view to establishing a regional agenda and national policy priorities that comprehensively respond to land conflicts.

She said this is also part of the East Africa Justice Week.

The other associated events to the Land and Conflict Conference include; the Bi- annual Conference of the International Association of Women Judges and the Annual East African Court of Justice Judiciaries Symposium to be held at Speke Resort Munyonyo and Mestil Hotel, respectively.

Nabakooba noted that the conference is in fulfillment of the Entebbe resolution.

During the IGAD Land Governance Program 11th Steering Committee Meeting of Member States that was held in Entebbe from 1st to 2nd June 2022, it was agreed that Uganda hosts the Conference on Land and Conflict through its Ministry responsible for lands.

On the Expected outputs of the Conference, Nabakooba said that the IGAD Regional Agenda on land conflicts, peace and security, sustainable development, gender equality and climate change will be adopted, Policy Conference Report published and the declaration of the Minister’s meeting adopted.

The outcome document of the Chief Justices Meeting will be published, a Report on the IGAD and IDLO convened Donor Roundtable to advance conference resolutions published but also a date and venue for the next Conference on Land and Conflict will be agreed upon.

The President of Uganda, H.E Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, will be the chief guest.

Also, the Conference will be attended by the Ministers responsible for activities related to Land administration, Surveying, Mapping and Remote Sensing in IGAD Member States; the Ministers responsible for Justice in the IGAD Member States; the Ministers responsible for Environment in the IGAD Member States; Chief Justices of the EAC and IGAD Member States, Judges of the Land and Environment Courts; Permanent Secretaries and Directors of Surveys and Mapping from IGAD Member States, among others.

IGAD is composed of Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda with a mission to assist and complement the efforts of member states to achieve through increased cooperation: food security, environmental protection, peace, security, economic cooperation and integration in the Region.

IDLO is the only global intergovernmental organization established in 1988 and exclusively devoted to promoting the rule of law to advance peace and sustainable development.