New ‘weapons’ of the weak:

Information, networking and

knowledge. Tools for improving land
rights of local people
PRESENTATION BY KHAMLA PHOUTHARATH
PROJECT MANAGER
RIGHTS-LINK LAO (LAND INFORMATION NETWORKING AND
KNOWLEDGE)
 Contents

Overview of VFI
Overview of land issues in Laos
 General Laos and land management
 Key issues related to land
Improving information and awareness on legal
rights
 Land use planning-land-titling
 Communication and networking to influence policy
 Through legal channels
Lessons for consideration/Challenges
VFI BACKGROUND
- Began working in Laos in January 2001
- In partnership with the Global Association for
people and the Environment (GAPE)
- In 2003 MOU with the Salavan Provincial Office of
Agriculture and Forestry
- In 2005 MOU with Non-Formal Education of
Ministry of Education
- In 2009 began receiving support for Rights-
LINK Lao project which focus on Land Rights and
Natural Resource Management.
The integrated “VILLAGE FOCUS” development
concept
VFI Laos

Health,
Education and
Leadership
(HEAL)

Land and
Livelihoods
(L&L)and
Protection
Empowerment for Women
Training Centers and Children Program
STAFF
In 2000 VFI Laos had only employees. Since then
we have grown to 47 full time staff, a youth group
with 8 members, Rights-LINK project with 15
members and more than 20 farmer trainers and a
number of adult literacy and health volunteers
engaged on short term contracts.
Target Areas
China (505 km
in the north)
Vietnam
(2,069 km in
the east)
Myanmar (236
km in the north-
west)

Thailand Cambodia
(1,835 km in (435 km in
the west) the south)

Greater mekong sub region

Laos: from land locked to land linked
From Economically isolated to the ‘battery of asia’
 Land and Forest Cover
23 million ha in total
9.8 million hectares of
forest area including
plantation forests
Around 5 million ha of
agriculture land
70% mountainous
country
High biodiversity spots
and potential for
“green-development”
(tourism, REDD, etc)
 Socio Economic Overview

Population: 5.6 million

Population density: 24 km2
Religion: 80% Buddhism
More than 41 ethnic groups,
no ‘indigenous people’ as such.
Everyone has same rights on
paper
GDP: 500 USD (2006)
Poverty high in upland areas
 Policy and legal aspects of land and natural
resource management
Overlapping laws in relation to land and natural resource
management, which creates confusion and competition
between ministries.
Inflexible policies and laws on land management that do
not take into account the local level realities and place local
populations in a disadvantaged position.
The interest of policy and law makers in more precise and
nuanced information to understand the costs and benefits of
different options and make more informed decisions
Key issues and gaps related community rights to
land/ land on tenure
• Farmers and communities have no legal
rights to land
• Land use planning has yet to be done
• Land titling still to be carried in rural areas
• Uncertain how communal land will be dealt with
• Increasing land use conflicts.
• Lack of local staff and leader capacity.
• Lack of coordination amongst all
stakeholders
• Farmers and communities lack mechanisms
to seek recourse to problems
 Three strategies for improving
communities access and control over land
 Land use planning, titling and communal
land titling
Working with government and NGOs to implement
new land use planning process in target provinces
 Trying to act as bridge between MAF and NLMA along
with other NGOs
PLUP/LA to lead to individual and communal
titling
This would be followed up with community based
NRM (Forestry, etc) to ensure communities are
empowered to protect and manage their resources
Testing out approaches to land management at the
sub-district level to create local networks
 Networking

Working with and through a number of national networks:

• Land Issues Working Group (LIWG)
• Working with and through LIWG – consortium of NGOs committed to
improving land rights of local people.
• LIWG acts as a platform for NGOs to work collectively with the
Government on different areas
• Carried out studies and workshops related to land issues
• Currently working with Gov. to implement new PLUP/La Regulations
• MIC-MAC, Gender Development Working Group
and Mak Phet (Chili Group) which are working on
land related issues
• Rights-LINK supporting establishment of
network for 5 southern provinces where land
issues are most pressing
 Information and Knowledge
Rights LINK is establishing the LINK Centre
which will be a space for :
 accessing information (Digital and physical) on land and
natural resource management
 Seeking advice and consultation (Lao Bar to set up
consultation area)
 Dialogue on land related issues, particularly workshops,
debates and activities
 Center will open up before December – welcome all from
region to visit!
Carrying out collaborative research to gain
better understanding of land related issues
with NAFRI, NUOL and other research
agencies (and foreign researchers).
 Communication and dissemination

Producing materials on land and legal rights

 Supporting the production of best practices from other NGOs
and agencies to be disseminated widely
 Production of the Legal guidebook on Village rights and
responsibilities to manage land and forest resources
 Developing case study series on land conflicts and issues
 Working with CIDSE to translate key documents from different
countries to provide to Lao policy markers.
 Developing “Law Calendar” with CIDSE, JVC and VFI

Communication
 Policy group to be established to link more directly with policy
makers in key ministries
 Establishing partnership with Lao Radio and LNTV to have show
on land rights and responsibilities
 Will establish Lao Land Information discussion group
 Legal Support
 Accessing recourse through legal channels is just
beginning in Lao– many different organizations
now partnering up with Faculty of Law and Lao
Bar Association to improve legal understanding at
the local level through ‘barefoot’ lawyers
 VFI is currently focusing on:
 Supporting law students to carry out paralegal courses at
the village level
 Developing conflict management materials and training
 Access to justice survey with Lao Bar association
 Developing understanding about legal ways to support
communal land titling
 Challenges

• Developing policy makers awareness and

understanding of local issues and concerns and
how they can be solved
• Empowering local people to protect their rights in
terms of land issues and natural resource
management.
• Capacity of government to manage land in fast
changing environment
• Overlap of performance among the government
partners at all levels
• Transparent procedures are in place and staff have
capacity to implement
• Staff have ability to enforce and monitor (legally and
empowered to do so)
Thank you !

Thank You