ANGOC participates in MRLG Regional Consultation and Planning Workshop

For the next seven years, the Mekong Region Land Governance (MRLG) Project, supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) will support regional multi-reform actor platforms and the bringing together of reform actors from CSO, government and private sector that support the strengthening of smallholder tenure in land, forest and fisheries. The MRLG Project will be initiating learning and advocacy activities and will be providing two funding facilities to meet the demand for reinforcing the land tenure security in four countries: Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam.

In this regard, MRLG organized a consultation and planning workshop on 4-6 March in Bangkok, Thailand, bringing together active stakeholder representatives of the four countries and identified regional level key reform actors to prepare a first year plan for regional level learning and advocacy component activities. Other objectives of the workshop include: (1) to contribute to the elaboration of the project strategy on important cross cutting issues; and (2) to provide a forum for discussions, exhibiting current activities and networking with Mekong region reform actors on land and forest governance issues.

The following are the thematic areas identified as regional priorities during the workshop:

• Voluntary Guidelines on the Governance of Tenure (VGGT)
• Engaging ASEAN
• Customary tenure addressing land conflicts
• Regional information sharing network.

ANGOC shared the initiatives of the Land Watch Asia campaign, and explored further linkages with MRLG in pursuing land rights in Mekong sub-region.