Resource information
A joint preliminary assessment by
TNI Myanmar Project and TNI Agrarian Justice Programme.....Summary:
"October 18, 2014 saw the official unveiling by the government of
the Republic of the Union of Myanmar
of its much-awaited draft
national land use policy. Once it is finalized, the new policy will
guide the establishment of a new overarching framework for the
governance of tenure of land and related natural resources like
forests for years to come. As such, it is of vital importance. This
preliminary assessment aims to shed light on the key aspects of the
draft policy and its potential implications for the country’s majority
rural working poor, especially its ethnic minority peoples, although
they are not the only ones whose future prospects hinge on how this
policy making process will unfold. The scope of the policy is
national
and clearly intends to determine for years to come how land will
be used – especially by whom and for what purposes – in lowland
rural and urban areas as well. Focused critical engagement by civil
society groups will likely be needed to ensure that the policy process
addresses the concerns and aspirations of all rural working people
system wide. Initial scrutiny suggests that those who see the land
problem today as a problem of business and investment – e.g., how
to establish a more secure environment particularly for foreign
direct investments – are likely to be pleased with the draft policy.
Those who think that the land problem goes deeper – e.g., implicating
the social-ecological foundations of the country’s unfolding politi
-
cal-economic transition – are likely to be seriously concerned. This
suggests that focused efforts at trying to influence the content and
character of the draft policy are needed. The government’s decision
to open the policy process to public participation is therefore a
welcome one. Yet whether and to what extent this public consultation
process will be truly free and meaningful remains to be seen
