Land Administration in the Mekong River Region of Vietnam - Phase 3

In his opening speech at the meeting, VUSTA President Phan Xuan Dung stated that VUSTA is a partner of the MRLG project, with the role of cooperating and supporting project activities in Vietnam towards good land governance. VUSTA is also nominated to be the chairman of the National Advisory Committee (NAC) for the project in Vietnam.

VUSTA President Phan Xuan Dung delivered opening speech at the meeting

At previous meetings in 2019 and 2021, the National Advisory Committee provided feedback on the proposals of the two project components in Vietnam: the component on customary land recognition and the component on responsible agricultural investment.

In 2020-2021, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the project activities were also affected, and the progress was slower than the initial plan. At present, these components have achieved certain results and developed the next phase of the project activities. At this meeting, the presentation on the results of these components in Phase 2 of the project and the plans of the alliances in the next phase are presented. We also invite members of the Committee to provide comments on the policy objectives and strategies of the project in Vietnam Phase 3, which are suitable for the context, policy direction, and development goals of Vietnam, said Dung.

We hope that our opinions and recommendations will help these alliances to orient and achieve appropriate objectives and strategies in building policies in the future. These recommendations will be summarized and sent to the project steering committee so that they have information about the policy intervention context in Vietnam and can make appropriate decisions to support Vietnam in building a more progressive land governance system.

Dr. Le Cong Luong, Deputy Secretary-General cum Head of the Science, Technology and Environment Committee of VUSTA

At the meeting, Dr. Le Cong Luong, Deputy Secretary General cum Head of the Science, Technology and Environment Committee VUSTA, shared an overview of the situation in Vietnam, with a focus on policy development.

Also at the meeting, Mr. Ngo Van Hong, Director of CEGORN, reported on the results achieved in Phase 2 of the Project. According to Mr. Hong, the project has strengthened and increased the trust and role of development organizations and citizens in participating, constructing, revising, and monitoring the implementation of laws and policies.

The project also created a friendly space to promote active participation of all stakeholders, including representatives of ethnic minority communities and poor women, in building laws and policies.

Renewing thinking and enhancing accountability of the leaders of construction agencies and law enforcement through policy dialogues and forums with citizens regarding access to land, information, and resources for production.

Increasing awareness of citizens about the right to participate in building and amending laws and policies that ensure access to land and recognize customary rights to forest and land resources, Mr. Hong added.

Mr. Ngo Van Hong – Director of CEGORN

Strategic objectives for phase 3 of the project is provided to delegates, which focus on enhancing capacity and awareness of the Land Law and its guiding decrees; Forest allocation and forestry land use rights, and access to natural resources; Monitoring the implementation of laws and policies, including citizen oversight and ensuring access to information; Utilizing lessons learned and best practices to develop capacity.

Scene of the meeting