Laos plans to graduate from least developed country status by 2024. To spur economic growth,
the Lao government builds on a resource-based export economy, major mining projects, the
constructions of dams, and the expansion of plantation agriculture. A key focus is the promotion
of foreign direct investment in agriculture and forestry, to promote technology transfer for

Significant land-based investments in agriculture and forestry are essential to meet growing global demand for food and to help counteract the likely impacts of climate change. Such investments can have a number of beneficial impacts, such as enhancing food security, generating foreign currency, improving natural resource manage-

This manual aims to provide practical guidance to Government staff at central and local level in promoting,facilitating and regulating responsible land-based investments and is meant to be used along with the Introductory Guide for Communities, Governments and Investors. It has been written for all three RGIL countries,hoping that it will also be useful for other countries.

This manual aims to provide practical guidance for investors in incorporating responsible land-based investment principles into investor policies and practices and is meant to be used along with the Introductory Guide for Communities, Governments and Investors. It has been written for all three RGIL countries, hoping that it will also be useful for other countries.

This manual aims to provide practical guidance on how communities can prepare for and decide whether to
support investments and is meant to be used along with the Introductory Guide for Communities, Governments and Investors. It has been written for all three RGIL countries, hoping that it will also be useful for other countries.

The establishment and development of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) are a central part of the Thai government’s strategy to expand infrastructure and attract foreign investment. These areas have been designated for development pursuant to special legal and regulatory frameworks. SEZs can play a useful role in a country’s economic development strategy. However, in many instances, their establishment results in the dilution of legal protections for human rights and the environment.

Mapping out and assessing the economic performance of SEZs across the subregion, the publication highlights the threats they face from digital technologies, rising competition for foreign investment and international trade standoffs. Against the backdrop of COVID-19, it details a range of practical steps designed to increase trade, create jobs, and build economic resilience across the three countries.

The overall objective of the Guidelines for Impact Evaluation of Land Tenure and Governance Interventions is to inform and strengthen the design and implementation of future land tenure and governance interventions to best support lasting tenure security and achieve related impacts on poverty, food security, gender equality, environmental sustainability and security.

This resource accompanies Phase 1, Task 1, Step 1 of the Model Guidebook for Business Enterprises. It provides examples of business enterprise policies that tend to promote socially responsible investing and work toward ensuring the equitable sharing of investment benefits by women and men in affected communities. At every level of the supply chain, and at every step of the investment process, responsible policies will reflect best practices and international standards discussed in the guidebook.

Investment in agriculture is widely recognized as crucial for economic growth, poverty reduction and improved food and nutrition security. Although several estimates have been made of how much investment is needed in agriculture to achieve production or food security goals, no source to date has attempted to estimate the total amount of public and private investment that is actually made in agriculture. This paper does so using the most up to date and comprehensive international datasets available.

Land is the bridge between companies’ environmental and social sustainability agendas, and it is foundational to both. To implement their commitments on climate change, net zero emissions, human rights, women’s empowerment, and farmer livelihoods, companies must focus on land in agricultural value chains: who controls it, who can access it, who has rights to it, and who enjoys the benefits derived from it (‘land inequality’).

The Support to Responsible Agricultural Investments project (S2RAI) promotes internationally recognised principles and guidelines such as the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests (VGGT), and Responsible Agricultural Investment (RAI) to ensure food security and secure land tenure rights for communities in the context of large-scale commercial land investment as well as strengthen the institutional frameworks and coordination structures at federal and regional levels in relations to responsible agricultural investment in Ethiopia.