July 14, 2012
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, Raquel Rolnik, has highlighted the issues of resettlement of people and land reform as two of the main challenges for the consolidation of peace and stability in Rwanda.
“The processes of displacement and resettlement of people that are taking place in the context of the ‘villagisation’ policy in rural areas and the implementation of urban planning in Kigali have to be handled very carefully, if they are to consolidate peace, stability and reconciliation in Rwanda,” stressed the UN independent expert at the end of her official mission to the country yesterday.
Rolnik commended the government for its initiatives in the areas of land reform, but noted that insufficient room for challenging decisions taken in the processes of land registration and titling could create tensions in the long run.
“I call on the government to make sure that implementation of the land consolidation policy is conducted on the basis of the human rights values of consultation and participation,” she said. “Involvement in land consolidation projects must be voluntary and in no way based on coercion.”
The special rapporteur also pointed out that dialogue is important. “If Rwanda’s Vision 2020 is to be achieved and made durable, the government must provide more space for participation, for the operations of NGOs and other civil society organizations. This would help it receive more genuine feedback on its policies and programmes,” she stressed.
However, Rolnik acknowledged the government’s “impressive capacity of planning and implementing its policies, reaching out to communities in the most remote areas of the country.”
During her nine-day fact-finding mission in the country, Raquel Rolnik met with government officials at the highest level, as well as with representatives of civil society organizations, independent researchers and academics and UN agencies.
She visited villages in the countryside that are being set up in the context of the villagisation policy -imidugudu, and discussed with inhabitants the impact of this policy on their housing and living conditions. The UN Special Rapporteur will present detailed observations and recommendations in her mission report in a forthcoming session of the UN Human Rights Council.
Source: All Africa
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