Upholding IPs Rights and FPIC

General

On 27 November 2020, Samdech Krolahom Sor Keng, Cambodia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of MOI, delivered remarks at a meeting aimed at strengthening the roles and duties of the Mondulkiri administration/ sub-national level, with key messages guiding and enhancing land, forestry, environment and natural resources governance implementation and accountability. There are 5 key messages:1)- strengthening the effectiveness and efficiency of the enforcement of laws, policies and regulations, 2)- Preparing a land use plan, 3)- strengthening officers and local authorities, 4)- Land registration and land conflict resolutions, 5)- Conservation and development of Indigenous communities. Based on these key messages of RGC, CSOs are interested and have discussion as follows: A groupof NGOs and IPOs has conducted pre-and post-meetings before the meetings with MOI on 05 February 2021. This meeting is hard to decide on support for, and participation in, an IP community research study led by MOI because ofconcerns about trust and experiences with case intervention failures that have not yet resulted in resolutions. However, based on analytical skills, this IP research study provides an opportunity to engage with MOI advocacy approaches, as well as a way of working now that can be a lobbying and influencing advocacy strategy while considering the space of NGOs freedom and political trends in Cambodia. The issues of IP communities were investigated, and verified by NGOs and other stakeholders. Case observation, legal complaints and an annual joint statement submission by the NAC of NGOF has been brought to relevant ministries for many years. A public forum of government with MDK fieldwork working group, CIPO <(>&<)> CIPA case study on communities’ land grabbing, and experiences of other NGOs working on communal land titling and IP community forming have raised complicated issues and difficult to find resolutions in order to ensure land tenure security of IP community (CLT) in Mondulkiri province. CLT conflictis a sensitive issue political tensions around the implementation of laws, policies and regulations that NGOs can’t handle on their own without partnering with the Ministry of Interior. During theIP community research study, NGOs noted state public land,especially CLT, CF, and CPA land have been lost and illegal land grabbing was eventually recognized as legal acquisition. The IP community research study’s purpose is to conserve and develop, especially to land tenure security and livelihood enhancement.This study examines key issues, challenges, and recommendations for the most effective resolutions to CLT within 22 communities, 8 communes and 5 districts/city of MDK provinces. CIPO requested budget support from Oxfamto support the review of findings from the study and document the process of how CSO engage with the government to secure land tenure of IPs in Cambodia.