ILC Conference 2009: Securing Rights to Land for Peace and Food Security

• Over 200 delegates from around the world gathered in Kathmandu. It was opened by the Prime Minister and the Minister and Secretary of Land Reform and Management, as well as officials from the International Land Coalition. Keynote addresses described the current Nepali situation, the situation of women and how to respond to today's land reform challenges in the context of Nepal and globally. Perspectives were presented from Latin America, Africa and Indonesia. International organizations and bi-laterals discussed the role of land reform in their programmes and funding.

• Opening session: International delegates meet for land discussions The International Land Coalition met in Kathmandu, Nepal from 21 to 23 April. Over 200 delegates from 42 countries convened to discuss issues that are particularly salient to the current political transformation that Nepal is undergoing.

  Creating a just society "I do not personally believe that our political movement will be complete unless and until we establish the rights of landless people, small peasants and agriculture labourers" declared Prime Minister Pushpa Kumal during his Inaugural Speech.

  The lighting of the Inaugural lamp: The Prime Minister, surrounded by other speakers, lit the Inaugural Lamp which opened the conference.

  Eliminating major obstacles Dr Keshav Kanel, Secretary, Land Reform & Management referred to present day feudalism and absentee landlordism as major obstacles that needed to be abolished. .

  Nepal's fundamental transformation The Minister of Land Reform and Management, Mahendra Paswan emphasized that "Nepal is undergoing a fundamental transformation" and highlighted the importance of "enlarging the rights of marginalized people".

  A question of sharing The Director of the ILC, Dr Madiodio Niasse emphasized that "one of the reasons why [members] see an interest in staying or becoming members of the Coalition is the hope to find responses to the many unanswered questions they have by learning from each other".

  A message from the ILC Council The Co-Chair of the ILC Council, Jean-Philipp Audinet spoke of the "positive, constructive spirit" that should permeate the conference, explaining that the ILC grew out of a conference in 1995 on poverty and food security. "Inequitable access to land is at the heart of many protracted conflicts whose lasting solution requires adequate land policy responses."

  Plenary 1: Land Issues in Nepal The Director of CSRC Nepal, Jagat Basnet, together with Jaganath Adhikari, emphasized that the State's role is to formulate pro-poor and tiller-friendly land policies and that foreign investment in land should not compete with farmers' access to land.

  "Without land reform, the good days of Nepal will not come" Baldev Ram, President, National Land Rights Forum called on international allies: "getting cooperation from friends like you will win our struggle."

  Small collectives are the answer for landless women Dr Bina Agarwal of the University of Delhi emphasized that the developing world, and Nepal as well, needed to make two conceptual shift: women need independent land rights and the production unit, not the ownership unit needs to be viable. She proposed a group approach through small-scale collectivities and joint cultivation.

  One billion rising Dr Roy Prosterman of the Rural Development Institute emphasized that well-designed laws, reasonably implemented could help perhaps a billion landless and near-landless rural poor to rise out of poverty over the next 2 decades.

  Plenary 2: A historical overview of land reform in Latin America Fernando Eguren (CEPES, Peru) gave a historical perspective of how land reforms were tied to political developments and how the financial recession in the 1980s in Latin America was an enormous step backward for land reform.

  Global responses Constance Mogale (LAMOSA, South Africa), Erpan Faryadi (KPA, Indonesia) and Sur Longley (IUF) gave considered responses from regional and global perspectives.

  Interventions from the floor:

  Plenary 3: Increasing recognition of land issues in donors meeting The donors discussion emphasized land as a cross-cutting issue for development support (Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs), that they were a growing priority in programmes and ILC members could play an enabling role (SIDA), the civil society was an important aspect for enabling pro-poor land governance (EC) and the empowerment of the empowerment of the rural poor and their organizations is at the centre of promoting access to land.

  L to R: Jozias Blok (EC); Jean-Philippe Audinet (IFAD); Fritz vander Wal (Netherlands Foreign Ministry); Ruth Meinzen-Dick, Chairperson; Lasse Krantz (SIDA)

  Interventions from the floor: World Bank emphasized that ILC can play an essential function in facilitating policy dialogues between IGOs, CSOs and governments on land governance frameworks leading to action commitments and their monitoring.

  Vital Bambaza questioned how the welfare of indigenous peoples was being addressed.

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