Campaigns
Land Rights Now!
May 24, 2016

JOIN US! We Demand Land Rights Now!

WHY GLOBAL CALL TO ACTION?

We demand #landrightsnow!

Our GOAL is to work hand in hand with all indigenous brothers and sisters across the globe, in collaboration with other sectors, groups and advocates to secure the collective land rights of more than 370 million indigenous peoples around the world. By 2020, we aim to double the area of land legally recognized as owned or controlled by indigenous peoples.

We are the guardians of this planet! We want Change!

We have nurtured and conserved our land and resources for centuries, which are the bases of our culture, identity, traditional knowledge, sustainable livelihoods and wellbeing. In spite of our invaluable roles and contributions to conservation, enhancement of biodiversity, low carbon lifestyle and sustainable resource governance, our rights to our land and resources are violated with impunity in the name of “national development” causing more inequality, discrimination, hunger and poverty. It’s time to change the dominant system that disregards indigenous peoples’ rights and empowerment; and instead uphold the sustainability of mother earth.

Securing land rights of indigenous peoples is critical in achieving the Global Agenda: 2030 (Sustainable Development Goals) and in addressing climate change. The success of eradicating poverty and hunger and “Leaving No One Behind” is hinged on securing our land rights.

Land is Life! Let’s champion this Global Call to Action and build the broadest unity and solidarity of indigenous peoples across the globe to defend our land, territories and resources! This is our duty to protect our collective survival and for the future generations.

PARTICIPANTS FROM ASIA[1]

Organizations:

208 CSOs and IPOs from India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, Taiwan[2]

Indigenous Community:

1, Tananahu community, Maluku, Indonesia

WHAT HAVE BEEN DONE?

National Launch of the Call:

Malaysia, 2 March, 2016

Jaringan Orang Asal SeMalaysia (JOAS) announced their plans to map out and consolidate Orang Asal territories in conjunction with the launch of the Global Call to Action on Indigenous and Community Land Rights.

More information: http://iphrdefenders.net/malaysia-joas-map-orang-asal-traditional-lands-territories/

Myanmar, 5 March, 2016

One-day forum on land rights discussed the newly adopted National Land Use Policy— NLUP, opportunities and challenges, as well as the engagement of civil society organizations and indigenous peoples, with the country’s new government on the land rights law.

More information: https://www.facebook.com/LandRightsNow370/

Cambodia, 15 March, 2016

Gathering and press conference organized by the Cambodia Indigenous Peoples Alliance (CIPA), brought together 30 indigenous representatives from indigenous communities to share on the land rights issues and cases they are facing.

Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yPaG1JEvHM

Thailand, 30-31 March, 2016

Two-day national workshop on land issues held in Chiang Mai, brought together more than 100 indigenous representatives from all over Thailand. The workshop ended with a press conference and a Declaration of the Network of Indigenous Peoples in Thailand (NIPT) on the Proposed Solutions to the Problems of Land and Resource Management by Indigenous Peoples.

More information: https://www.facebook.com/LandRightsNow370/

Asia Regional Launch of the Call:

Myanmar, 12 March, 2016

Around 60 indigenous representatives from 12 countries, namely Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Japan, Taiwan/China, India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal, Malaysia and the Philippines, jointly launched the Campaign at the regional level. The participants, including representatives of indigenous women and youth as well as indigenous persons with disabilities, expressed their strong commitment to demand together their collective land rights as affirmed in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).

More information: http://iphrdefenders.net/asia-regional-launch-global-call-action-indigenous-community-land-rights/

Support to land rights of Indigenous Women:

The statement of AIPP on Indigenous Women and Land Rights was issued on the occasion of the International Women’s Day on March 8, 2016 which was translated in Thai, Khmer and Burmese languages and widely circulated to AIPP members and networks.

More information: http://aippnet.org/strengthening-solidarity-for-indigenous-womens-land-rights-in-2016/

Campaign/communication materials:

WHAT ARE WE DOING NOW?

  • Producing more campaign materials: videos and translation of campaign materials to a number of national languages[3]
  • Providing technical assistance in relation to GCA activities targeting members and partners at the country level and local level when necessary;
  • Supporting community mapping for legal recognition in India; and mobilizing support for Cambodia and Malaysia;
  • Supporting local struggles in defense of land rights against mining, large dams, agribusiness, among others;
  • Documenting indigenous peoples’ sustainable resource management for awareness-raising and policy advocacy;
  • Integrating the GCA into all the programmes of AIPP and relevant events;
  • Circulating widely all relevant statements, publications, audio-visual materials at the regional and global levels;
  • Collaborating and building partnerships and networks for joint policy advocacy and support to community struggles and initiatives

WHAT’S NEXT?

  • Increase the number of awareness raising activities to mobilize more indigenous organizations and communities to sign the Call and make their land rights activities more visible;
  • Encourage National Human Rights Institutions to undertake Land Inquiries such as those done in Malaysia and Indonesia;
  • Conduct case studies on land rights issues i.e. large dams, mining and others related to trade and investments for policy advocacy and to generate support for indigenous communities;
  • Build and strengthen collaboration and networking at the national level to pursue policy advocacy on the recognition of land rights such as in Thailand and Nepal;
  • Strengthen collaboration and advocacy at the local and national levels for proper and immediate implementation of the legal collective land rights recognition in India, Malaysia, Cambodia and the Philippines, among others;
  • Prepare a report on the first year of the GCA campaign[4] covering achievements, activities, opportunities, challenges, as well as the way forward;
  • Develop concrete plan and strategies on the GCA as part of the overall strategic plan for 2017 -2020 to be adopted by the AIPP General Assembly on September, 2016;
  • Mobilize indigenous communities and organizations in Asia to take action together during the International Indigenous Peoples Day on 9 August, 2016 and beyond.
For more information, please CONTACT US: Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact www.aippnet.org Joan Carling (Ms.) Secretary General joan@aippnet.org   Patricia Miranda Wattimena (Ms.) Advocacy Coordinator patricia@aippnet.org

[1] Data per 5 May, 2016

[2] 12 countries where AIPP members and partners are

[3] Target countries: Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, India, Philippines, Timor Leste

[4] To be published on March, 2017

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