Launched in 2016 with World Bank’s support, the land reform procedure in Mauritania which aims to be transparent, inclusive and participative now has an institutional framework to enable its effective implementation. A national platform regrouping the civic society and the State, but also a steering committee for land governance were just put in place in this framework, at Rosso.

These structures result from a national multi-actor workshop on land governance organized by the Technical Commission for Land Reform in Mauritania (COTREF) and Mauritanian civic society organisations, in the framework of a project entitled “Improving land management for a shared prosperity within the Senegal River’s basin” (SRB). The workshop was organized in partnership with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Rural and Agricultural Prospective Initiative (IPAR).

“This meeting helped reinforce the national dialogue platform, headed by the ministry of economy and finance, and which now regroups all actors involved in the Mauritanian land management (State and civic society entities) sector, in addition to allowing for the creation of a steering committee comprised of the ministry of husbandry, the ministry of interior and decentralization, the ministry of agriculture, the ministry of fishery and maritime economy, the ministry of urbanism and housing, the ministry of economy and finance, the ministry of social affairs, children and family, deputies, two national NGOs namely ROSA and GNAP, two international NGOs namely GRDR and OXFAM, three federations namely that of fishery, agriculture and husbandry, representatives of the private sector, of the COTREF and the Institutional strengthening in Mauritania towards Agricultural and Pastoral Resiliency (RIMRAP) initiative,” IPAR’s statement reads.

Land reform in Mauritania is expected to be carried out over five years.