---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: <[email protected]> Date: Tue, Sep 8, 2009 at 7:43 AM Subject: The World Bank and Cambodia: Forced evictions of urban poor To: [email protected]
*Development Partners Call for Halt to Evictions of Cambodia's Urban Poor * Contact: Bou Saroeun (855 23) 217 301 [email protected] July 16, 2009--- Development Partners are calling upon the Royal Government of Cambodia to *stop forced evictions from disputed areas in Phnom Penh and elsewhere in the country until a fair and transparent mechanism for resolving land disputes is put in place and a comprehensive resettlement policy is developed. * Development Partners recognize that land issues are an ongoing challenge to development in Cambodia and urge the Government to adopt fair and transparent systems for land titling, including in urban areas, which recognize and protect the equal rights of all citizens. Development Partners stand ready to support the establishment of national policy guidelines which would ensure that evictions and resettlement follow due legal process and provide just compensation to affected individuals. The World Bank and a number of Development Partners have been working closely with the Government on securing land titling in Cambodia. *The Government is commended for issuing more than one million land titles because this offers the opportunity for improved growth and poverty reduction.* However, in an environment of escalating urban land values in Cambodia and speculative land buying and selling, urban dwellers are under threat of being moved to make way for high value property development. This has become a major problem in Phnom Penh and other fast growing cities in Cambodia – creating uncertainty for, and putting at risk the livelihoods of, thousands of poor people living in disputed urban areas. *This is a result of policies and practices that do not reflect good international practice in dispute resolution and resettlement and do not make effective use of the procedures and institutions allowed for in Cambodian law.* International experience has established that secure land tenure is vital in ensuring economic growth and reducing poverty and that fair, well-implemented resettlement processes are key to an effective land tenure and titling system and protecting the rights of all people. Development Partners reaffirm their commitment to work with the Government to help address land issues in a just and equitable manner and to ensure that the rights of poor people are promoted and protected. signed by: Embassy of Australia Embassy of Bulgaria Embassy of Denmark / Danida Embassy of Germany Embassy of the United Kingdom Embassy of the United States of America Swedish International Development Agency (Sida) Asian Development Bank Delegation of the European Commission United Nations World Bank ========================== *Statement from the World Bank on Termination by Royal Government of Cambodia of the Land Management and Administration Project * Contacts: In Phnom Penh: Bou Saroeun (855) 23-217-301 [email protected] In Washington: Elisabeth Mealey (202) 458 4475 [email protected] Related Content Enhanced Review Report of LMAP (657kb pdf) http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTCAMBODIA/147270-1174545988782/22303366/FINALERMREPORT.pdf?cid=EXTEAPMonth1 PHNOM PENH, September 6, 2009 — Following a decision by the Council of Ministers on Friday 4 September to terminate World Bank financing of the Land Management and Administration Project (LMAP), World Bank Country Director for South-East Asia, Annette Dixon, made the following statement: “Land security and a fair, transparent approach to resolving land disputes and resettlement are among the greatest challenges facing Cambodia today. People without land or secure title to land are much more likely to be poor and stay poor. It’s for these reasons that the World Bank has been working intensively with Government, development partners and other stakeholders since 2002 to put in place a modern and comprehensive land administration system. *This project has issued more than 1.1 million land titles, mostly to poor people in rural areas. However, recent land price increases, which have averaged over 30 percent, have been leading to land disputes, compensation issues, eviction processes and resettlement issues.* As part of our continuing dialogue with Government on these growing challenges, the World Bank undertook a review to find out whether LMAP was still achieving its intended outcomes given the rapidly changing land sector environment. *The review found that LMAP’s successes in land titling in rural areas have not been matched in urban areas where land disputes are on the rise. This was due in part to delays or lack of implementation of some project activities. While originally designed as a multi-pronged approach to addressing a range of land issues, LMAP focused on areas where it could be most successful: titling rural land and building the capacity of the land administration to register and title land and implement policy.* We have shared the findings of the review with the Government *but could not come to agreement on whether LMAP’s social and environmental safeguards should apply in some of the disputed urban areas. **For the World Bank, the implementation of these safeguard policies is critical.* However, we are encouraged by the Government’s statement of its commitment to continuing reforms in the land sector and working towards an improved policy and legal framework for resettlement that reflects their commitment to international treaties. We remain committed to working with Government and other development partners through the Technical Working Group on Land to support Cambodia’s efforts to secure land tenure, reduce poverty, and improve economic opportunity for all of its people.” -- "There's only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that's your own self." ~ Aldous Huxley --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Cambodia Discussion (CAMDISC) - www.cambodia.org" group. This is an unmoderated forum. Please refrain from using foul language. Thank you for your understanding. Peace among us and in Cambodia. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/camdisc Learn more - http://www.cambodia.org -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
