Peaceful Land for Future Citizens ppt
Yalemzewid Demssie Fantaye
Ministry of Agriculture, Ethiopia
In
Ethiopia, land continues to be an immensely vital natural resource for
the country’s emerging economy It plays a critical role as the primary
means of production for an overwhelming portion of the population As a
developing country, the economic fates of tens of millions of people is
intrinsically linked with exploiting natural resources and shielding the
rights of future generations in utilizing those resources This is not only a
question of morality, but also of good economics Children’s property
rights are often overlooked in Ethiopia and only surface whenever a
conflict occurs The issue is compounded with apparent lack of efforts to
protect records and maintain proper documentation of children’s legal
rights and entitlements over property
Today,
we are faced with a choice to uphold children’s property rights and
the decisions we make today will have far reaching consequences on future
generations and their fate to survive in a context where resources are
increasingly depleting
We
need to institutionalize a resilient legal and administrative framework
as well as a holistic policy guideline to conserve the environment for future
generations We also need to work on changing people’s awareness and win
the hearts and minds of leaders to make the right choices today that will
have positive consequences tomorrow
While
protecting property rights of children in Ethiopia is seeing some
levels of progress, there are overwhelmingly numerous cases where such
rights are often neglected The country’s legal framework clearly states
mechanisms by which orphans can rip the benefits of their property
through the custodianship of a guardian until they come of age at 18 But
gaps in implementing such legal frameworks remain wide across the
country
Therefore,
due attention is required to protect children’s property rights in
case of inheritance during and after conflicts, displacements or other
circumstances that threaten children’s ability to claim ownership of
property that is rightfully theirs Children are more prone to lose their
property rights, because they do not have the knowledge of their assets or
their rights, nor do they have the ability to advocate for their rights against
more powerful contenders for the property
Policy
interventions and strong institutional set up are needed to advance
the well being of children through protecting their future properties
Event: Annual World Bank Conference on Land and Poverty 2019
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