Mekong Region Land Governance Project (MRLG)

MRLG's latest newsletter is out! CLICK: bit.ly/44klnRR to view. In this edition, we highlight articles that shed light on issues related to #landuse, #AgriculturalInvestment, and #regulatoryregimes in Southeast Asia. Sign up for our newsletter via bit.ly/3Vm8keC

How can communities address land confiscation and legal battles in southern Shan State, and what options do they have to assert their rights against the military regime and its allies? bit.ly/3HfKjjy #FarmersRights #LandTenureSecurity #HumanRights

MRLG's Rob Cole's panel response on Changing Consumption and Production Patterns session at the 4th Global Conference of the One Planet Network's #SustainableFoodSystems #SFSPConference #transformation More info at: bit.ly/3kXCeYY

Full scholarships for MA in Social Science (Development Studies) at Chiang Mai University focusing on land issues are available through MRLG. Deadline: April 25, 2023. Don't miss out! #MRLG #ChiangMaiUniversity #scholarships #landissues #mastersdegree

How can guidelines and certifications shape investor practices in Southeast Asia's #agribusiness and commodity crops sector? ARIscope weighs in on the shifting regulatory landscape and the potential of #ASEANRAI for promoting #sustainability. buff.ly/3JYOG31

ATM: "#Investment is necessary for #ruraldevelopment. It must be profitable for companies...but also beneficial for communities, and transparent." - Dr. Vanthana Nolintha, Director General, Department of Investment Promotion, MPI at the MRLG-Lao PDR #RAI Taskforce meeting.

In the news: "Cassava #export boom leading to #deforestation and poor air in Laos" bit.ly/40eC274

MRLG Newsletter for March 24, 2023 is now available at bit.ly/3JF3vrp. Please subscribe to keep up with project updates and relevant news on #LandRights in the region.

How can authorities and local communities balance #conservation needs with forest-dependent #livelihoods? In Cambodia's Preah Vihear and Ratanakiri provinces, stakeholders are finding common ground to resolve resource use conflicts. Watch it here: bit.ly/3JoF4hP

📰 MRLG on the Vientiane Times: "Laos, Switzerland ink agreement on Mekong #landgovernance project" Read it here: bit.ly/3T0YUnK #LandRights

“When #women are given the space to speak, they will speak. And when they speak, things will change." ~Nikka Villa-Ignacio Rivera of @AsianFarmers Association for #Sustainable #RuralDevelopment #LandRights #genderequality

“Transformation for #genderequality over #land is not a woman’s burden. We also need to a generation of men who are champions of #equality.” MRLG’s Customary Tenure and Gender Advisor, Natalie Campbell, at the MRLG Regional Workshop. #LandRights

“Gender-equal consultation on #land policies is not about representation. It is about hearing the voices of all.” @MasseyUni’s Dr. Alice Beban at the MRLG Regional Workshop. #LandRights

“#Genderequality in #landgovernance is not about policies. It is about outcomes.” @LEI’s Gender Advisor @ChartresRenee at the MRLG Regional Workshop.

“Strong #tenure security is central to breaking the cycle of risk accumulation under #climatechange.” Stockholm Environment Institute’s Raja @Asvanon at the MRLG Regional Workshop. @SEI_Asia @SEIResearch #LandRights

“Secure #tenure is the foundation of communities’ ability to adapt to #climatechange.” -Stockholm Environment Institute’s @sarah_macauley_ at the MRLG Regional Workshop. @SEI_Asia @SEIResearch #LandRights

"#Smallholder #farmers are the largest investors in the Mekong Region's #agriculture. Thus, re-centering their interests in national priorities is the necessary precondition to a more prosperous and equitable future." - Micah Ingalls at the MRLG Regional Workshop #LandRights

"@WWF believes that local communities must be partners in #conservation. This can only happen effectively when #tenure is clear and secure in and around #protectedareas." - James Bampton, PhD, Regional Forest Lead, WWF Asia-Pacific, Keynote Address at the MRLG Regional Workshop.

"We want to build a region where investing 'well' and doing right is good business, and 'bad actors' get left behind" - Erin Sweeney, @GrowAsia Director of Programmes, at the 2023 #MRLG Workshop in Luang Prabang, Laos.