Significant achievements in the previous mandate

On the eve of the annual evaluation of the 2020 and the annual planning of the projects and governing bodies of the organization for 2021 which is about to begin, the effective members of the organization met  on 19 December 2020 in  a General Assembly (GA) as required by the founding texts of the APDH. On the agenda; the election of a new Legal Representative and his Executive Committee (EC) which will be for a mandate of 3 years renewable once as specified in the same texts.

Within APDH, the EC has the most extensive powers of management and administration and is the body responsible for the implementation of decisions of the General Assembly (GA). Present on this day were the representatives and full participants from the NGOZI, MUYINGA, GITEGA, KIRUNDO, BUJUMBURA MAIRIE sections with a quorum prescribed by the same texts. The achievements of the projects and sections in 2020 as well as of the governing bodies (Executive Committee and Supervisory Board) for the past mandate as presented respectively by the representatives of the latter, speak for themselves in terms of great success.

This is a major achievement and the advancement of APDH's programs in its areas of intervention and on different scales, notably the mass sensitization on the knowledge of and respect for human rights in the communities where the sections intervene, the reinforcement of the capacities of the partners, the staff and the members of APDH in the different areas, including the creation and supervision of school human rights clubs, as well as the accompaniment of our target groups, especially the most vulnerable, in the process of recourse to justice, and the reinvigoration of the activities of our areas of intervention.

Such moments are also a great opportunity for the APDH members to ask themselves questions about the life of the organization and to question any low performance (if there has been any) in order to prepare to remedy it and move forward.

Election of the new Executive Committee

Three candidatures were received in due time by the Supervisory Board (SB), the body responsible for organizing the elections

After the elections, the APDH has a new Executive Committee whose members are following Mr. HAVYARIMANA Audace: Legal Representative, Mr. RUKIZINGABO Euphrem: Deputy Legal Representative, Mr. NDAYISENGA Libère: Treasurer, Mrs. BUZIBORI Béatrice: Secretary and Mr. MUHETO Ananie: Advisor.

The ceremony was closed by the speech of the new Legal Representative crowned by congratulatory words and encouragement to all the members of APDH in general and to the governing bodies in particular for all the efforts put together in order to better respond to the vision and Mission of the organization.

As land is essentially the source of survival for more than 90% of Burundians, it is often the cause of endless conflicts within communities. One of the most effective ways of preventing and fighting against these conflicts is securing land property by registering them within the authorized land service offices. The communal land service has now become the most decentralized domain and means of land security. The Burundian law shows the importance of land ownership registration especially articles in the 19^th of February 2020 law in its 55^th  article where it is clearly stipulated on how and how much the establishment of a communal head- staff, including the head of the land office is a necessity. . That being said, it is hard to say whether the legal value of the land certificate is understood and interpreted in the same way by the communal administration and by the judicial entities to which the population resorts when land disputes arise within communities.

With regard to this, APDH organized this Wednesday, December 16 an exchange-workshop for some communal administrators and judges of the Courts of different judiciary entinties from its area of intervention: amongst which, communes of the provinces of Kayanza (Kabarore, Matongo , Gatara and Kayanza), Kirundo (Ntega and Kirundo), Ngozi (Ngozi, Busiga and Nyamurenza) and Muyinga (Gashoho). The discussions focused on the following points: how to ensure land ownership and sustainability of the land service office by communes themselves and how to value the land certificate issued by the very offices according to the prescriptions of the law.

Since the national land commission is the state body responsible for monitoring and controlling the quality of communal land services, one of the technical assistants was invited to facilitate the workshop.

Using laws, decrees and ministerial orders related to the establishment and management of communal land service offices and after a brief presentation of the establishment of communal land services at the national level, he insisted a lot on the need to understand what the discussion is about and implies. He clearly stated that the communal land service office is by law a necessity for every commune, that communes should create a communal land service office and should take ownership of it and value and help other people value the communal land certificate issued by the commune since it is important and its value ought to be understood during the legal resolution of conflicts related to land.

Why local administration and grassroots judicial bodies?

The communal land service office issues a land certificate which proves the right of ownership, the latter allows the holder to exercise all legal freedoms related to real rights provided for by the current Burundian legislation and these established acts are opposable to third parties.

This legal value of a land certificate conferred on it by the land code and its application texts is often doomed to be questionable according to various interpretations.

Since the idea of ​​its creation, the communal land service office has issued certificates to the population who want to certify their land ownership, but when land conflicts arise, few administrative agents and those of the judicial authorities seem not to be well acquainted with knowledge about the laws, decrees and ministerial orders in related to the creation and management of the communal land service office. With this exchange-workshop, participants were able to better understand the legal value of the land certificate in order to better apply the law when land conflicts arise especially when defendants have with them a land ownership certificate as proof of the ownership. They were also able to understand the role of each and everyone (communal administrator who signs the land certificate and the judicial bodies which are called to decide in the event of land disputes) when the population uses the land certificate as proof of land ownership. As for the local administrative authorities, they are called to understand that the communal land service office is one of the communal services like so many others and not that of the partners to better take ownership of it and manage it for good to the benefit of the people they are called to serve.

Before closing, participants had time to ask questions and contribute to the exchange for integrated participation and understanding.

Every year since 1911 around the world and for the past few years in Burundi, nations have been celebrating International Women's Day. This day is especially an occasion to celebrate the achievements of women in terms of economic, social and political advancement of given programs that help better serve humanity.

We probably would not speak about the achievements of women around the world as they are more than a lot and the context may escape us, but we can speak for Burundian women. In this article, women working with APDH tell us what they think about this year's international day dedicated to them, what it should stand for and how it should be fruitful and historic for humanity in the years to come.

We asked three important questions to three of our women and staff members and here is what they had to say about 8 March.

Q1: Why is 8 March so important to you?

According to Sylvana INAMAHORO, the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, 8 March, International Women's Day, reminds her of women's struggle for their rights (right to vote, right to fair treatment in terms of salaries, etc.), and of the awareness of most governments to take gender into account in the development programs of countries. Even if the struggle is not totally won, women have already brought about changes in their favour.

MUNKURIZE Diane, the assistant accountant, also seems to be on the same wavelength as the previous one. She says: "International Women's Day is important because it is a day of reflection, evaluation and introspection. We have to reflect and analyse whether women's rights are respected or not, and if necessary, make new recommendations to the competent authorities.

WIZEYIMANA Acquiline is a field lawyer and works directly with rural women, marginalized groups, victims of social injustice and sexual abuse. According to her, there is no work exclusively recognized to men except that which is exclusively linked to biological nature. March 8th must be a crucial moment to put an end to stereotypes, attributions and social considerations. It calls on women to prove their abilities," she concludes.

Q2: This year, who/what should we think about when celebrating International Women's Day?

Sylvana INAMAHORO first reminds us of this year's theme: "Women's leadership, source of inclusive development". Then she lets us know how the theme relates to the challenges that women face today in all areas. She says: "As the theme chosen this year indicates, women in decision-making positions must redouble their efforts to make their peers more valuable. They must play their full role to break the habit of labelling women as incapable. Every woman should reflect on this as she celebrates this day duly dedicated to her.

Ms. Diane goes further: "We must think of our sisters who are abused, of the women who are massacred and victims of the demands for their rights, we must also reach out to all women who are in a miserable situation (illness, unjust imprisonment, violence of any kind....). We must also stand up against all forms of discrimination based on gender and sex, without forgetting to demand the improvement of women's living conditions in socio-economic and professional environments.

Ms. Acquiline, on the other hand, addresses the injustices that prevail in our society while everyone, including the judiciary, is on watching: "We should think of ways and means to eradicate laws and customs that contribute to the marginalisation of women, especially those in rural areas, we should also think of all women who are victims of gender-based violence and support them in every possible way, as a subject of law and a member of a community."

Q3: How should men perceive this day in 2021?

Sylvana does not think that this day should be considered only on this day, but on every day of the year because for her, a day without women is an incomplete one... "Not only in 2021, but the perception of this day by men should be the same every year. Indeed, the struggle of women should also concern men because behind every man there is a woman and vice versa. This means that the development of women would also benefit men. I therefore ask them to abandon messages and attitudes that denigrate women. “We are their mothers, wives, sisters and daughters,” she added.

When Diane was asked how men should perceive this day today, she answered and suggested the following quite impressively: "Men should recognise this day as feminist, they should be active for a better celebration and development of this day (let the woman free to celebrate it, give everything that is necessary to better honor the day; ...).  They should also see the woman as a very important being who gives life, that she is the pillar of development in the socio-economic life of the home, they should show support to the woman through positive and commendable actions towards their wives. "

Ms Acquiline also believes that International Women's Day should not be limited to the 8^th of March: "Men today should put it in their minds that every day is March 8^th, so that what it reminds us becomes a daily responsibility for all of us to move our society forward for the benefit of all, irrespective of gender, race, religion and political affiliation. »

In response to one of its strategic axes “Human rights education”, APDH organized a capacity building workshop for the benefit of 30 supervisors from school clubs housed in 15 schools (6 schools in the province of Ngozi and 9 schools of Muyinga province). The training focused on tolerance, prevention and peaceful management of conflicts, as part of a joint program with the AFJB (Association des Femmes Juristes du Burundi), in contribution to the main objective: "Support and promote the fulfillment of rights, prevention and peaceful resolution of conflicts for the benefit of vulnerable populations”.

The objective of the training is mainly to build the capacities of the mentors in order to better do their work of mentoring and teaching human rights in their respective schools. This training will help them to organize feedback sessions for the benefit of the students grouped within the clubs, around the targeted themes by the training.

For three consecutive days, the trainer insisted a lot on “tolerance” and the rest of the training was reserved for “peaceful conflict management.”

WHAT IS TOLERENCE? WHY IS IT IMPORTANT IN THE WORK OF TEACHERS WITHIN SCHOOL CLUBS?

In his presentation, the trainer started with the definition, importance, advantages and different forms of tolerance before showing the place of tolerance in all social values.

Having recognized tolerance as the pivotal value of other universal values ​​and quoting Mr. Gandhi:

«The golden rule of conduct is mutual toleration, seeing that we will never all think alike and we shall always see Truth in fragment and from different points of vision  ...." Mr. Gandhi,

the trainer could not but show how this value, so dear to man in general and to our young people in particular, can be served in schools within school clubs in which our participants are mentors:

 "How do we create more understanding, more harmony in our relationships with others, or with our loved ones? How to relate to tolerance to really evolve, to change? How can we instill it in our young students of the future world of tomorrow to gradually establish a world of peace, justice, equity and respect for Human Rights?”

The feedback of the achievements of this training could be of monumental importance for the students-members of the clubs "... It will benefit them now and in the future, thus they will have more opportunities in education and in business. Others will see in them qualities such as understanding and valuing their neighbor as well as harmonious teamwork. "

But above all, framers must know that they are called to be role models of this value in order to be able to reflect it. In short, their role in this perspective is vital: “The students are a reflection of their parents, teachers and other family members. Logically, when we come up with clean, absolute, and prejudiced opinions, we teach them to do the same. "And he continues..." Since children are not born tolerant by nature, it is of great importance to start educating them in this way from an early age "and according to the trainer, the best ways to teach tolerance to children are:

 Good judgment,

 Challenge selfish and rude attitudes in their early social environments.

 Reinforce their personality and their courage in the wake of injustice.

 These moments of warm reflection are ideal for instilling a specific value in the child. In addition, we can answer their questions in a logical, explanatory way and without any external obligation.

 Be their best examples

 Teach them how to seek unity and respect, and common ground instead of fighting.

 Allow them to work in groups.

 Play games with them that promote the difference of opinions.

 Help them have high self-esteem and feel respected, valued and accepted.

 Teach them the various religious festivals and celebrations that are not part of their tradition.

 Answer children's questions about the differences, but in a respectful and honest manner. They will then learn that it is possible to observe and analyze differences.

 Demonstrate your recognition and acceptance of the differences that exist in your own family.

 Valuing the abilities, styles and interests that make each member unique.

It is on these recommendations that the topic was closed before starting that of the peaceful management of conflicts.