Please find here the report of the online discussion facilitated by Ekta Parishad on the land portal in December 2012 : Is the right to land for shelter a human right? Many thanks to all of the participants for their very interesting inputs, which will contribute to the ongoing negociations with the indian government.

Special thanks to Dominik Pauli for his great support and commitment.

Ekta Parishad along with support organisations launched a decisive movement called Jan Satyagrah whose focus was to bring together people’s voices for a ‘National Land Reforms Act & Policy’ as a broad framework and means of land re-distribution to the landless and homeless poor.

The Ethiopian government has committed egregious human rights abuses to make way for agricultural land investments, in direct violation of international law, said the Oakland Institute in a new briefing paper released in New Delhi today. The briefing paper, entitled "Unheard Voices: The Human Rights Impact of Land Investments on Indigenous Communities in Gambella,” calls on Ethiopia to put an end to the illegal forced evictions of indigenous peoples in areas targeted for land investment.

This Regional Law establishes plenary powers of regional state bodies as regards land tenure and management of public land parcels or land with unidentified ownership. Authorized state regional institution in the sphere of land management shall carry out the following plenary powers: (a) preparation of documentation for delimitation of land ownership; (b) tenancy and management of public land; and (c) shall be a Party on behalf of the regional administration to purchase and sale, and also lease or land tenancy contracts on behalf of the regional administration.

Article 1 shall be amended to add the following wording: “This Regional law establishes that maximum land parcels of public and municipal land that can be allotted to citizens for subsistence farming on condition of ownership or other types of land tenure shall be 2, 5 ha and on urban land for horticulture 0,5 ha”.

Amends: Regional Law No. 147-ZS “On minimum and maximum land parcels of public and municipal land that can be allotted to citizens for gardening and horticulture”. (2006-12-29)

United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food

GENEVA (4 March 2013) – “Sharing power with women is a shortcut to reducing hunger and malnutrition, and is the single most effective step to realizing the right to food,” said the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Olivier De Schutter, while urging world governments to adopt transformative food security strategies that address cultural constraints and redistribute roles between women and men.

This Regional Law establishes the modalities of allocation of parcels of public land to citizens free of charge for gardening, horticulture and stockbreeding, and establishes minimum and maximum land area of the aforesaid parcels. It establishes that regional resident – natural person that has never had nor has parcel of agricultural land in ownership for subsistence farming, gardening or horticulture, shall be granted the right to receive in ownership a land parcel for each of the aforesaid purposes once-only.

International Food Policy Research Institute

IFPRI's flagship report examines the major food policy issues, developments, and decisions of 2012. By putting into perspective the year's food policy successes and disappointments, it suggests how to move forward those policies that improve the food situation for the poor. Reflecting the expertise and experience of IFPRI researchers and other leading food policy experts, the report considers sever crucial questions:

Rights and Resources Initiative

This Regional Law establishes maximum and minimum land area of the plots of public or municipal land allotted to citizens in ownership for farming, gardening, horticulture, stockbreeding, subsidiary smallholding and individual housing construction. Total land area of agricultural land that can be owned or held in tenancy or lease by citizens carrying out subsistence farming and subsidiary smallholding shall not exceed 10 hectares.

Article 1 shall be amended to add the following wording: “Multi-child families, with three or more children of 18 to 23 years of age living in rural areas plots of public land shall be granted free of charge for individual housing construction, gardening, horticulture and subsistence farming on conditions that the aforesaid children are studying in general educational institutions attending full-time course of studies”.

Amends: Regional Law No. 7/2008-OZ “On some issues of legal regulation of land relations”. (2009-06-04)