General

Introduction Community-based management of land and forest land is based on traditional knowledge, experience and aspiration of community, aiming to enhance the capacity and experience sharing between the community and stakeholders for sustainable natural resource management, livelihood improvement and traditional cultural value conservation of forest-associated community. However, community forest has not been encouraged to develop because of legal framework lacking. Besides, the community has not been recognized as a legal entity. They have not been assigned natural forest as production forest in accordance with Land Law 2013# These are barriers against the forest ownership of community that lives closely with forest for thousands of years. In order to solve the mentioned inadequacies, Oxfam has supported Ma Lieng and Uyen Phong community with project #Sustainable forest management through strengthening tradition institutions in the management of community land and forest of Ma Lieng community in Giang Man Mountain, Tuyen Hoa district, Quang Binh province#. The project has gained a number of achievements: Advising the procedure of assigning forest land management rights with the total area of 802.19 ha for 04 communities. The communities have been assigned with certificates of land use right for 50 years; advising the development of forest management regulations based on cultural identity and traditions of Ma Lieng community;establishing a network of community forest management in central region including Ma Lieng, Khua, Sach, Kinh, Co Tu, Van Kieu community so that Ma Lieng people have opportunities to learn and share experience with other communities about community forest management; promoting stakeholders like the People#s Committee of Tuyen Hoa district to issue decisions on community forest management and integrate the community forest management into socio-economic program of the district. Besides, through models of community forest management, policy lessons are summarized, contributing to the revised Land Law 2013 and a number of legal documents relating to state-run agricultural farms and forestry farms innovation. However, the project has only assigned the people with forest land managementrights and created basic legal framework. It is necessary to continue the community consultancy, institutionalize documents on managing and extracting the forests, ensuring a legal framework for people to manage and protect the forests. On the basis of the undertaken activities, the project should continue systematizing and consolidating the information and practical lessons for policy advocacy for system of legal documents that will be amended and issued.

General

In Mozambique, Oxfam is partnering with two national organizations and district level paralegal organizations. Sekelekani is communication and media advocacy organization created by Tomas Vieira Mario # a notable Mozambican journalist and media lawyer. Sekelekanifocuses on communication for development and advocates for freedom of information and freedom of the press. Sekelekani is part of the National Civil Society Platform for Natural Resources and Extractive Industries, composed of 18 organizations. Sekelekani leads the communications work for the Platform, and has been actively exposing resettlement and land titling problems encountered in Palma district, where a proposed new liquid natural gas (LNG) plant will be built. Centro Terra Viva (CTV) is an environmental research and advocacy NGO that works for the protection and promotion of sustainable development. Established in 2002, CTV#s works to strengthen civil society participation in national decision-making processes through applied research onenvironmental law and policies, environmental education and training. In the Palma district, CTV is training and supporting local community paralegals leading rights training and disseminating information about environmental and land legislation to communities in the project area, with a specific focus on gender equality.

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From 12 till 17 May 2015 the biannual forum of the International Land Coalition will come to Dakar. The ILC forum brings together various actors on land issues, State actors, NGO#s, Bi- and Multilateral Donors, indigenous organizations, farmers# coalitions, etc.Senegal is hosting the Assembly this year and President Macky Sall will most likely open. The forum has a political focus and this year the focus will be on Africa land issues. For Oxfam Senegal the 2015 GLF is an occasion to position our workon Land Reform and the role Oxfam plays globally to make the change by aligning all actors #efforts to promote inclusive land governance#. ILC expect participation of Oxfam in pre and post forum process and facilitating the link from local to global. Oxfam in Senegal has been involved in the preparatory meeting GLF (5 <(>&<)> 6 Feb 2015 Dakar). ILC has asked for support in the organizing committee (CNO) Oxfam International encourages us to be part of it. Since 2011 Oxfam International is a member of ILC. Michael Taylor recognized the importance of Oxfam. Oxfam participated in the last forum held in Guatemala in term of advocacy, lobbying and Oxfam WIN has been very much valued as well. Oxfam International Global Land Program (Duncan Pruett) and the GlobalCall to Action (Stefan Verwer) with partner Maliasili are planning to organize side events during the forum which will focus on promoting a culture of action and land governancestrategy. Oxfam Senegal will also host a workshop on involvement of privatesector and donors. We get input for this from our Oxfam colleagues in Boston and The Hague. We will link to Senegal land issues, LPI and the outcomes of Addis program development committee. 300 to 400 hundred people are expected in the forum and it will bean opportunity to build momentum. In Senegal, CICODEV is a member of ILC and is asked by ILC to be the lead national organizer of the forum. In view of our Land Program in Senegal and the interest Oxfam has in the ILC we have decided to support theForum for the budget line interpretations. This does not include costs for partners and speakers of our workshop which will be eventually paid from the budget of April 2015- Dec 2015.