Analysing the land tenure reform in Niger from a human rights perspective

Abstract

Land in Niger is a primary source of wealth, social status, power, as well as a basis for income, shelter, food and other economic activities. Population growth, land scarcity, environmental degradation, commoditisation of land and commercial investment are putting rural land under pressure. Thus access to and security over land has become an important challenge for sustainable human development in the field. The Nigerien land tenure reform tries to address this challenge. Applied to the Nigerien rural land tenure context, this thesis intends to analyse to what extent the international human rights framework is operational in the field. In a context such as Niger characterised by legal pluralism, political instability, extreme poverty, and strong cultural embeddings, the international human rights framework provides only limited guidance when it comes to effectively claim ones rights and obtain effective remedy. Conceptual deadlocks and procedural obstacles regarding the operational and practical implication of the international human rights system also highlight the limits of combined human rights and livelihoods approach, despite their capacity to identify a number of shortcomings and provide for a better understanding of the issues at stake.