News on Land

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni Tibuhaburwa has halted the tabling of land act reforms, saying Uganda has more serious problems to deal with than those issues arising from the current land law.

Two comprehensive State of Land Information (SOLI) reports have been released, providing in-depth assessments of the land data and information ecosystems in Botswana and Zambia. These reports examine the availability of land information and evaluate its compliance with open data standards. The findings highlight the strengths and weaknesses of each country's land information management practices and offer insights for targeted interventions.

We are looking for two consultants to conduct research on the land governance situation in French and Spanish speaking countries.

The EU Deforestation Regulation enters into force today. This law prohibits the placing on the European market of cattle, cocoa, coffee, oil palm, rubber, soy and wood that is linked to deforestation.

The rural poor who have weak or no land tenure rights are among the most vulnerable to the direct effects of climate change, both because insecure land tenure reduces the incentives and capacities to take good care of the land to mitigate /adapt to the effects of climate change, and because without secure tenure rights, disasters can easily lead to land loss and migration, also through document loss and land grabbing.

In Kenya, the Mau forest is the ancestral home of an indigenous community called the Ogiek people. The Ogiek community comprises 20,000 members, about 15,000 of whom inhabit the greater Mau Forest Complex, a land mass of about 400,000 hectares. 

Excessive and erratic rainfall has caused devastating flooding, hitting parts of Bangladesh hard. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said there will be no quick respite for the country.

 Civil society organizations in Madagascar are now deeply concerned about the threat the recently passed foreign investment law poses. Currently undergoing a constitutional review, if approved by the High Constitutional Court, it enables foreign investors and companies to lease land for 99 years and renew such agreements which could effectively granting them ownership of the land.

             

Laos’ forest coverage has reached a record low of 40%, prompting the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry to implement conservation measures and rejuvenation plans to protect and revive the country’s forests.

With the financial support of GIZ, the Organization for Rehabilitation and Development in Amhara (ORDA) in collaboration with Welthungerhilfe (WHH) has been implementing the Land for Life Amhara Multi-Actor Partnership (MAP) project. The Land for Life Amhara MAP is a coalition of various stakeholders including government, civil society organizations, universities, research institutions and other actors. It aims to provide policy advocacy for a transparent and fair land use and management system, securing user rights and to ensure responsible agricultural investment.