land

Vanuatu: Chiefs call on Forum leaders to protect custom land

land

05 Aug 10

Vanuatu's Malvatumauri (National Council of Chiefs) has called on Pacific leaders to protect custom land, endorsing a regional declaration on indigenous land tenure in Melanesia.

DVD: Defending Melanesian Land + Sausi – village cooperation

12 Apr 10

Defending Melanesian Land is a short video in which Melanesian activists explain why indigenous land is important to people in the Pacific, and why they have formed a regional alliance (the Melanesian Indigenous Land Defence Alliance – MILDA) to defend indigenous Melanesian land.

New Publication: In Defence of Melanesian Customary Land

10 Apr 10

This AID/WATCH publication presents Melanesian and Australian voices in defence of Melanesian customary land. The chapters touch on the broad themes of customary land in the region, as well as particular issues in Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu. Those issues include land tenure conversion, incorporated land groups, leases, the productive value of customary land, women and land, land tenure reform programs, and the social security features of traditional land tenure systems.

Publication: In Defence of Melanesian Customary Land

10 Apr 10

Melanesian Land pub order form.pdf - 117.37 KB

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Media Release: Melanesian campaigners visit Australia to defend customary land rights

16 Mar 10

Two leading campaigners for land rights in Melanesia are in Australia this week to speak with the Australian public and government officials about the central importance of customary land, and the risks posed by Australian-funded land tenure reforms in Melanesia.

Our Land, Our Future: Melanesian Land Speaking Tour

03 Mar 10

Join us to hear from two leading campaigners for land rights in Melanesia about the impacts of land reforms on Melanesian peoples, their cultures, economies and livelihoods.

AID/WATCH Newsletter No.35

27 Oct 09

This edition (October 2009) focuses on the Pacific Islands. It features articles on the traditional economy in Vanuatu, customary land in Melanesia, land reform in Timor Leste, climate change adaptation funding, PACER Plus, and aid for trade.

click here to read the newsletter - 1.1 MB

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Defending Melanesian Land

04 Aug 10

The Melanesian Indigenous Land Defence Alliance (MILDA) was formed in Madang (PNG) in June 2009 to coordinate efforts in Melanesia to help traditional families maintain control over their own land.

MILDA created.pdf - 10.96 KB

land – the pacific genius.pdf - 71.86 KB

Mele Declaration 2010 - 175.1 KB

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Hijacking Development Futures: "Land Development" & Reform in Vanuatu

22 Sep 09

This AID/WATCH briefing paper provides an overview of the land situation in Vanuatu from pre-independence to today. The paper highlights how Australian interests and aid relationships are often in opposition to the needs and aspirations of the majority of Vanuatu’s indigenous peoples and risk hijacking their development futures.

Click here to download this paper - 371.24 KB

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BIGGEST STUDY OF LARGE LAND DEALS TO DATE WARNS OF THREATS TO POOR - Four key failures of governance harm the rural poor in developing nations

15 Dec 11

The most comprehensive study of large land acquisitions in developing countries to date — published online on 14 December by the International Land Coalition (ILC) — has found more evidence of harm than benefits.