General

Desertification, land degradation and drought (DLDD) are major drivers of global change, especially in drylands, where some of the most vulnerable ecosystems and peoples can be found. The Committee on Science and Technology (CST) of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is a subsidiary body to provide advice on scientific and technological matters relating to DLDD. SDC has the lead function for UNCCD matters within the Federal Administration. SDC is supported by scientific expertise and as a consequence enabled to provide scientific evidence to the CST.

General

The women's access to land project implemented in Ethiopia is part of a multi -country project being led by the Pan Africa office and implemented in 8 African countries. The overall aim of the project in Ethiopia is to ensure women's access to and control over their land resources through supporting and enabling rural women's voices. The project is implemented at the national level in Ethiopia, working in collaboration with civil society organisations working on women's access to land. They will achieve its goal by enabling Ethiopian Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to monitor and hold the government accountable on the implementation of African Union (AU) women land right instruments and other relevant laws and policies. The project will build the capacity of Ethiopian civil society organisations to monitor instruments to ensuring access to land for women; support development of annual status reports that will be used for policy engagement and to hold governments to account to live up to their commitments of ensuring access to land for women; document and verify data and testimonials and analysis of women's access to land evidence studies undertaken. The direct beneficiaries of the project are civil society organisations working women's land rights, who will be supported through capacity building activities to engage in advocacy. The indirect beneficiaries are rural women in Ethiopia who will be able to enjoy improved rights to land through the advocacy efforts. The project is a three year project supported by the European Union (EU). The project runs from January 2017 - December 2019. Oxfam Ethiopia has signed an agreement with Oxfam Pan Africa for implementation of the project in February 2018 for a period of one year. The project agreement with the Pan Africa office will again be renewed from February 2019 - December 2019, after the expiring of the current agreement.