Resource information
This policy note on Land Policy and Regulatory Framework in Myanmar is the first of five policy notes
prepared under the Land Sector Needs Assessment technical assistance initiative between the World Bank
and the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation, the Ministry of Natural Resources and
Environmental Conservation and the General Administration Department of the Ministry of Home Affairs,
and the Yangon City Development Committee. It is intended to assess and inform the land related
discourse in Myanmar on the status of governance and administration of land with strategic options and
recommendations on the way forward. The policy notes aim to promote consensus over priorities under
the following five key themes of the land sector: (i) Land Policy and Regulatory Framework; (ii) Forestland
Administration and Management; (iii) Land Administration; (iv) Geospatial Infrastructure and Services;
and (v) Property Valuation and Taxation....Key elements for effective policy and regulatory framework on land that should be developed are:
*Developing an effective land governance system should
begin by using of the current legal framework to implement
new land policies such as: (i) protections for customary users’
tenure rights; (ii) the promotion of diverse agricultural
practices such as livestock breeding and aquaculture; (iii)
directing land allocation policies to improve land access for
marginal farmers and landless households; (iv) and
establishing programs such as a model land office to guide
the development of a national land administration system
that covers all areas (rural, urban, forest) and all tenure types
(individual, group, communal).
* The establishment of a union-level body or council to carry
out the National Land Use Policy and allow land sector
coordination between land related line ministries.
* The amendment of current land laws to expand the roles of
farmers and community members in land use decision
* The promotion of the revised community forest instruction,
which broadly reinterpreted the forest law to remove
restrictions on shifting cultivation to protect customary land
NOTE: Stakeholder and governmental consultations/workshop will be held for reviewing the draft policy notes in
September, 2017 in Yangon and in Nay Pyi Taw, and the policy notes will be finalized by the end of 2017.
“Developing an effective
land governance system” in
Myanmar is essential to the
economic success as the
new government sets
priorities and implements
reforms since nearly 70% of
the population is rural and
relies upon agriculture for
their livelihoods....
POLICY NOTE 1:
Land Policy and Regulatory Framework
rights and to protect in community decision making on land use, allocation and possible
conversion to commercial use; including promotion of community forests and commercialization
for inclusive economic growth at the grassroots level.
*The establishment of an open, multi-stakeholder process for making land governance decisions
that includes civil society organizations, farmers’ unions and citizens, in addition to government
officials and other stakeholders.
* Finally, the drafting of a new national land law that incorporates the findings from earlier land
administration work...
