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The Global Land Tool Network (GLTN) contributes to the
implementation of pro poor land policies to achieve
secure land rights for all. Read more...

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February 4th, 2012

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Facts
Finding Common Definitions

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The e-forum is likely to raise a number of more-and less-commonly used terms, some of which we have defined below from the Global Land Tool Network’s perspective to help the e-forum to have a common understanding when they are used.

We may add more definitions as we go along during the e-forum

A. Related to gender

Gender

  • Culturally and socially constructed roles and identities of men and women.
  • Highly variable across cultures and subject to change, as contrasted with sex which is the biological difference between women and men.

Gender sensitivity

  • Perceptions and responsiveness concerning different gender roles, responsibilities, challenges and opportunities.
  • The extent to which the respective roles of men and women in society are considered in formulating, implementing and evaluating policies, programmes and projects.

Gender equity

  • The process of ensuring fair treatment of women and men with the eventual aim of achieving gender equality.
  • Incremental strategy sensitive to cultural, religious or practical resistance to calls for immediate gender equality.

Gender equality

  • Explicit recognition that women and men have equal rights, equal treatment before the law and therefore predicated on the achievement of equal—not same– outcomes for both women and men.
  • Enshrined in international human rights instruments.

Gender mainstreaming

  • Assessing implications for women and men of any planned action, at any level.
  • Incorporates gender considerations into all policies, programmes, practices and decision making at every stage of development and implementation.

Gender proofing

  • All polices and practices within organisations have equally beneficial affects on men and women

Gender land analysis

  • Beyond just information on gender differences & inequalities. Why do disparities exist?
  • Examination of power relations between women and men, the diversity of women and their circumstances (heterogeneous group) as well as their respective roles, responsibilities, needs and interests as they impact on women’s access to land.
  • The recognition of relevant issues assist stakeholders in identifying target groups, priorities and strategies.

Gender and Development (GAD)

  • A development approach which challenges the structures and processes that reinforce gender inequality and block women’s participation. It is based on gender analysis that seeks women’s empowerment through equitable relations between men and women.
  • Not only ‘including women in the development process’

Gender responsiveness

  • One of the core values of GLTN.
  • Every land tool—existing or under development—evaluated for its gender responsiveness.
  • In this context, moving away from ad hoc and incremental view of small scale projects for women to prioritising systemic tools.

Empowerment:

  • The process and end-result of improvement in autonomy through various means such as access to knowledge, skills and training. It is the inner will and ability to change a given situation positively. The acquired improvement is then applied to change the social, political, economic, or cultural status of the individual. The process and result of empowerment is a major objective of most capacity-building efforts. poor women and men cannot be ‘empowered’, only they can empower themselves.


Sex-Disaggregated Data:

  • Also referred to as ‘gender-disaggregated data’, is the collection and separation of statistics and data (for example about education, employment figures, business ownership, etc.) by sex in order to isolate the different figures for men and women and make comparisons between them. This sheds light, for example, on which sectors of society women and men are working in, or which services they use. Sexdisaggregated data is a prerequisite for gender-inclusive planning.

B. Related to tools

What is a tool?

  • GLTN considers that a tool is a practical method to achieve a defined objective in a particular context.
  • Tools are converters of objectives in legislation, policy or principles into implementation.
  • Principles guide and direct actions and goals and policies reflect political will, but without tools, they are merely abstract phrases which remain aspirations.
  • GLTN considers a land tool as an operational means to address land issues such as security of tenure, land reform/redistribution and land management/ administration.
  • GLTN considers that land tools should contribute towards policy making, land management, capacity development, research, teaching, advocacy and conflict resolution

Land tool development

  • The processes of reviewing, developing, documenting, implementing (including piloting and upscaling), disseminating, evaluating and monitoring the tools.

What is a pro-poor land tool?

A pro poor tool will improve the lives of people living in poverty.
Furthermore, it will:

  • empower the poor and vulnerable part of the community
  • be sensitive to the needs and situation of the poor
  • protect the poor from abuse
  • encourage participation of the poor and grassroots communities
  • lead to an increased welfare of the less well-off in the community
  • increase net benefits/opportunities for the poor rather than further marginalize them
  • promote social justice in the access to urban land and housing
  • promote social inclusion

     

C. Large-scale and scaling up of tools

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Large scale

  • Land tools—with regard to spatial information, land use, planning, registration, administration, management and dispute resolution—which are regularly used.

Scaling up

  • Practices which transform successful local or community piloted tools into those providing similar benefits and experiences for a wider set of beneficiaries.
  • Operating at provincial or national levels.

Gender responsiveness

  • One of the core values of GLTN.
  • Every land tool—existing or under development—evaluated for its gender responsiveness.

D. Gendering tools

Gendering land tools

  • Modifying tools so that they can be used in response to obstacles women face in using tools, recognizing the different impact of a tool on women and men.
  • A process to ensure that tools can deliver on women’s rights to land, property and housing.
  • A whole range of interconnected gendered land tools are needed (e.g for securing inheritance rights, both tools linking land registry to civil registry and tools of gender-accessible dispute settlements mechanisms must correlate to tools on gender sensitive administration).

E. Other terms

Land governance

  • Concerns the process by which decisions are made regarding access to and use of land, the manner in which those decisions are implemented and the way that conflicting interests in land are reconciled. Key elements of the definition include decision making, implementation and conflict resolution, with dual emphasis on process and outcomes.