The history of land rights in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), hereafter referred to as Laos,  is a history of customary land tenure systems which remain the most prevalent form of land tenure. As social systems, land tenure systems in Laos have been affected by and have adapted to external forces such as neighboring kingdoms, colonialization, geopolitics and war, migration, and global economic trends. Ongoing rapid changes in national socioeconomic conditions and domestic political goals continue to alter the customary tenure landscape.

The management of land concessions and leases in the agriculture, tree plantation, hydropower and mining subsectors (referred to as land deals henceforth) is a crosscutting topic and involves a wide range of agencies of the Government of the Lao PDR (GoL) at various administrative levels, from the granting stage to the supervision and monitoring of progress and compliance.

This brochure is designed to help local communities who may be affected by land-based investments to prepare, know what to expect, negotiate and engage with a proposed investment in their community.

This handbook aims to help local communities affected by an investment to access a company-based grievance mechanism, official government conflict resolution mechanisms or village-level mediation when they feel that investors violate their rights or have a concern about the investment operation in their regions.

This guide aims to help investors identify the impacts and mitigation measures to minimize the impacts of the proposed investments in the agricultural and forestry sector in Laos. Further, the document provides guides on measures for environmental and social safeguards throughout the investment cycles.

This guides provides steps that investors have to take to establish an agricultural and forestry investment in Laos, and the key processes involved e.g. land acquisition and clearing, labour, import and export in the investment operation, and social and environmental rehabilitation in the closure phase.

This manual provides practical guides and tools for effective and inclusive engagement with affected communities in different stages and processes throughout the investment cycles from planning, operation and closing.

This handbook explains investors the necessity of company-based grievance redress mechanisms and how to establish them in order to manage the concerns and grievances of their workers, affected local communities and other stakeholders.

Laos, officially the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), is a rapidly growing developing economy at the heart of Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma, Cambodia, China, Thailand, and Vietnam.  Laos’ economic growth over the last decade averaged just below eight percent, placing Laos amongst the fastest growing economies in the world.

A poster highlighting the10  Resonsible Agricultural Investment Principles

ການລົງທຶນໃນຂົງເຂດທີ່ດິນ ແລະ ຊັບພະຍາກອນທຳມະຊາດ ມັກຈະເຮັດໃຫ້ເກີດມີຂໍ້ຂັດແຍ່ງທາງດ້ານສັງຄົມ. ຖ້າຂໍ້ຂັດແຍ່ງ ເຫຼົ່ານັ້ນບໍ່ໄດ້ຮັບການແກ້ໄຂຢ່າງເໝາະສົມ ຈະບໍ່ພຽງແຕ່ສ້າງຜົນກະທົບຕໍ່ຊີວິດການເປັນຢູ່ຂອງຊຸມຊົນທ້ອງຖິ່ນເທົ່ານັ້ນ ແຕ່ຍັງຈະ ເຮັດໃຫ້ຄວາມສຳເລັດໃນການດຳເນີນທຸລະກິດມີຄວາມສ່ຽງໄປນຳ. ຜູ້ລົງທຶນອາດຈະປະເຊີນກັບການສູນເສຍທາງດ້ານງົບປະມານ ແລະ ຄວາມເສຍຫາຍຕໍ່ຊື່ສຽງ. ໂດຍອີງຕາມມາດຕະຖານສາກົນແລ້ວ ບັນດາບໍລິສັດ ມີຄວາມຈຳເປັນຕ້ອງມີກົນໄກການແກ້ໄຂ ຄໍາຮ້ອງທຸກທີ່ມີປະສິດທິພາບ ແລະ ສະໜອງກົນໄກການແກ້ໄຂບັນຫາທີ່ເກີດຂຶ້ນໃນເວລາດຳເນີນການລົງທຶນ ເປັນຕົ້ນແມ່ນຜົນ ກະທົບຂອງໂຄງການລົງທຶນ ທີ່ອາດຈະເກີດຂຶ້ນຕໍ່ສິ່ງແວດລ້ອມ ແລະ ສັງຄົມ.

ການລົງທຶນໃນຂົງເຂດກະສິກໍາ ສາມາດເປັນທ່າແຮງອັນໃຫຍ່ຫຼວງໜຶ່ງໃນການປະກອບສ່ວນເຂົ້າໃນການພັດທະ ນາເສດຖະກິດ ແລະ ສັງຄົມຂອງ ສປປ ລາວ. ເຖິງແນວໃດກໍ່ຕາມ, ການລົງທຶນເຫຼົ່ານີ້ອາດສົ່ງຜົນກະທົບດ້ານລົບຕໍ່ຊັບ ພະຍາກອນທ້ອງຖິ່ນ ແລະ ອາດເປັນໄພຄຸກຄານ ຕໍ່ຊີວິດການເປັນຢູ່ຂອງປະຊາຊົນໄດ້ ຖ້າບໍ່ໄດ້ຮັບການວາງແຜນ ແລະ ຈັດຕັ້ງປະຕິບັດຢ່າງມີ ຄວາມຮັບຜິດຊອບຕໍ່ສັງຄົມ ແລະ ສິ່ງແວດລ້ອມ, ເຊິ່ງສາມາດນຳໄປສູ່ການເຊື່ອມໂຊມຂອງດິນ, ນ້ຳ ແລະ ສ້າງຄວາມເສຍຫາຍ ຕໍ່ຊີວະນາໆພັນຂອງປະເທດ.