Commission for Gender Equality on commemoration of Human Rights Day

As South Africa commemorates Human Rights Day, the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) reaffirms that gender rights are human rights, non-negotiable, and central to the dignity and freedom of all.

This year’s commemoration takes place against the backdrop of growing global and local recognition that women’s economic empowerment, particularly in rural and communal settings, remains a cornerstone of substantive equality. Despite progressive legal frameworks, many women in South Africa and across the world continue to face systemic barriers to accessing and controlling land, one of the most critical resources for economic independence and social justice.

In this context, the CGE reflects on its recent joint side event held in New York during the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), convened in partnership with global stakeholders under the auspices of the United Nations. The high-level dialogue underscored women’s access to communal land as a fundamental human rights issue directly linked to equality, food security, poverty eradication, and sustainable development.

The discussions highlighted that without secure land tenure and equitable access to productive resources, women, particularly those in rural and traditional communities, remain excluded from meaningful participation in the economy. This exclusion perpetuates cycles of poverty, inequality, and vulnerability to gender-based violence.

Importantly, 2026 has been declared the International Year of Women Farmers (IYWF 2026), a global call to action aimed at recognising and amplifying the role of women in agriculture and rural economies. IYWF 2026 will raise awareness and promote concrete actions to close persistent gender gaps, strengthen women’s land rights, and improve women’s livelihoods worldwide.

For South Africa, this global observance is both timely and urgent. Women farmers and those living in communal areas continue to face discrimination rooted in patriarchal practices, limited access to land ownership, inadequate support, and exclusion from decision-making structures. Addressing these challenges is not only a matter of development, but it is a human rights imperative.
On this Human Rights Day, the CGE calls on:

• Harmonise customary laws with constitutional gender equality provisions, especially regarding sex, gender, and sexual orientation, to redress historical injustices;
• Enhance women’s participation in traditional leadership, land governance, and decision-making, increasing quotas from 30% to 50%, including women with disabilities and Lesbians, Gays, Bisexual, Transgendered, Queer, Intersex and Asexual (LGBTQIA)+ persons;
• Develop strategies to increase women’s representation in senior traditional leadership roles and as headwomen, empowering them in land-related decisions;
• Provide training and capacity building for government officials and traditional leaders to improve land reform implementation and governance.
• Government to urgently accelerate reforms that guarantee women’s equal access to land, particularly in communal and customary systems, and to dismantle structural barriers that continue to exclude women, and to;
• Track progress on women’s access to land, documenting instances of discrimination, and holding both state and traditional authorities accountable for decisions that undermine constitutional and human rights obligations.
• Traditional leaders and communities uphold constitutional values and dismantle discriminatory practices by being sensitized and raising awareness through education;
• Private, public sector, and development partners to invest in women-led agricultural initiatives and rural enterprises, so that the issue of food security, employment, and equitable land can be addressed;
• Civil society continues advocating for the realisation of women’s rights as human rights;
• The CGE is of the view that issues of rural land access should not just be addressed throughout the diaspora, as issues of access to land are commonly found throughout the continent. 

The CGE remains committed to advancing gender equality through monitoring, advocacy, and public education, ensuring that no woman is left behind in the pursuit of justice, dignity, and economic freedom.

Media enquiries
Javu Baloyi            : Spokesperson
Cell                : 083 579 3306
Email                : media@cge.org.za

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