Commemoration of earthquake memorial day in Nepal

We are posting this story shared by the Community Self-Reliance Centre (CSRC).

Photo by CSRC.

The people of Rasuwa District commemorate the earthquake memorial day on 25 April 2016 in Bhumighar. People shared their memories and lessons from the tragedy and lit candles remembering the 682 Rasuwa people who lost their lives.

Land rights activists in Nepal receive land certificates

We are posting this news shared by the Community Self-Reliance Centre (CSRC).

New Village Block Land Certificate holders. Photo by CSRC.

After more than a decade of land rights movements, 27 members of the Rajdevi Village Land Rights Forum (VLRF) in the municipality of Lahan, and 273 families from Bastipur in Siraha District have awarded with Village Block Land Certificates.

The distribution only started this April 2016 after delegations from Siraha VLRF and District Land Rights Forum (DLRF) went to the District Land Revenue Office on March 2016 to demand for their rights.

“Now, [only] we are assured that we will not be evicted from the land we are residing for generation,” says a new Village Block landowner.

Land titles awarded to more than 39,000 landless farmers in Nepal

We are sharing this news posted in Nepali Times in February 2016.

Photo by CSRC.

More than 39,000 landless farmers have acquired land titles in Nepal from non-violent land rights movements.

For the past 20 years, civil society groups (CSOs) in Nepal have been advocating for land rights of farmers, women, and indigenous peoples, and other marginalized groups. Community Self-Reliance Centre (CSRC), National Land Rights Forum (NLRF), and other CSOs have been organizing these groups to help them access their land rights. NLRF has also played a vital role in promoting the “Joint Land Ownership Policy” in establishing equal ownership of land for women.

As agrarian conflicts arise from overlapping interests on lands, Nepal, through the efforts of grassroots and CSOs, managed to improve their land reform peacefully. Back in a news post in 2008, the new government has been challenged of the concept of ‘land and peace,’ where more than redistribution, land reform should also resolve land conflicts.

Land Issues in Asia: A Side Event of the People’s SAARC

Leaders of country member states of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) gathered last 26-27 November in Kathmandu, Nepal for the 18^th SAARC Summit with the theme, Deeper Integration for Peace and Prosperity; which aims to revive this organization and deepen the integration of South Asia.

In preparation for the SAARC Summit, people’s movements and civil society organizations organized a People’s SAARC with the theme, People’s Movements Uniting South Asia for Deepening Democracy, Social Justice & Peace. Several parallel meetings on various topics were conducted to come up with recommendations for consolidation into the People’s SAARC Declaration.

On this note, the Asian NGO Coalition for Agrarian Reform and Rural Development (ANGOC), Community Self Reliance Centre (CSRC), International Land Coalition Asia (ILC Asia), NGO Federation of Nepal (NFN), Rahat Nepal, and Land Watch Asia (LWA) co-organized a side event, “Land Issues in Asia” which aimed to:

1. share insights and analysis in challenges and opportunities for land rights in the region; and
2. exchange ideas for a land rights action agenda on SAARC.

The participants suggested the following recommendations:

1. Implement/legislate land and agrarian reforms;
2. Formulate National Land Use Act;
3. Ensure agri-investments for the poor;
4. Allow people’s movements to organize; and
5. Recognize CSOs as equal partners of SAARC in development.

NLRC and CSRC hold 2nd National Conference of Women Farmers in Nepal

The Second National Conference of Farmer Women was held from 3-5 March, 2013 at Thimura, Chitwan with the participation of 162 women from 48 districts of Nepal. The conference was organized with focused discussion on ‘Women’s Land Ownership and Identity.

The conference well speculated the women’s issues by announcing the action point. The conference was successful in raising the voice of land poor and women farmer in the domain of ensuring equal land rights. The program was jointly organized by National Land Rights Forum (NLRF) and Community Self-reliance Center (CSRC).

Outcomes
· Increased confidence and commitment, to claim for the land rights and in other natural resource as well.
· Enhanced the debate on women and land rights and also prepared action plan for the substantial expansion of campaign.
· Provided encouragement to prepare Joint Land Ownership Certificate.
· Increased understanding on legal aspect of women’s issues and build capacity of Rural Women Farmer Leaders.
· Enhanced the importance and procedures involved in making joint land ownership certificate.
· Provided a strong basis to take forward the movement linking it with human rights.
· Helped to entrench the culture of movement, deepen the agenda of movement and enhance the leadership of frontline leaders.
· Provided the platform for landless women farmer to express their feelings, build power and exchange knowledge and learning.

(Read more  Campaign Update – VOLUME 33)

Land could sow ‘seeds of serious discontent’ in Nepal

KATHMANDU/NEPALGUNJ, (August 10, 2012) – Little progress has been made in Nepal in returning land confiscated by former Maoist rebels during a decade-long civil conflict to the original owners, humanitarian news service IRIN said. “Although land reform and land return are not top priorities currently, given the ongoing political crisis, if left unaddressed for too long such issues may sow the seeds of serious discontent in the future,” the report quoted Sarah Levit-Shore, country representative of the Carter Centre, a US-based NGO, as saying. Although Maoist leaders have promised to return confiscated land, progress has been slow and uneven, especially in the Midwest and Far West regions, where the properties remain under Maoist Party control, according to a recent Carter Centre report, IRIN said.

Read more http://www.irinnews.org/Report/96067/NEPAL-Land-could-sow-seeds-of-serious-discontent