This document provides guidances on how businesses can respect legitimate tenure rights and human rights in their land-based investments. It

• translates principles of responsible land governance and tenure (see the VGGT) into practical mechanisms, processes and actions,

• gives examples of good practice – what has worked, where, why and how, and

• provides useful tools for activities such as the design of policy and reform processes, for the design of investment projects and for guiding interventions.

China’s influence in neighboring Central Asian states is growing at a fast pace. Since the launch of the One Belt, One Road (OBOR) initiative to accelerate China’s engagement in Central Asia and beyond, nearly all Chinese activity in this region has been gathered under OBOR. OBOR now seems to cover a plethora of spatially and temporally expanding state and privately driven projects. In this paper, I discuss large- and small-scale Chinese farm enterprises in Tajikistan, in which discussions around China’s “global land investments” and OBOR intersect.

The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court ("ICC" or the "Court"), Fatou Bensouda, today, published a detailed policy document which provides guidance on how the Office of the Prosecutor exercises its discretion in the selection and prioritisation of cases.

The Department achieved 56% of Q4 targets and 50% of Annual Performance Report targets in its Administration programme while annual targets on vacancies filled and disciplinary cases were partially achieved. In Geospatial and Cadastral Services, the Department achieved 77% of its Q4 targets and 69% of its APR targets. The Rural Development programme achieved 71% of its Q4 targets and 86% of its APR targets. The annual target for establishment of rural information desks was not achieved and the target of jobs created was partially achieved.

The paper gives historical background of the land acquisition process in India and the struggle since 1824. It descrbed the political processes in which the LARR Act 2013 came into being in Indian Parliament.

Equitable access to land is vital for inclusive economic growth, sustainable development and food security. Although much is known about the topics of land governance and food security, it is not always clear how the two relate to each other, especially in specific country contexts. This reflection paper, based on literature, LANDac country factsheets and three learning trajectories initiated by LANDac in Uganda, Ghana and Ethiopia, brings together findings and outcomes to provide policy recommendations for improved land governance and food security in Africa.

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Based on data from the Land Matrix database, this paper briefly analyses large-scale land acquisitions in the context of current complex and dynamic land and climate governance discourse. The paper tries to explain the inter linkages between land and climate governance, within the water-food-energy nexus, and the increasing and important role for science, technology and innovation in agriculture in order to become more resilient to current and future challenges in climate and land governance.

In the Mekong region, conflicts between local communities and large scale land concessions are widespread. They are often difficult to solve. In Cambodia, an innovative approach to conflict resolution was tested in a case involving a private company, Hoang Anh Gia Lai (HAGL), and several indigenous communities who lost some of their customary lands and forests when the company obtained a concession to grow rubber in the Province of Ratanakiri. The approach was developed by CSOs Equitable Cambodia (EC) and Inclusive Development International (IDI) with the support of QDF funding from MRLG.

This study assessed the contribution of Geita Gold Mine (GGM) to the livelihoods of local communities in Geita District. Specifically, it assessed the effectiveness of corporate social responsibility implementation, determined the extent to which GGM has contributed to socio-economic development in the study area, and examined the communities’ perceptions of environmental problems associated with mining activities and their impact on community well-being. A cross-sectional research design was employed, in which qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection were used.

In this case, which was  heard before the Constitutional Court of the Republic of South Africa, The Restitution of Land Rights Amendment  Act 15 of 2014  was declared invalid. The Act, among other things, sought to extend the period in which land restitution claims could be  lodged. However, the court found that the Parliament did not sufficiently  consult with key stakeholders including those who had successfully  lodged claims under the previous Act of 1994. 

Encroaching on Land and Livelihoods examines whether national expropriation laws in 30 countries across Asia and Africa follow the international standards established in Section 16 of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries, and Forests in the Context of National Food Security (VGGTs). Section 16 of the VGGTs establishes standards on expropriation, compensation, and resettlement to ensure tenure security and responsible land governance. The UN Committee on World Food Security officially endorsed the VGGTs in 2012.