Association pour la Paix et les Droits de l’Homme (APDH) is a community based organisation working to promote peace and human rights through education and capacity building. APDH uses community structures (women and youth organisations, and traditional structures) as entry points for lasting social change.
APDH is also well-known for its contributions towards more equitable land tenure systems. It has a particular interest in strengthening and securing people’s land rights, especially those of women and children, and other vulnerable people.
Regarding peace consolidation, APDH conducts research on transitional justice from a community perspective and helps in the prevention and resolution of conflicts in households.
Objectives of APDH include:
- To promote and defend human rights as described in the International Chart of Human Rights, the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights, and the Constitution of Burundi.
- To take particular action against any infringement of individuals, communities and youth’s rights.
- To raise awareness of young peace and human rights education, peaceful conflict resolution and grassroots reconciliation.
Major achievements
- Supervision of human rights school clubs: APDH believes that coaching young people in human rights contributes to a safe future of the country.
- Research on transitional justice from a community perspective to deal with the past: APDH believes that solving past violent or non-violent conflicts is the right way to ensure a better future for all and achieve durable reconciliation.
Success story
APDH is one of the leading organisations involved in the development of pilot projects for the prevention of land related conflicts among rural populations through certification. In parallel, APDH has developed these experiences with the support of external partners including Switzerland and the EU, and advocated for the inclusion of such experiences in the draft of the new policy and land legislation. APDH welcomed the fact that their voice was heard and that the Land Code has reserved an entire chapter on the prevention of land related conflicts through land certification (Art. 380-410). For instance, in Makebuko commune (Gitega province) with the support of APDH, more than 1,000 land certificates have already been issued to prevent land conflicts.
APDH has developed an expertise on land issues and participates very actively in the framework of national and international cooperation on land matters. Since 2011, APDH is a member of the international coalition on land that promotes secure and equitable access to land, a significant element of peacebuilding especially in countries where the majority of the population relies on small-scale farming and where land speculation contributes to exacerbate land conflicts and undermines peace consolidation and social cohesion at grassroots level.
