{"id":1325,"date":"2019-10-06T20:01:34","date_gmt":"2019-10-06T20:01:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/developmentdebate.in\/2019\/10\/05\/asia-land-forum-platform-for-people\/"},"modified":"2025-07-15T08:24:46","modified_gmt":"2025-07-15T08:24:46","slug":"asia-land-forum-platform-for-people","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/developmentdebate.in\/?p=1325","title":{"rendered":"Asia Land Forum: A Platform for People Struggling for Land Rights"},"content":{"rendered":"
\nAsia
\nLand Forum 2019 <\/span><\/b>held
\nin Udaipur, Rajasthan, India<\/span><\/b>
\n
<\/span><\/b>
\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cAsia
\nLand Forum has given inspiration and rejuvenation to continue our fights for
\n\u2018our land \u2013our identity\u2019 and against injustices globally”<\/i> \u2013 Mike Taylor,
\nDirector International Land Coalition<\/b><\/span><\/div>\n
\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/a>This year
\nthe Asia Land Forum was organized in Udaipur, India on September 30 \u2013 October 3,
\n2019 by the International Land Coalition (ILC)<\/a> – Asia. <\/span>Hosted
\nby different members every year, this year <\/span>MARAG, India along with Land Forum India<\/a> and National Organizing Committee, was the host organization along with the members of Land Forum
\nIndia. <\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/a><\/div>\n

The inaugural
\nday of Asia Land Forum, witnessed <\/span>more than 1,200 people of 12 countries from
\n<\/span>diverse disciplines, regions,
\ncivil society organisations, media, research, and government department coming
\ntogether in solidarity with each-other in the <\/span>struggles for achieving land rights and
\nsustainable change. On the opening day of the Asia Land Forum, participants
\nvoiced out their struggles in achieving land rights and united to create
\nsustainable change.<\/span> Majority of
\nthe participants were communities who are dependent on land and affected by it.<\/span> The forum was also attended one Indian Member of Parliament,
\na Member of Legislative Assembly of the western Indian state of Rajasthan and various
\nsenior social activists and community leaders.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n

\n\u201cAsia Land Forum is a platform that is
\nbridging gap between people’s struggle with the<\/span><\/i>ir rights\u201d,<\/span><\/i> said Shree Rajagopal PV, eminent
\nGandhian from Ekta Parishad, a member of ILC Asia. He further invited the whole
\nforum to participate in the <\/span>JaijJagat 2020<\/a><\/span> campaign. <\/o:p><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n
<\/span><\/div>\n

\nSharing his experiences, land rights activist Mr Lalji
\nDesai said, \u201cOur fight for rights has always been on the principles of
\nnon-violence. This forum strengthens our belief in justice through peace\u201d.<\/i><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n                                                   <\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\nThe second day of Asia Land Forum was dedicated to land governance issues, which civil society organisations in Asia, international organisations and
\npolicy makers are addressing, and provided an extensive regional learning
\nexchange for all. The day opened with the plenary attended by the members of International
\nLand Coalition from Asia where they discussed some of the rising challenges in
\nstriving for agrarian reforms faced by the communities who depend on land and
\nforest-based resources for their livelihood vis-a-vis the achievements in
\nagrarian reform in Asia.<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\n
<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\nDuring the day, ILC members shared their experiences of working with
\nthe communities struggling for their and rights in Asia, which has now become a
\nglobal concern of people, who are dependent on land. The proceedings of the day
\nreiterated that there cannot be a standardized approach to land reforms. Contextual
\nunderstanding and region-specific policies are required with appropriate
\npolitical will of the governments to bring in land reforms. The need to
\nelaborate the efforts to engage with youth and women in pursuing people
\ncentered land governance in Asia was underlined. <\/span><\/span>It was also highlighted that availability and
\ntransparency of land data and information is fundamental to support these
\nefforts.<\/span> They discussed that to bring the people centered land
\ngovernance, the community and women needs to be at the center. The principle of
\nFree, Prior and Informed Consent was reiterated to be included in all land laws
\nand policies. <\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
\n
\nVowing to <\/span><\/span>open up possibilities for gender transformative future
\npartnership and ways of working, <\/span>the members emphasized
\non gender just coalition. The representatives of pastoralist\u2019s organization from
\nCentral Asia and South Asia said that the communities in their region are
\nfacing large scale investment on pastoral lands that threatens not only their
\nlivelihoods but also their cultural identity.<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nDay 3, the members of ILC adopted the Udaipur Declaration
\nagreeing to stand against the injustices, and violence due to claiming the land
\nrights. The Udaipur Declaration recognized that \u201cAs a result of large-scale
\ninvestment practice land conflicts are spreading in various countries in Asia,
\nresulting in rapid criminalisation of farmers, dalits and Indigenous peoples\u201d also
\nthat \u201cThis neoliberal economic model is also counter-productive with the global
\nagenda of climate mitigation and adaptation, so that the target of avoiding
\nrising global temperatures by 1.5 degrees will be increasingly difficult.\u201dThe
\ndeclaration is a commitment for the members to support people, women and youth
\ncentered land governance where farmers, local communities and Indigenous
\nPeoples\u2019 access, control, ownership and management of land and natural
\nresources. <\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\nOn the fourth and concluding day,
\nthe members went to four villages in Udaipur District, Rajasthan to visit rural
\nand tribal communities and learn from their stories of getting land rights, and
\nalso to hear their struggles. <\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
\n<\/a><\/div>\n
\n

\n\u2018The struggles that the community of
\nSagatadi village is doing, is not different from our struggles in Mangolia, as
\nglobal coalition we stand together. The villagers today taught us the lessons
\nof sustaining the pasture land that they are doing from last 30 years. This is
\nrare and splendid\u2019\u2019<\/span><\/i>, said Khijaba Ykhana from Mangolia,
\nCentral Asia.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

\n
<\/span><\/div>\n

\nSharing his experiences of ALF-2019, Roul
\nSocrets from Asian Farmers Association, Philippine, said that<\/span> \u2018The four days
\nwere full of energy and learning from the Indian communities, from our Asian
\ncounterparts and from the tribal women, men and youth. This is a reiteration
\nthat the journey towards gender just and people centered land governance is a
\nlong one and we can\u2019t afford to relax in between.\u2019<\/i> <\/span><\/b><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n