Multi-Stakeholder Engagement

We engage progressive actors in government to help them become more effective, and open spaces for voices of affected communities, civil society organisations, and other stakeholders to be heard, to bring about improved land governance.

What is our aim? Our aim in this program is for Parliament and Government to enact and implement equitable policies, laws and procedures protecting men and women smallholders’ and indigenous communities’ individual and collective access to, use of, and control over land and land-related natural resources.

To achieve our aim, we engage progressive actors in Government and Parliament and also enable multi-stakeholder dialogues and processes that are initiated with government actors and engage affected populations, civil society organisations, and other stakeholders.

How do we do it?

Improving the functioning of government bodies: Through trust-based relationships with key engage progressive actors in government, we help them develop new understanding and attitudes, bring about a more enabling environment within their institutions, develop better laws, engage civil society more effectively, and improve implementation of the law.
Opening spaces for communities, CSOs, and other stakeholders to engage in policy development: To strengthen accountability and transparency of government, we encourage and support the implementation of multi-stakeholder dialogues and processes at different levels, through which stakeholders’ voices can be heard.
Improving the work of influential actors with government: We engage with influential actors, such as international finance institutions, UN agencies, and bilateral donors, to encourage them to work with the Myanmar government in ways that are more likely to result in improved outcomes for tenure security of smallholders and indigenous communities.

Improving formal processes for resolving land grabs

Land Acquisition Reinvestigation Committees (LARCs) are a formal mechanism set up to address land conflicts remaining after years of military rule. The committees include members of Parliament, farmers, and elders, as well as Government officials. To date, those who have filed complaints with LARCs have met with mixed success.

To help smallholders get more just outcomes from complaints processes, LCG helps LARCs better understand how to apply existing laws and procedures to resolve land grabs. We have found that sometimes the LARCs have simply not known which laws and procedures can be applied in particular cases to help farmers. We have conducted capacity building workshops with LARCs in multiple states and regions across Myanmar, including Shan, Mon, Sagaing, Magway, and Tanintharyi.

Building understanding of environmental impacts of projects

An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) determines the potential impacts of a proposed project, business, service or activity on the environment. These impacts may be human, biological, social or socio-economic. Under Myanmar law, EIAs must be conducted in any project planning process with collaboration from all stakeholder groups, including the Environmental Conservation Department.

LCG provides targeted, multi-stakeholder EIA workshops which educate participants on the importance of EIAs and the relevant laws and procedures, as well as environmental issues. The workshops also allow relationships between diverse stakeholder groups to be developed and for co-ordination to be improve. LCG has conducted EIA workshops in Mon and Bago.