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These commentaries are intended to contribute to a broader understanding to the many challenges facing the country and its peoples as a new parliament and government take office in 2016.
See the complete list of all the Myanmar commentaries.
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 Farmers working in the northern Shan State / Photo credit Jason Gelbort
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| Implementation of Burma’s Vacant, Fallow and Virgin Land Management Law: At Odds with the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement and Peace Negotiations |
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A Commentary by Jason Gelbort
Land rights of peoples must be protected to improve prospects for peace.
The Government of Myanmar’s approach to land policy risks increasing land conflicts and exacerbating current challenges in formal peace negotiations. Civil society organizations strongly oppose implementation of the recently-amended Vacant, Fallow and Virgin Land Management Law (VFV Land Law), due to well-founded fears that its implementation will facilitate the displacement of villagers from their ancestral lands and will weaken customary land tenure rights. This presents an example of legal reform in Naypyitaw contradicting the aims of the peace process and the commitments contained in the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA). There are also significant parts of the country where the NCA has not been agreed. A change in the government’s approach is therefore necessary to protect land rights and improve trust in prospects for peace.
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