OHCHR-Cambodia/Gallianne Palayret

PHNOM PENH (24 November 2016) – Land is not a mere commodity, but an essential element for the realization of several human rights. For many people, land is a source of livelihood, and is central to economic and social rights such as the right to work, food, health or adequate housing. Land is also often linked to peoples’ identities, and so is tied to cultural rights. Disputes over land are frequently the cause of violent conflict and set obstacles in place to restoring sustainable peace. In short, the human rights aspects of land affect a range of issues including poverty reduction and development, peacebuilding, disaster prevention and recovery, and urban and rural planning, to name but a few. It is to discuss the links between land rights and human rights in Asia that the Asian NGO Coalition for Agrarian Reform and Rural Development (ANGOC), the International Land Coalition (ILC-Asia) and Star Kampuchea, with support from OHCHR-Cambodia, have organized a two-day seminar on "Land as Human Rights: an imperative towards the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals", held on 24-25 November. At the end of the two days, the national and international participants (from Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Nepal and the Philippines) from civil society organizations, government agencies, media and international organizations will formulate policy recommendations on pursuing responsible land governance and the recognition of the right to land as a human right.