Yangon Conference on Human Rights and Agribusiness

Large-scale agribusiness (particularly monoculture plantations such as oil palm and sugarcane) causes widespread human rights violations and environmental degradation in Southeast Asia. This pervasive industry was the focus of a workshop held from 4-6 November 2014 in Yangon, Myanmar, which was convened by the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission, with the support of the Forest Peoples Programme, RECOFTC-The Center for People and Forests, and the Rights and Resources Initiative.

With 65 participants from the South East Asian National Human Rights Institutions Forum (SEANF) and supporting civil society organisations, including from Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Thailand, the workshop addressed interlinked issues such as extraterritorial investments, migrant labour and human trafficking, and food security, and illustrated the range of experiences and modalities of each National Human Rights Institution. In addition to series of panel presentations, the workshop featured engaging break-out groups on transitioning from voluntary to binding standards for transnational and other companies, and on improving, scaling up and innovating upon conflict resolution mechanisms at various levels. On the final day, participants adopted by consensus the Yangon Statement on Human Rights and Agribusiness in Southeast Asia, which calls for (among other things) strengthened regional cooperation with the Association of South Eas Asian Nations (ASEAN) Inter-governmental Commission on Human Rights, establishment of an ASEAN Human Rights Court and effective national-level complaints and redress mechanisms, and active coordination with certification bodies such as the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil.

New RRI Report on Recognizing Community Land Rights

Rights and Resources Initiative has announced the release of their latest report Recognizing Indigenous and Community Land Rights: Priority Steps to Advance Development and Mitigate Climate Change. This report demonstrates how recognising community land rights is a cost-effective way to address a host of social, environmental, and development challenges.

Prepared with Tebtebba, the report reveals that US$1.64 billion -- the funds already pledged by three multilateral initiatives to developing the REDD+ carbon market -- would expand the recognition of land rights for local communities and Indigenous Peoples living on 450 million hectares, an area almost half the size of Europe. These cost estimates provide a benchmark for future climate change research and policy work as international negotiations to address greenhouse gas emissions heat up.

RRI Reports on Secure Land Tenure

The Rights and Resources Initiative has released two ground-breaking reports highlighting the importance of secure land tenure in broader national and international law and policy and for investors. 

“Landowners or Laborers: What choice will developing countries make?” considers the implications of policies, especially in Africa, that seek rapid development by ceding control of land and resources to external actors. It contrasts these policies with the successes of China and Brazil, which have achieved advances through establishing local property rights rather than undercutting them. It further summarises the state of resources and rights globally, and identifies the key choices and challenges faced by developing countries in 2012. The report can be downloaded here. 

“The Financial Risks of Insecure Land Tenure: An Investment View” considers the assumption that cheap land can be acquired to derive high profits easily. The report challenges this view, arguing that exploiting land with disputed tenure rights leads to significant risks. The paper can be downloaded here.

RRI Dialogue on Forests, Governance and Climate Change

The twelfth Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI) Dialogue on Forests, Governance and Climate Change was held at the Newseum in Washington, DC, on 5 November 2012, to consider the theme “Scaling-Up Strategies to Reduce Emissions and Advance Development in Forest Areas.” The event was organized by RRI in collaboration with The Nature Conservancy.

João Paulo Miranda and Jessica Campese (Natural Justice) attended the Dialogue, which included important discussions on addressing the obstacles of achieving sustainable use of forests. Participants included representatives from community and non-governmental organisations, governments, donors, and extractive industries, among others. The concept note and agenda, key presentations, and videos are available on the Dialogue webpage. The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) Reporting Services provided digital coverage and a summary report.

New RRI Report on NRM

With increased pressures upon the environment, and growing awareness of the need to engage broader populations in conservation efforts, the Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI) has released a new series of papers which spotlight women activists involved in natural resource management (NRM) in Nepal, Indonesia and China, along with more general research on the intersection of NRM and gender in Asia. The compilation is entitled ‘The Challenges of Securing Women’s Tenure and Leadership for Forest Management: The Asian Experience.’ The research focuses on status of forest tenure rights and gender rights in the case studies considered, and illustrates that ‘exclusion and inequality on gender grounds are still rife and complicated by the intersection of cultural and social norms, economic pressures, and inadequate legal and institutional frameworks.’ 

The summary of the research can be downloaded here. The full document can be downloaded here. The RRI press release and the individual briefs can be found here.