Assembly/AU/Decl.1(XIII) Rev.1 Page 1 DECLARATION ON LAND ISSUES AND CHALLENGES IN AFRICA WE, the Heads of States and Government of the African Union, meeting at our Thirteenth Ordinary Session in Sirte, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, from 1 to 3 July 2009; REAFFIRMING the commitments we have made to poverty eradication with the view to raising the living standards of our peoples and the wellbeing of our future generations; RECOGNISING the centrality of land to sustainable socio-economic growth, development and the security of the social, economic and cultural livelihoods of our people; AWARE of the rich heritage of Africa’s land and related resources especially its unique natural eco-systems; FURTHER AWARE of the diversity and complexity of the systems under which land and related resources are held, managed and used; NOTING the diversity of issues and challenges facing access to, use and management of land resources; and the threat relating to land and related resources including those arising from changes in the global, political and economic environment; CONSCIOUS of the need for strong systems of land governance rooted in principles of sustainability in an effort to ensure preservation, protection and renewability of Africa’s land and related resources; FURTHER NOTING the steady progress which our countries have made in the initiation, review, revision or comprehensive development of land policies and their implementation in order to ensure that their various land sectors play an important role in development; WELCOMING the joint initiative taken by the African Union Commission, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the African Development Bank (AfDB) with support from development partner organisations, in drafting a continental framework and guidelines on land policy development and implementation for use as a resource by AU Member States in their efforts to improve the performance of their various land sectors; ACKNOWLEDGING the comprehensive consultations and discussions that have been conducted and the experts inputs made in the course of the preparation of the continental Framework and Guidelines on Land Policy in the five regions of Africa; Adopted by the Thirteenth Ordinary Session of the Assembly in Sirte, Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya on 3 July 2009