General

The contribution is a support to Lantmäteriet to undertake a fact finding mission in Liberia with Liberia Land Authority and key stakeholders in the land sector with the aim to develop a project proposal for long-term technical cooperation and capacity building between the Liberia Land Authority and Lantmäteriet. The main development challenge to be addressed by this contribution is severe weak capacity and weakness in wide range of systems and services relating to the land sector resulting among other things to high risks of conflict related to land. Unresolved situations of capacity weaknesses in the land sector has potential to undermine Liberia's peace and stability, economic development and the poverty reduction efforts. Liberia Land Authority is a new insitution of the Liberia established with the mandate to implement effective land management. The Embassy sees a twinning cooperation between the Liberia Land Authority and Lantmäteriet as an important step to formalise long-term institutional cooperation wherein Liberia can benefit from the technical expertise and experiences of Lantmäteriet as it takes steps to resolve the myriad challenges in the land sector.

General

Reprogrammed funds to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 Oxfam Novib has applied to Sida for funding of SEK 190 millions towards the SeedsGROW 2 program for the 2019-2024 period. SeedsGROW 2 is an extension and continuation of the current SeedsGROW 1 program to which Sida contributes with a total of SEK 171 millions during the 2013-2018 period. There are some lessons learned from Phase 1, as Oxfam prepares for phase 2. These are; the importance of the Farmer Field Schools and how these can evolve, and how the campaign around the food value chain has increased understanding among consumers, businesses and governments. SeedsGROW 2 will consist of two components "Sowing Diversity = Harvest Security (SEK128 millions) and GROW (SEK 62 millions). SD = HS will be implemented in seven countries (Guatemala, Peru, Nepal, Laos, Uganda, Zimbabwe and Zambia), and in China as a learning partner. GROW will be implemented in four countries (Brazil, Pakistan, Thailand and Uganda). Brazil, Pakistan and Thailand are exporters of various global goods and are important to many companies targeted by the GROW campaign, where the goal is to highlight the major inequalities affecting poor food producers. The overall objective of SeedsGROW 2 is to contribute to a global food system that is just and sustainable, that supports the rights of small-scale food producers- men and women-, that guarantees food and nutrition security and that promotes the sustainable management of natural resources and biodiversity within the context of a changing climate. The target groups for both SD = HS and GROW are indigenous peoples and small farmers - women, men and youths. The objective of the program is that indigenous people enjoy their rights and have the capacity to access, develop and use plant genetic resources to improve their food security, including food nutritional value, despite climate change.The four pillars of the program, including four outcomes in the theory of change, are expected to be mutually reinforcing and contribute to the overall objective.Outcome 1, Strengthening of Plant Diversity, aims to make indigenous peoples and small-scale communities more resistant through access to, use and management of plant genetic resources, both in terms of food safety, nutrition, disaster management and adaptation to climate change.Outcome 2, Markets - aims to strengthen security of supply and secure access to seeds through the creation and availability of markets for high quality seeds adapted to farmers' needs.Outcome 3 is called Neglected and Underutilized Species (NUS) - the expected result is to strengthen the resilience of local communities by increasing the nutritional value of food through the promotion of NUS, thereby strengthening biodiversity, which is also beneficial to health and community resilience.Outcome 4, Policy and Institutions aims to provide stakeholders support for the possible political and institutional framework for banding seed systems and implementation of farmer’s rights.b). GROW is an impact project aimed at changing the current food production system by encouraging and supporting public and private actors to revise policies and practices. Key areas to be addressed are land rights, climate change and inequalities in the food value chain. This is expected to benefit women small-scale food producers and their communities.The two components are separate from each other, but Sida will in dialogue with Oxfam Novib, encourage search for synergies based on expected results.The vision for Grow II is the same as for SD = HS. Their Theory of Change (ToC) is problem-focused, focusing on female food producers and their local communities, which are increasingly affected by climate change, and have insecure land rights and incomes, as well as small opportunities for impact. The long-term goal of the initiative is to create a global movement for food justice with the goal of promoting private and public policies.

Objectives

The overall objective of the phase 2 programme is to contribute to a global food system that is just and sustainable, that supports the rights of small-scale food producers- men and women-, that guarantees food and nutrition security and that promotes the sustainable management of natural resources and biodiversity within the context of a changing climate. By the end of the project, women small-scale food producers will benefit from policy and practice change that empowers them to address injustices in the food value chains, increases their resilience to climate impacts and contribute to secure and equitable land rights.. Medium to long term changes envisioned by SD=HS and which form the core of the Theory of Change are: Pillar 1: through self sustaining Farmer Field Schools and over 35,000 grassroots master trainers, resilient indigenous and farming communities are better able to access and sustainably use plant genetic resources for food and nutrition security, climate change adaptation and disaster management. Pillar 2: by contributing towards a farmer inclusive market, indigenous peoples and small-holder farmers enhance their livelihoods, income and seed security through improved production of and improved policies on market access to high-quality seeds of diverse crops and varieties. Pillar 3: by understanding and addressing the hunger period, rural communities have strengthened their coping strategies by increasing the intake of nutritious food based on local biodiversity and improved management of neglected and underutilized species (NUS). Pillar 4: by providing evidence in support of farmers seed systems, Policy makers, seed industry and other stakeholders support an enabling policy and institutional environment for farmers seed systems and the implementation of Farmers Rights. Participatory Knowledge Management: though larger scale documentation, farmers access and use of information, and targeted communication materials, SD=HS will further enable reach out and facilitate exchange of knowledge and seed and foster greater cooperation of multiple stakeholders engaged in plant genetic resources for food and agriculture. By the end of the project at least 215,000 households in indigenous and farming communities will have benefitted. The target is that at least 50% of these beneficiaries will be women. The overall objective of the GROW project component is to contribute to a diverse and active movement for food justice across the world and to ensure women small-scale food producers and their communities benefit more from local, national and global public and private sector policies that ensure their food security and that protect and promote their prosperity and resilience. Long term changes envisioned by GROW are; globally and nationally operating food companies share power and wealth more equally in their supply chains, contributing to a poverty-free food system. Oxfam will encourage key private sector actors in the agri-food systems to improve their policies and practices in the areas of land rights, climate change and food value chains; public and private financial sector actors prioritize projects that support women small-scale food producers and their communities, that respect land rights and that are aligned with the goals of the Paris Agreement. Oxfam will engage with International Financial Institutions and other globally relevant Financial Institutions to ensure better alignment with international benchmarks, and leverage progress in their lending standards to encourage governments and others to do so; governments address the needs of women small-scale food producers and their communities, particularly those affected by climate change, through pro-poor climate adaptation plans, finance for irreversible loss and damage as result of climate change, and secure and equitable land rights. Sida assesses that the planned objectives of the intervention are plausible. There is simply a clear logic between the objectives.

General

Reprogrammed funds to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 The contribution aims to provide support to OHCHR:s entire country programme for Cambodia and is therefore un-earmarked for specific activities. Sweden has supported OHCHR since 1994 through both a global core support and specific supports targeting certain countries. The Swedish core support to OHCHR for 2017 amounts to SEK 55 million. OHCHR was founded in 1993 after decision in the UN General Assembly and has as mandate to ensure the protection of human rights for all. OHCHR works in accordance with UNGA decision 48/141, the UN Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and later international conventions on human rights. The land programme in Cambodia has four main goals: 1) to strengthen international human rights mechanisms; 2) to protect of the democratic space; 3) to combat impunity and strengthen accountability and the rule of law; 4) to integrate human rights in the development and the economic sphere. The contribution is expected to improve the human rights situation in Cambodia. Through observation and reporting OHCHR will make the human rights situation in country visible, they will strive to improve the protection for human rights defenders, and to ensure that legislation are on par with international human rights standards. OHCHR will provide technical assistance and capacity-building support to state institutions and the justice system in order for these to be able to operate in accordance to human rights standards. OHCHR will at the same time work closely together with civil society to improve their knowledge of and inform about the different tools and mechanisms that exists to demand these. Furthermore, OHCHR will work against discrimination and to strengthen rule of law. The proposed support is expected to favour marginalised groups such as indigenous people, people identifying as HBTQ, and contribute to the achievement of gender equality. Women human rights defenders, land rights activists and activists on natural resources constitute special focus groups. Recently the need for support to politically active people has increased. The Swedish contribution to OHCHR is expected to improve access to the justice system for these groups and is also expected to reduce impunity. A new regional support to OHCHR:s field office in Bangkok (PLANit 10836), relating to Asia and the Pacific, was decided on in the beginning of December 2017. OHCHR Bangkok has as one of its assignments to support the field office in Phnom Penh. The latter office has also the possibility to participate in different regional activities. Since October 2017, Sida is financing a Junior Programme Officer to OHCHR Cambodia (PLANit 10560). The planned support to OHCHR is complimented and strengthened by other actors that as well receive Swedish funding. This includes Transparency International Cambodia, the Raoul Wallenberg Institute, the Khmer Rouge Tribunal (Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia), UNESCO, as well as the newly finalised support to ILO and H&M. OHCHR is, moreover, in close contact and has a good cooperation with many of the organisation that receives Swedish funding through Forum Syd and Diakonia. The dialogue between Sida and OHCHR has worked well during the previous cooperation phase. OHCHR is considered to be a key actor and important partner to Sweden within the area of human rights. The coordination between OHCHR and other donors is ongoing in Geneva, within the framework of the so-called “Rubens Group”, which consists of like-minded donors and OHCHR, and locally in Cambodia. In 2016 Australia, Japan, Spain, Norway and Sweden provided funding to a Trust Fund that aims to support all activities of the field office. Besides this, OHCHR is receiving funding for specific project – the ongoing support from EU would sort under this final label.

Objectives

OHCHR has a unique mandate to promote and protect all human rights for all people. OHCHR provides assistance, in the form of technical expertise and capacity-development, to support the implementation of international human rights standards on the ground. It assists governments, which bear the primary responsibility for the protection of human rights, to fulfil their obligations, supports individuals to claim their rights and speaks out objectively on human rights violations. The intended outcome of the support to OHCHR in Cambodia is to increase the respect for human rights, to decrease levels of discrimination and impunity and to strengthen accountability and the rule of law. OHCHR will work to improve legislation and its implementation in line with international standards on human rights, it will work to build capacity of both duty bearers and rights holders, and will work to raise awareness and to strengthen protection mechanisms.