Archive for the ‘Governance and rights’ Category
February 16th, 2012
Vientiane Times, February 16,2012
Problems related to land use, education, transparency of state bodies and medical ethics are the main concerns raised by the public to the National Assembly (NA). The NA is committed to submitting these issues to the government for resolution to allay the fears of the public.
December 15th, 2011
Vientiane Times, December 15, 2011
 Amendment to the Minerals Law is proposed for the National Assembly to approve.
The Ministry of Energy and Mines has asked the National Assembly (NA) to approve a proposed amendment to the Minerals Law to better regulate the mining sector, which is one of the largest industries and the number one foreign exchange earner in Laos. If passed, the proposed changes would be the second amendment to the law, after the first amendment came into force in 2008. The move comes after the Geology and Minerals Department was transferred from the Ministry of Energy and Mines recently, and now comes under the umbrella of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE).
December 12th, 2011
FAO and Transparency International, December 12, 2011
 Transparency and accountability help to ensure that land resources benefit everyone.
December 7th, 2011
 Lao National Assembly holds two annual plenary sessions.
The second plenary session of the Seventh Legislature of the Lao National Assembly was opened on the 7th of December and will last until 21st of December 2011. The National Assembly Hotline will be open during the session and the Lao public are invited to submit issues of concern to the parliamentary staff who would then pass them on to the relevant government agency for clarification.
The Hotline number is: 156. Currently the hotline is operational only during the plenary sessions but there are plans to have it open all year round.
November 20th, 2011
Land grabbing is a worldwide phenomenon of unprecedented size and speed. From 17 to 19 November, more than 250 small farmers and civil society activists gathered in Mali, for the first international farmers’ conference to tackle land grabs. Here is the declaration that came out of the conference.
Stop Land-Grabbing Now!
November 17th, 2011
Vientiane Times, November 17, 2011
Lao civil society organisations (CSOs) have called for more opportunities to join the government in strategic planning and policy making processes. The CSO Consultation Workshop was held on Tuesday at the Learning House for Development in Vientiane to discuss aid effectiveness. “The proposal is to allow CSOs to participate in the process of strategic planning, policy making, implementation, monitoring, and evolution together with the government,” stated an official proposal issued to the government. The workshop was a part of the CSO Consultation Workshop and Multi-Stakeholder Consultation on Aid Effectiveness held on November 15 to 16 and themed ‘Moving the Aid Effectiveness Agenda towards Development Effectiveness’. The workshop also proposed establishing equity in terms of participation by the government and CSOs.
October 6th, 2011
The Guardian, October 6, 2011
Olivier De Schutter, UN special rapporteur on the right to food, calls for consensus before talks this month on land governance, as commercial pressures mount. Governments should be wary of speculation and concentration of ownership when land rights are transferred to investors to “develop” farmland, a UN expert has warned before key UN negotiations on land governance. ”We must escape the mental cage that sees large-scale investments as the only way to develop agriculture and to ensure stability of supply for buyers,” said the UN special rapporteur on the right to food, Olivier De Schutter amid concern among civil society groups about land grabs.
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