Frances Birungi (UCOBAC – S4HL Uganda), Esther Mwaura-Muiru (Landesa & S4HL Global), and Dr. Monica Mhoja (Landesa)

By Landesa and S4HL staff

In May, staff from Landesa and Stand for Her Land (S4HL) attended the 2024 UN Civil Society Conference (UNCSC) in Nairobi, Kenya. The conference, organized by the UN Department of Global Communications, brought together international civil society organizations, youth activists, academics, and international media in a forum to elevate key global issues in the lead-up to the Summit of the Future this fall.

The Summit of the Future will be held in September of this year and will culminate in the finalization of the Pact for the Future, a crucial document that will identify how civil society, UN member states, and other stakeholders can work together to meet the goals outlined in existing international agreements.

At the UNCSC, Landesa and S4HL representatives advocated for the inclusion of secure land rights and women’s land rights in the Pact for the Future. Over 2000 civil society representatives attended the Conference, with more than 300 officials from Member States, international NGOs, and the UN, and 67 media reporters, representing 115 countries. 70% of the attendees were from Africa and 40% were young people under the age of 35. The S4HL and Landesa teams were represented by Outreach Director-Africa Dr. Monica Mhoja, Land Tenure Specialist Rachel Dinda, and S4HL Global Advocacy Director Esther Mwaura-Muiru.

Esther Mwaura-Muiri moderated a roundtable discussion, “Transformation of Decision Making for a Gender-Responsive Climate Just Future,” which was hosted by Feminist Action for Climate Justice and co-organized by S4HL and other partners. Through their participation, S4HL and Landesa emphasized women’s land rights and its intersection with climate justice, economic empowerment, and food security, and advocated for women’s land rights to be included as a key element in the realization of the 2030 Agenda and other sustainability and human rights goals.

This process began as a result of civil society campaigning. Beginning in 2017, CSO consultations on declining international cooperation led to a call to review the state of the multilateral system and seek ways to strengthen the UN. The UNCSC forms part of that process by fostering collaboration between CSOs and governments and facilitating preliminary discussions ahead of the Summit of the Future.

Dr. Monica Mhoja (center) at the opening session on the UNCSC “The Road from the Summit of the Future to Beijing +30 and Beyond”

The UNCSC will be followed by the Summit of the Future in September of this year, which will bring world leaders together to negotiate and finalize the Pact for the Future. With the acknowledgment that we are not on track to meet many of the goals set out in documents like the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement, the Pact for the Future will identify how international actors can work together to strengthen international cooperation in order to meet those objectives.

The UNCSC was an inspiring opportunity to facilitate global dialogue among INGOs and CSOs, and we look forward to continuing to advocate for secure land rights at the Summit of the Future this fall.