International Conference on Forest Tenure, Governance and Enterprise:

DECLARATION OF AFRICAN WOMEN

 From 25-29 May 2009 in Yaoundé, Cameroon, convened an international conference
focused on the theme of "Tenure, Governance and Enterprise: New Opportunities for
West and Central Africa." Organized by the International Tropical Timber Organization
(ITTO) and its partners, the conference took place under the auspices of the Ministry of
Forestry and Wildlife of the Republic of Cameroon (MINFOF). The objective of this
conference is to determine strategies for accelerating forest tenure reforms while
guaranteeing recognition of rights, sustainable forest management, and socio-economic
development.
The discussions included nearly 350 participants, 45 of whom were women hailing from
Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of
Congo, Gabon, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Senegal.
• Recognizing women's essential and central role in general development, and in
the sustainable management of resources specifically,
• Recognizing the discrimination against women in terms of access to land and
forest property to develop economic activities,
• Recognizing the discrimination against women in terms of access to necessary
capital for developing economic activities,
The African women gathered this day, 27 May 2009, in the MEFOU room in the Hotel
Mont Fébé in Yaoundé, have evaluated the institutional, financial, legal and regulatory
state of affairs with regard to forest tenure, governance and enterprise, and have
identified the following problems:
• Women's rights to tenure, in both customary systems and in modern law, remain
unrecognized; this persistent disregard for women impedes international
policies, laws and programming from addressing women's tenure rights.
• Although women are leaders in generating income from non-timber forest
products and agroforestry products, and despite women's participation in local
economies, efforts to support women's roles in community forest management
remain inadequate.
• Limited access to technology, capital, and national and international markets for
non-timber forest products (NTFP).
• In certain countries, regulations restrict the development of forest enterprises
administered by women.