This publication is the summary of the proceedings of the Regional Learning Workshop on 'Land and Natural Resources Tenure Security' held in Nairobi, Kenya from 29-31 May 2012 as jointly organized by UN-Habitat/Global Land Tool Network and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). The aim of the workshop was to deepen the understanding of land and natural resources tenure security issues and to identify opportunities to strengthen land tenure security and land access of the rural poor and marginalized groups in sub-Saharan Africa.

In the context of transition to a more open form of government, the Myanmar government has begun to liberalize land markets and, in 2012, enacted two major land-related laws. Implementing these new land laws has proven challenging, however, as it has been difficult to integrate these laws with the existing customary practices of various ethnic minorities. To address these and other issues UN-HABITAT Myanmar is assisting the Myanmar government in developing a Land Administration and Management Program (LAMP).

អង្គការលីកាដូធ្វើការស៊ើបអង្កេតទៅលើគម្រោង ការបែងចែកដីធ្លី ដើម្បីអភិវឌ្ឍន៍សេដ្ឋកិច្ច និងសង្គម ( LASED ) ដែលមានតម្លៃ១៣លានដុល្លារ ដែលបានគាំទ្រដោយ ធនាគារពិភពលោក និងទីភ្នាក់ងារអភិវឌ្ឍន៍របស់អាឡឺម៉ង់ ជីអាយហ្សិត ( Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale
Zusammenarbeit ) ដើម្បីវាយតម្លៃថាតើ ប្រជាជនក្រីក្រកម្ពុជានៅតាមទីជនបទ ពិតជាដែលបានទទួលអត្ថប្រយោជន៍ពីគម្រោងនេះ ដូចដែលបានថ្លែងនៅក្នុងរបាយការណ៍គំរោងរបស់ទីភ្នាក់ងារទាំងពីរឬទេ។

Political dynamics of the global land grab are exemplified in Cambodia, where at least 27 forced evictions took place in 2009, affecting 23,000 people. Evictions of the rural poor are legitimized by the assumption that non-private land is idle, marginal, or degraded and available for capitalist exploitation. This paper: (1) questions the assumption that land is idle; (2) explores whether land grabs can be regulated through a ‘code of conduct’; and (3) examines peasant resistance to land grabs.

This report takes a snapshot look at how urbanisation is impacting three of Cambodia's secondary cities – Sihanoukville, Battambang, and Siem Reap – and, in particular, their urban poor settlements. The report is based on desk review and field research. The report provides information on history, urban planning, urban poor settlements and interventions for each city.

Since 1990, over 29,700 Cambodian families have been evicted or displaced from their homes in Phnom Penh. This document provides a list of evicted communities, collating information on year, settlement name, description of the event and numbers of households affected. Includes maps of displaced communities and relocation sites. Available in Khmer and English.

The report of a 2013 survey conducted to update previous research on urban poor settlements in the Phnom Penh and produce current maps of their locations. This report summarises the data collected, and provides analysis and recommendations for key stakeholders intended to help lead to positive outcomes for the urban poor. The study found 340 urban poor settlements in Phnom Penh. The research shows that the trend of a decreasing percentage of settlements in the inner Khans and a corresponding increase in outer Khan settlements has continued.

This paper describes the interventions undertaken in the Doe Mao Salong watershed in an effort to restore the landscape and improve the livelihoods of local communities. Interventions included forming multi-stakeholder platforms to facilitate dialogue and to ensure participatory land-use planning; the creation of tree nurseries for forest rehabilitation; identifying products for sale in local markets; and a focus on action learning. Land-tenure arrangements proved key to these interventions. The report describes the impacts.

This report compares independently-gathered household data from four communities located along railroad tracks in Phnom Penh to data gathered by the Inter-Ministerial Resettlement Committee (IRC) in charge of the resettlement of households along the railways. Based on comparative data from 70 households, the report finds significant and widespread anomalies in the data gathered by the IRC. In the majority of cases, data collected by STT shows households are eligible to receive higher rates of compensation than those proffered by the IRC.

ABSTRACTED FROM THE INTRODUCTION: This report shows how, contrary to Cambodia’s obligations under international human rights law, those affected by evictions have had no opportunity for genuine participation and consultation beforehand. Information on planned evictions and on resettlement packages has often been incomplete and inaccurate, undermining the right to information of those affected.

This study explores the reasons behind the government’s exclusion of many Phnom Penh urban poor communities (UPCs) from the Systematic Land Registration (SLR) process, and the impact of this on affected households, particularly women and children. The study was conducted in 12 UPCs that had been excluded from the SLR process in six khans where SLR had been completed or was well under way. Data collection methods included interviews with 60 households from excluded UPCs, as well as village chiefs, community representatives, government officials, and NGO members.

As shown in this report, harassment of local activists in Cambodia, including defenders of the right to housing, is widespread. Cambodia’s rich and powerful are increasingly abusing the criminal justice system to silence communities standing up against land concessions or business deals affecting the land they live on or cultivate. Many poor and marginalized communities are living in fear of the institutions created to protect them, in particular the police and the courts. As forced evictions increase, public space for discussing them is shrinking.