News on Land

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — A Cambodian court on Tuesday upheld a 2½-year prison term against a prominent land rights activist accused of inciting violence at a protest she helped lead outside of Prime Minister Hun Sen's residence, as dozens of her supporters outside conducted a "cursing ceremony" against national leaders and judges.

“It is high time to recognize and strengthen indigenous peoples’ own forms of governance and representation," the U.N. experts stressed.

Human rights advocates and specialist bodies at the United Nations have demanded an end to the discrimination, exclusion and lack of protections for Indigenous peoples around the globe.

This call comes ahead of the tenth annual International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, which will take place Wednesday.

Rebels imposed environmental rules remote rainforest regions, government struggling to fill power vacuum

Bauxite has played a role more critical than perhaps any other bit of dirt in the modern land rights struggle.

The 1963 Yirrkala bark petit­ions protesting an Arnhem Land deal to mine the ore used to make aluminium arguably kicked off the drive to legally reclaim indig­enous property.

It was to be a profound matter not merely of ownership, but of deep cultural identity; of connection to country.

Deadline: 

11/08/2017

Region: 

Africa

The next  inclusive nomination session for funding from the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation opened online on  July 3 2017  and will end on August 11 2017.

NAGAPATTINAM, India (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Last year farmer Veeramani leased a modest plot of land from his village temple in southern India to grow rice. He borrowed 40,000 rupees ($625) to prepare the field before the rains.

Then the rains failed. Veeramani, 31, was so distressed he suffered a massive heart attack on his field and died, leaving behind his wife, Kavita, and two young daughters. He also left a sizeable debt that Kavita was not aware of.

Land is integral to securing shelter, agriculture for food security, mobilising investments and for the sustainable management of resources. With these issues in focus, Habitat for Humanity's Solid Ground Campaign, in association with the Urban CSO Cluster of the Global Land Tool Network (GLTN) of UN-HABITAT, will be hosting a conference in Pretoria, 15-17 August.

Modern land registration systems are usually compulsory. Countries must be able to keep track of land, ownership and land use. This is important for planning, real estate sales and urbanization. When land is properly and legally registered, it should protect landowners.

The National Land Policy (NLP) will seek to ensure that a staggered, accessible and affordable process of compulsory registration is enforced after the ratification of the policy.

Mental Health Australia says governments need better response to ‘slow-burning, invisible kind of tragedy’

Governments are better at tackling natural disasters than longer-term problems in remote Indigenous communities, the head of Mental Health Australia has said.

After a technical break, the seven-member Land Inquiry 2017 Commission headed by Lady Justice Catherine Bamugemereire handled two big cases from July 24 –28.