UN-Habitat: Learning about rights of displaced persons regarding housing, land and property

Kinshasa (RD Congo), 14.05.2014 - To reinforce the knowledge of the humanitarian community on the rights of displaced persons regarding housing land and property, as well as to assure a common understanding regarding this issue. This was the aim of the 3 days-training on Housing Land and Property (HLP) rights organized by UN-Habitat from 28th to 30th of April, in collaboration with the Geneva based Internal Displacement Monitoring Center (IDMC) at the Caritas conference center in Kinshasa.

The experience and outcomes of the training will also be used to feed into the strategy of the working group which is about to be finalized this month. UN Habitat is heading the HLP working group in DR Congo, under the protection cluster, and apart from Kinshasa the group has chapters in Bunia (Province Orientale), Goma (North Kivu) and Bukavu (South Kivu).The target of the training was members of the Housing, Land and Property working group under the protection cluster in DR Congo as well as partners working on this thematic. The training gathered about 25 participants from national and international NGOs, government, UN Agency and donors. As the participants hailed not only from Kinshasa but also from Province Equateur, Orientale, North and South Kivu the discussions reflected a multitude of interesting viewpoints.

During the three days presentations and group-work centered around the international legal framework, the right to HLP in a displacement situation, durable solutions, the urban context and women's access to land. After the training a certificate was given to participants along with a USB key including all key documents and presentations from the training.

One of the sessions included also drafting of recommendations related to the Land Reform that has been initiated in DR Congo and a new law proposition regarding humanitarian protection of displaced persons.

UN-Habitat staff from the provinces participated during the training and will with this training be in a better position to assume the leadership regarding HLP issues. UN-Habitat DR Congo is presently collaborating with IDMC on how parts of the training could be replicated in other provinces of the country facilitated by staff who participated in the training in Kinshasa.