As part of its transition to democratic reform, in October 2014 the Government of Myanmar released a draft national land policy and plans for a subsequent Land Law, for public consultation. A further draft was released for public consultation in June 2015. The importance of this cannot be understated and Global Witness welcomes both the potential for a strong codified framework for land, and the opportunity for public participation.
It is crucial, however, that consultation is meaningful and genuinely participatory, and the resulting feedback is incorporated into the policy and Land Law in a process that is fully transparent. What’s more, the final land policy and subsequent land law should be robust and in line with international standards, most notably, the UN Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests.
Global
Witness made formal submissions in both November 2014 and June
2015, available below. The land policy is expected to be finalised in
2015 and will form the basis for the country’s first Land Law.