This article discusses the inherent limitations of law in transitional justice processes regarding land grievances. Through analysis of the case of Timor-Leste (East Timor), a country marked by post-colonialism, post-authoritarianism, and post-conflict. The article shows how complex transitional justice regarding land grievances can be, and argues that a legalist perspective gives a limited view of these grievances, both for studying and finding solutions to them. The article employs the concept of ‘wicked problems’ to overcome the limitations of law.

With the rapid economic growth and urbanisation process, a large amount of cultivated land has been permanently transformed into urban land. The protection of cultivated land has received widespread attention, and ecological compensation has been an effective means of restraining the decrease in cultivated land. Different from previous approaches to and methods of studying cultivated land’s ecological compensation, this study proposes a new behavioural perspective.

The rapid growth of China’s economy since the reform in 1978 should be largely attributed to urbanization. Nonetheless, in terms of farmland productivity, urbanization may lead to perverse incentives and thus threaten food security. On the one hand, the requisition–compensation balance of farmland (RCBF) policy could reduce farmland productivity because of a “superior occupation and inferior compensation”; on the other hand, urbanization promotes the transfer of the younger labor force and thus reduces the productivity of the agricultural labor force.

An agreement between the Zimbabwean Government and the Commercial Farmers Union on compensation for land taken from white farmers was finally agreed on 29 July 2020;20 years after the land reform programme began. There had been previous attempts;but the science of asset valuation is far from exact. The issue had blocked international recognition of the Zimbabwean Government. Looks at the detractors and sceptics and asks how the agreed sum of US$3.5 billion will be paid for. Believes this is an immensely important step in a long-running and frustrating saga.

In many cities and urban areas in Africa, land acquisition for urban redevelopment, land readjustment, and resettlement of affected urban residents are currently framed as innovative approaches to eradicating informal settlements, improving the living environments, and supporting the implementation of newly adopted city Master Plans. Nevertheless, it is not yet known how the responses of institutions and affected people shape these processes.

The paper aims to explore the process of land conversion for tourism development in Vietnam, under the present ambiguous and insecure property rights system. Four case studies in different geographical areas were selected to analyse land conversion and land compensation for tourism projects before and after the implementation of the new land law in 2013.

L’Afrique de l’Ouest et centrale abrite 25 % des forêts tropicales de la planète. La déforestation y est une préoccupation centrale au défi climatique. Face à cette menace, des lois nationales visent à protéger et à restaurer les forêts, ainsi qu’à encadrer leur utilisation pour le développement national.

This document compiles four short reports and reflection pieces produced by Natural Habitats Group (NHG) during their involvement in a LEGEND project in Sierra Leone implemented by Solidaridad, which aimed to ensure that an NHG land based investment, undertaken by group member company Natural Habitats Sierra Leone Ltd (NHSL) to develop a large oil palm plantation respected existing community members and land holding families’ land rights.

Cameroon is currently witnessing an unprecedented wave of land-based investments, ranging from natural resources exploitation (oil, mining and gas), logging, large infrastructure building, etc. These developments happen in a context of population growth, in an increase in the domestic demand for land. There is a gap between the legislation governing expropriation and compensation in the country, and the variety of customary rules on land and resources. This context of legal pluralism results into endless conflicts opposing communities and the investors, including the State.

ABSTRACTED FROM PURPOSE OF THIS MISSION: The purpose of the mission was to gather accurate and up-to-date information from a range of sources about a number of issues concerning the treatment of Tamils including the government’s attitude to diaspora activities and the treatment of members of diaspora groups, in particular members of the Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE). The mission was also interested in gathering information about the treatment of members and former members of the Liberation Tamil Tigers of Eelam (LTTE).

In West and Central Africa, home to 25% of the world’s tropical forests, the climate challenge is set against the threat of deforestation. In light of this threat, national laws and regulations seek to protect, restore, and manage the use of these forests for national development.

International initiatives such as REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation) have identified that strengthening national laws to improve forest governance is an important tool to strike a balance between protection of forests and national development.

This executive summary offers recommendations based on lessons learned from Ghana, Liberia and RoC, for other countries of West and Central Africa who are considering how to embed REDD+ social safeguards into their national laws.

The full report is available from here.