General

The LIWG advocacy strategy consists of the following key elements: 1. Promoting dialogue on land issues between its members (especially bridging the Lao-English culture and language divide) 2. Promoting INGOs support for NPAs working on land issues as a new part of civil society 3. Influencing GoL policies and legislation, mainly through the National Assembly, NLMA and MAF 4. Raising awareness on land issues among development partners 5. Raising awareness among private sector and foreign investorsto adopt principles of socially and environmentally responsible investment 6. Liaising and cooperating with other civil society groups in international advocacy campaigns LIWG programme 2014-2015 comprises of five key themes and 22 outcomes: 1. Awareness raising, training and capacity development: Local and international civil society organizations, Development Partners, and private sector are supported so that they are more willing and better able to enhance gender equitable community control over land, forests, and natural resources. Targeting Lao civil society (NPAs): Outcome 1: Lao civil society to have an enhanced capacity to regain and create space in which to engage on land related matters with the Lao Government, especially MoNRE and MAF,and other decision-making bodies like the National Assembly. Outcome 2: Lao civil society to be increasingly considered an essential partner in reaching national development goals, and to beon a more consistent basis included in decision-making and platforms relevant to land. Targeting Development Partners and non-member INGOs: Outcome 3: Increased capacity within INGOs and Development Partners also in view of the rapid staff turnover within agencies to understand the key land issues in Laos in order to better address them. Outcome 4: Land issues are mainstreamed and incorporated into DP strategies, and they are in a better position to enhance community control over land, forests, and natural resources, adapting social and environmental guidelines, as well as promoting gender equity in relation to land. Targeting private sector: Outcome 5: Increased awareness of social and environmental guidelines within companies, following the international and national law and the principles of corporate social responsibility. 2. Coordination, networking and promoting dialogue: Collaboration and engagement of different stakeholders, both national and international, is promoted to enhance dialogue and sharing of information in view ofincreasingleverage of activities towards enhanced gender equitable community control over land, forests, and natural resources. a.National level activities: Outcome 6: Strengthened dialogue and cooperation among national stakeholders and wider space and platforms available to exchange information. Outcome 7: Deeper understanding of selected priority land related themes within LIWG members and other relevant agencies. Outcome 8: Development Partners increasingly support the objectives and work of the LIWGand deliver key messages to other stakeholders. LIWG has strengthened its position vis-à-vis DPs as a relevant actor on land related matters in Lao PDR. b. Regional and international level activities: Outcome 9: Increased leverage of Lao-based civilsociety organizations# work in terms of promoting greater community control over land, forests, and natural resources. Outcome 10: Higher pressure for transparency and rule of law, and adoption of social and environmental guidelines and the principlesofCSR among foreign investors active in the Lao PDR. 3. Government Policy Support: Government policies and legislation concerning land, with a focus on implementation and rule of law, protect the long term interests of people of Laos by enhancing local communities# gender equitable control over land, forests and natural resources. a. Dialogue on land issues with the National Assembly (NA): Outcome 11: Land and forest tenure of rural communities and equitable sharing of benefits from land-related investments are increased. Outcome 12: Decision-making processesat the NA are strengthened by targeted information on current land related issues. Outcome 13: NA has increased capacity in handling land related petitions. b. Dialogue on land issueswith the Lao Government: Outcome 14: Decision-making processes within the Lao Government are strengthened by targeted information on current land related issues. Outcome 15: LSSWG becomes an important platformof dialogue, feeding into the policydiscussion in the SWG-NRE and the annual RTM process. Outcome 16: Civil society has increased opportunities to take part in decision making platforms related to land currently influenced by the Government, private sector and the DPs. c. Paralegal and legal approaches: Outcome 17: Increasing number of land disputes is investigated through strengthened existing land grievance mechanisms and the establishment of new ones where necessary. d. Cooperation with the Lao media Outcome 18: Laopublicbecomes increasingly aware of main land issues in Laos. Outcome 19: Increased awareness of CSO contributions to national development goals, in particular in relation to land. 4. Research and documentation: Increased wealth of in-depth information on specific cross-cutting issues is widely available to enhance and support the work in enhancing local communities# gender equitable control over land, forests and natural resources. Outcome 20: Higher understanding of local level processes in relationto land, and increased flow of information from the local level to the central level. 5. Sustainability of LIWG activities: Outcome 21: LIWG ensures its status as an important stakeholder around land issues in Laos, and cooperation with other key stakeholders, in particular Government, NA, and DPs, is enhanced. Outcome 22: Sustainability of LIWG work is ensured over long term either through an independent Secretariat or as part of other arrangements. Most suitable modes of working are identified accordingto thecontext in 2015.

General

Contribution to enhance effectiveness of the national land tenure regularisation programme

General

The objective of the covenant is described in Chapter 1: The covenant focuses on the conduct of responsible investment policy by Insurers because of the international nature of this activity. This involves preventing, limiting and, if necessary, remedying as far as possible any negative impact on people, animals and the environment. This project supports the efforts of NGOs in realising concrete, implementing activities arising from their participation in the various working groups. NB: Participation inthe working groups by NGOs is already funded from the already approved Pillar 1 funding of RFO. A-05997 Working Group 1: Thematic frameworks have been jointly developed by the Parties. These five thematic frameworks will be rolled out by means of joint activities (e.g. the active promotion and explanation of) for the purpose of implementation by the insurers. The activities of this working group contribute to preventing, mitigating and remedying negative impacts on specific themes explicitly included inthe aforementioned article of the Covenant, namely: animal welfare, children's rights, land rights, climate change and controversial weapons and controversial arms trade. Working Group 2: Each year the parties will select a theme for further cooperationinthe context of 'do good'. For the year 2020, thecovenant parties have chosen the theme of 'access to medicine'. Access to medicine is a direct part of the 'right to health' (International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; Article 12) is in line with SDG 3: ensuring good health and well-being for everyone at all ages. It is of great importance that pharmaceutical companies worldwide, including explicitly in developing countries and emerging economies, corporate social responsibility, in line with the OECD guidelines and the UNGPs, with regard to this right to health. Working group 4: On the basis of fictitious and existing cases, the parties investigate how insurers can contribute torecovery and redress and how they can organise their commitment as optimally as possible in order to achieve a real positive impact'on the ground'. Working with existing cases, among others, provides a clearer picture of possible negative impacts of specific investments and best practice on how these negative impacts can be prevented and limited. In 2020, this working group will, among otherthings, organise a case session on 'Recovery and Story'. The proceeds of this case session (in the form of lessons learned) will bepublished. Working Group 5: In the coming year, the parties will start investigating the possibilities for improving transparency and reporting by insurers. Transparency is important for compliance with the OECD guidelines and UNGPs and the dialogue with internaland external stakeholders.In order to collaborate effectively with others, it is also important to provide insight into results achieved and challenges in the area of ESG due diligence. Finally, public disclosure of results and ambitions can serve as a good stimulus to continue to improve ESG due diligence structurally. The independent monitoring committee, which monitors the progress of the agreements made in the Covenant, endorsed transparency as an important part of the Covenant. - Save the Children contributes knowledge about children's rights in a broad sense, including child labour, nutrition and health care. Because of this expertise, they contribute to working group 1, 2 and 4. - Oxfam Novib contributes knowledge on gender equality, land rights, access to medicines, climate change, fair taxation and the fight against corruption. Because of this expertise they contribute to all working groups. - Pax forPeace contributes knowledge about controversial weapons and arms trade, protection of civilians in war situations, advocacy for victims of human rights violations and natural resources in relation to conflict and human rights. Because of this expertise, they contribute to working groups 1, 4 and 5. - Natuur en Milieu contributes knowledge about climate change, sustainable energy sources, sustainable food and sustainable use of raw materials. Because of this expertise they contribute to working group 1....- World Animal Protection contributes knowledge on animal welfare, also in relation to nature conservation, biodiversity, the protein transition, sustainable food production and climate change. Because of this expertise they contribute to working groups 1, 4 and 5.