China's economic rise and consequent demand for a reliable and steady supply of inexpensive natural resources have led to a rapid increase in Chinese foreign direct investment stretching all the way to Africa and Latin America. Southeast Asia's Mekong region is no exception to that trend. This policy brief highlights China's emerging role in finance and trade in three selected Mekong region countries (Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam).

WEBSITE INTRODUCTION: In Uneven Development, a classic in its field, Neil Smith offers the first full theory of uneven geographical development, entwining theories of space and nature with a critique of capitalist development. Featuring pathbreaking analyses of the production of nature and the politics of scale, Smith's work anticipated many of the uneven contours that now mark neoliberal globalization. This third edition features an afterword updating the analysis for the present day.

The Department of Land Affairs introduced the Provision of Land and Assistance Amendment Bill and explained that this Bill was intended as an administrative piece of legislation to supplement the provisions of the principal Act. Currently, in terms of that Act, the Department was authorised to acquire land, but was not authorised to acquire the immovable property essential to the proper use of that land – such as irrigation schemes, plant and equipment, farming implements or livestock. Without having those powers, the Department could not fulfil its functions properly.

The brief review in the repor concludes of various disturbing aspects of the socio-economic context that prevails in large parts of India today, and that may (and can) contribute to politics such as that of the Naxalite movement or erupt as other forms of violence. It should be recognized that there are different kinds of movements, and that calling and treating them generally as unrest, a disruption of law and order, is little more than a rationale for suppressing them by force.

Biofuel development in Tanzania places at stake 4 highly strategic national resources: land, water, forests and labour, and for generations to come. This alone is sufficient reason for the Tanzanian general public and rural communities in particular, to wrestle back the initiative and seek direct engagement in determining the best way forward for the nation.

Over 943,069 hectares of land in rural Cambodia have been granted to private companies as economic land concessions, for the development of agro-industrial plantations. Thirty-six of these 59 concessions have been granted in favour of foreign business interests or prominent political and business figures. These statistics exclude smaller economic land concessions granted at the provincial level, for which information on numbers and ownership has not been disclosed.

Under the development paradigm of ‘Economic Concessions’ increasingly large areas of Cambodia’s land have been given over to establishing fast-wood plantations in recent years. Whilst proponents have argued that plantations are necessary for Cambodia’s economic development, opponents have argued that overall the rural poor do not benefit and that, in addition, there are numerous other negative social impacts and environmental consequences.

Land conflicts occur in Lao PDR in both the urban and rural environment. Recent research work points to an increase of land conflicts in a range of areas however it has been difficult to monitor how conflict resolution activities are actually working because detailed information on the types and nature of land conflicts, their occurrence rates and resolution mechanisms applied was not available.

ABSTRACTED FROM INTRODUCTION: 

In pursuing its aim to develop housing rights jurisprudence in Sri Lanka and in building the capacity of practising lawyers in the field of housing rights, COHRE Sri Lanka initiated a research project on housing and land laws in Sri Lanka. This publication is based on the findings of this project and is intended to provide an introduction to Sri Lanka’s housing and land laws. Its detailed analysis is confined to the main laws relating to land and housing.

The objective of this review is to assess the achievements, identify the constraints, and make recommendations for further actions needed to address land issues in Africa. The report deals with the review of efforts being made by African countries to ensure that policies and policy instruments support the best possible land use and sustainable management of land resources.

This decree aproves the General Regulation for Land Concesion in Angola.

The extent of land dispossession of the indigenous population in South Africa, by Dutch and British settlers, was greater than any other country in Africa, and persisted for an exceptionally long time. European settlement began around the  Cape of Good Hope in the 1650s and progressed northwards and eastwards over a period of three hundred years.