UN independent human rights expert says Namibia must bridge yawning gaps in inequality, in particular women's access to land | Land Portal

[via UN News Centre] 8 October 2012 – Despite its economic and political gains over the past two decades, Namibia still remains beset by “unacceptable” levels of poverty, a United Nations expert warned today, while urging the African country to adopt major structural changes to tackle its levels of inequality.

“While I recognize the damaging legacy of colonialism, progress has not been forthcoming at the necessary pace,” said the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty, Magdalena Sepúlveda, upon her return from a fact-finding mission to the country.

Ms. Sepúlveda pointed out that Namibia had enjoyed political stability and steady economic growth since its independence from South Africa in 1990, adding that the country was also rich in natural resources and boasted a gross domestic product classifying it among the world’s middle-income countries.

Nevertheless, extreme poverty remained prevalent and the country’s developmental policies and programmes had had “very limited success” in improving the situation of the poorest Namibians, she noted.

In addition, the Special Rapporteur listed an array of impediments which she said had prevented “good policies from producing the intended outcomes,” despite substantial budgetary investments, including inefficiency, limited institutional capacity, skills shortages, a slow decentralization process and poor monitoring.
 
“The fact that the country remains one of the most unequal in the world is a clear sign that the benefits of economic growth have not reached the poor,” Ms. Sepúlveda stated. “Social policies in areas ranging from health and education to employment and land reform are undermined by severe implementation gaps.”

Ms. Sepúlveda, in particular, highlighted the plight of Namibian women, noting that they continued to be economically marginalised, received unequal access to land and productive resources, and were disproportionately affected by unemployment and HIV/AIDS.

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