Strengthening Land Governance

Land and natural resources are in high demand. Many smallholder farmers or forest dependend peoples do not have formal land titles and are therefore facing big difficulties in demonstrating their legitimate rights to land, they have been using over generations. One of the priorities of the  democratically elected government is to address these land conflicts and to redistribute land to original owners or the landless. Land and natural resources are also one of the topics to be discussed in the forthcoming peace conference.

Small-scale food producers including women and men from all ethnicities have secure and equal access to land.

Government officials, representatives of the ethnic-based civil society as well as the private sector are targeted for creating true multi-stakeholder processes, for trust building and constructively work on solutions for land conflicts, their prevention and for sustainable use of natural resources.
Capacity building on the responsible governance of tenure of land is for all stakeholders while civil society actors, farmers, women and ethnic-based civil society organisations are empowered to effectively participate in policy and peace processes.

1. Accurate data and knowledge on land is widely available, enabling transparent multi-stakeholders dialogues and decision-making for land governance and sustainable development planning.
2. Stakeholders in Myanmar have increased capacity and are able to effectively coordinate in promoting equitable land and natural resource rights in policy and law.
3. Ethnic-based CSOs play a significant role in decision-making on land policy and other natural resources.

Resultados previstos:  

• The quality, accuracy, and public access to key spatial datasets relevant to land governance have improved.
• The network of non-state actors involved in land is further expanded including to the private sector.
• Research conducted by the implementing partners is relevant of high quality and made available publicly.
• Ethnic based CSOs have increased technical skills and knowledge to engage in advocacy and develop alternative proposals and clear strategies on land and natural resources issues.

Resultados de las fases anteriores:  

OneMap Myanmar, at the beginning considered a Government-only project, was able to gain trust from most CSOs (including ethnic CSOs) and is now considered an multi-stakeholder initiative that effectively delivers geo-spacial data and a structured process as a basis for solving land conflicts (e.g. on palm oil concessions in Tanintharyi Region). The Land Core Group, requested by the Government of Myanmar, facilitated the public consultation for the Development of the National Land Use Policy (NLUP), while the Transnational Insitute worked with ethnic CSOs to make meaningful contributions to the NLUP. The NLUP is now a reasonalbe well balanced policy, but further advocacy on specific laws and regulations are needed to put the policy into practice.

Ministry of Nature and Environmental Conservation, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation,
State / Region Governments of Tanintharyi, Mon and Bago

Generating Rubber Opportunities project, Gulf of Mottama project, Paung Ku, HA in South East, Mekong Regional Land Governance project (MRLG) implemented in Myanmar by GRET, MIMU, SERVIR-Mekong, USAID, EU

Fase 2 01.06.2017 - 31.07.2022   (Completed)