Civil society improvements to land tenure governance in Guinea

The land and resource governance framework in Guinea needs updating to minimise impacts and maximise benefits from an increasing number of large-scale investments. IIED is supporting local civil society organisations to promote community participation in policy reform processes to protect their human and land rights.

Guinea is hosting a growing number of large land-based investment projects in sectors such as mining, agriculture and energy. As a result, commercial land pressure has been increasing in the country, causing adverse impacts on rural communities.

The current legal framework does not recognise the right of the majority of rural communities to own their land, and a land governance reform has been on the agenda for several decades.

In this context, a consortium of 10 Guinean civil society organisations (CSOs) founded the Collective of Civil Society Organisations for the Defence of Community Rights (CODEC) in 2018. CODEC facilitates citizen participation in the legal and institutional reforms undertaken by the Guinean government to ensure the priorities of rural communities are taken up in the law, and respect for international standards.

What is IIED doing?

IIED’s law, economies and justice programme (LEJ) is supporting CODEC to achieve progressive policy reforms that improve land tenure and resource governance, including women’s secured access to land and natural resources.

More specifically, LEJ is assisting CODEC to:

Advocate for and develop a binding national standard that protects populations from harmful forced displacement, with the participation of communities. Building on previous work from IIED, LEJ is supporting efforts by CODEC and the Guinean Ministry of Mines to pass regulations that would require mining companies and the government to meaningfully consult communities impacted by mining projects and to pay adequate compensation to victims
Conduct research and generate policy proposals with the participation of communities that will influence the Agricultural Land Policy and the Agricultural Framework Law, both still being drafted, and
Raise the profile of CODEC’s actions in Guinea, and internationally, by publishing research, enhancing online communications, conducting outreach to key stakeholders and linking CODEC with peer organisations in West Africa.