EXECUTIVE SUMMARY _____________________________________________________________________ • In terms of access, land is still managed in traditional ways. A national policy on land protection has, however, been developed together with a law on land protection. These reforms should facilitate the development of the land as a heritage and for use as collateral for credit. • With regard to access to housing, the government has introduced a series of measures intended to improve the habitat and modernise the infrastructures of Ouagadougou and Bobo-Dioulasso. These are towns where the greater part of the population lives in precarious districts without adequate urban infrastructures. 6.19 Progress made in promoting gender equality in all the crucial areas, including girls’ education. The state has improved the institutional framework by creating a Ministry for the Promotion of Women, constructing women’s homes, and developing a national policy and a plan of action for the promotion of women (2006/2007). The state has also begun projects aimed at reducing female poverty by creating a Fonds d’Appui aux Activités Rémunératrices des Femmes (FAARF) in 1990, equipping women’s organisations to reduce the burden of domestic chores, constructing boreholes, conducting training and eliminating illiteracy, among others. There have also been activities to improve girls’ education in the primary cycle and to improve the health of the mother and the child. 6.20 All these initiatives have resulted in some significant achievements. Nevertheless, women are still the victims of inequality in several areas. In education, there are persistent inequalities between boys and girls in education, including secondary and higher education. In health, traditional practices like early marriage and levirate persist and they affect the health of women. Even though some progress has been made to achieve equality, women are still highly under-represented in political parties, in Parliament and in the business world, and are discriminated against in employment and income. 6.21 With regard to the participation of all stakeholders, Burkina Faso has a long tradition of dialogue and consultation in the management of the affairs of the community. Grass-roots communities are involved and consulted through various structures and mechanisms for developing and implementing projects that affect them. 6.22 The main stakeholders identified are: (i) The institutions of the republic, such as the Economic and Social Council (ESC). They play an important role to foster participation in the economic and social life of the country. (ii) Civil society, comprising public-interest benevolent associations. (iii) The private sector, which constitutes real development potential, especially in the economic and agro-food branches, and in the tourism, cottage industry and services sectors. (iv) The development partners, who are very active in the country and who contribute more than 70% of the resources for funding SED. These stakeholders are making considerable efforts to harmonise and 26