HIC-HLRN Hosts Land Forum III in Cairo
You
will want to know that HIC-HLRN will host Member organizations, experts
and activists in Cairo on 15–17 January 2012 for the third edition of
the Middle East/North Africa Land Forum. This session’s theme, “The
Land, People’s Sovereignty and Self-determination,” reflects the
region’s changing governance landscape. While previous iterations of the
Land Forum also have focused on the human rights dimensions of land and
natural resources, this New Year will build on the capacity of the
region’s civil society to contribute to local, regional and global
policy reforms by advancing the research and advocacy agenda. The
participants will share experiences from Algeria, Egypt, Iran (Ahwaz),
Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Sudan (Darfur and Nuba
Mountains), Syria, Tunisia, Western Sahara and Yemen. As in previous
sessions, participants in this third Land Forum articulate the common
issues across the region to pursue rights and responsibilities of
citizens within states undergoing transformation.
The
Land Forum participants’ contributions have directed the third session
program. It focuses on practical implementation of the human rights
framework to land and natural resources in cases of (1) land grabbing
and real-estate corruption; (2) ongoing constitutional, legislative and
policy-reform processes (3) situations of conflict, occupation and war;
(4) the urban context; and (5) processes developing and applying
relevant international norms. The Land Forum III seeks to consolidate
civil efforts and commitments to develop the human rights dimensions of
land in these fields–with gender equality and decent work
principles–over the coming biennium.
See the HIC-HLRN website for a background to the Land Forum and the current Land Forum III program (English versions).