Encroaching on Land and Livelihoods: How National Expropriation Laws Measure Up Against International Standards

Encroaching on Lands and Livelihoods considers whether national expropriation laws in 30 countries across Asia and Africa follow the international standards established in Section 16 of the VGGTs. It analyzes laws against a set of 24 indicators (hereinafter “expropriation indicators”) based on the standards established in Section 16 and provides examples of expropriation practices drawn from literature reviews to illustrate the importance of adopting international standards. Based on this analysis, the paper offers a set of recommendations that identifies steps that governments, civil societies, and other stakeholders can take to adopt international standards on expropriation, compensation, and resettlement