"Project organisers hope the project will establish a link between
local people and higher levels of decision making."

What a noble cause!


Swiss agency gives funds for land rights

Vientiane Times, 6 Nov 2009

The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) has provided
funds of more than US$1.4 million to encourage Lao people to make
their own decisions about land management.

The SDC donated the funds to Village Focus International (VFI) to
implement a Right-Land, Information, Networking and Knowledge (Rights-
LINK) project in Laos .

The memorandum of understanding was signed yesterday by the National
Land Management Authority (NLMA)'s Head of Office Bountry Detvongsone
and the VFI Director Rick Reece.

Speaking at the ceremony, Mr Reece said the project's aim was to
improve the rights of local communities and to encourage women and
children to participate in decision-making.

Local people would be able to seek legal advice on land rights and
responsibilities, he said.

“This project is aligned to the Lao government's goals of building two-
way communication tools, as well as improving access for farmers and
communities to information on land rights and responsibilities,” he
said.

Minister to the Prime Minister's Office and NLMA Head Kham-ouan
Boupha, and SDC Deputy Country Director Remy Duiven, also attended the
ceremony.

The first phase of the project will run from 2009-2012 in 40 villages
in three districts of Saravan province.

Project organisers hope the project will establish a link between
local people and higher levels of decision making.

“We hope to conduct these and other initiatives at the national as
well as local levels, including the establishment of a LINK Resource
Centre in Vientiane , and a variety of multi-stakeholder pilot
activities,” Mr Reece said.

Mr Reece said the centre would provide access to information,
displays, a referral service, a web-based portal and discussion group
on land and natural resource management.

Everyone would be encouraged to use the centre to share information
and learn about land management.

Mr Reece said VFI would also support the National University of Laos's
faculties of Law and Political Science, and Forestry to develop
teaching materials and curriculum on land rights and environment
issues.

Teachers, master's and bachelor degree students would undertake
research related to land rights and natural resource management in
areas where the VFI and its key partners were present, said Mr Reece.

“The project will also focus on improving, clarifying and harmonising
the implementing mechanisms for the land law, forestry law and related
legal documents,” he said.

VFI has been working on land related issues since 2001, starting with
basic land-use planning with local villages in Saravan province.