It cannot be assumed that women and men benefi t in the same way from initiates in the land sector. Land tools should not just benefi t the poor – the must also work towards gender equality. This is critical as women continue to face large barriers in accessing land under formal, informal and customary systems of land tenure. Global Land Tool Network (GLTN) partners have produced a set of GENDER EVALUATION CRITERIA as a check-list and assessment tool to ensure that a land tool includes and suffi ciently addresses the needs of both women and men.

BACKGROUND

The evaluation criteria consist of 22 evaluation questions, and possible indicators and sources of data. It is a flexible framework designed to be adapted to local contexts.The questions are clustered in six themes:

Criteria Examples of evaluation questions

Indicator

Equal participation by women and men and gender-responsive governance

Is the decision-making process in developing the land tool and in using the land tool itself, transparent and inclusive for both women and men?

An agreed critical mass (x%) of the decision makers are women

Capacity development, organization and empowerment of women and men to use, access and benefit from the tool

Is the information clear to, and does it empower both women and men to utilize the tool, and to know their rights related to this tool?

Information is available in at least x different forms (such as written, radio, etc.) and in local languages for different stakeholders

Legal and institutional considerations in regard to women and men’s access to land

Does the tool provide gender-responsive dispute resolution?

Land administration and management systems have dispute resolution mechanisms built in that are available to both women and men

Social and cultural considerations in regard to women and men’s access to land

Does the tool take into consideration statutory and customary laws and practices affecting women’s land rights?

Consultations to provide (x%) attendance from agreed (representative) groups

Economic considerations in regard women and men’s access to land

Does the tool promote economic opportunities for both women and men?

Registry/cadaster accommodates rights based and use rights tenure

Scale, coordination and sustainability to reach more women and men

Can the tool be implemented consistently (rather than ad-hoc)?

Existence of manuals for implementation

For more information, please contact:GLTN Secretariat, P.O. Box 30030 Nairobi, Kenya. Tel: +254 20 762 5199, Email: gltn@unhabitat.org

Visit our site:

www.gltn.net

Facilitated by

• The Gender Evaluation Criteria has successfully been piloted in Ghana, Nepal and Brazil to assess municipal master plans, land reform commissions and land administration systems.• The tool has strengthened the negotiation capacity of grassroots groups, resulting in the agreement by Brazilian government authorities to regularize a settlement in Recife and not to evict 55,000 people from their homes.• It is in high demand such as from the Uganda Land Allianace who have evaluated their land activities in 10 districts in Uganda with own funds.• There is a projected training of trainers in Africa and Asia to meet demand.

The evaluation criteria has gone through all the tool development steps: scoping studies, consultations, product development, pilot testing, revision, adoption and dissemination and capacity devlopment.So far:

Sudanese women outside a mud house. Photo © UN-Habitat.

THE EVALUATION CRITERIA

GENDER EVALUATION CRITERIAFOR LARGE-SCALE LAND TOOLS

THE PROCESS AND IMPACT

Participant at the pilot training, in MombasaPhoto © UN-Habitat / Asa Jonsson.

2%of women own land

SECURE LAND AND PROPERTY RIGHTS FOR ALL