Objectives

There is a need for an assessment of community-private sector partnership practice to identify approaches that can maximize benefits to the poor, whilst also remaining attractive to investors. Also there is a need for a process to explore how national governments, donors and other development practitioners can best facilitate the establishment of mutually beneficial partnerships, pilot such approaches and document best practices. Against this backdrop, the seminar on “new pressures on land: rethinking policies and practice for development” wishes to bring together relevant stakeholders on the critical issue of land rights and community-private sector approaches to rural land use: i.e. the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other donors, international organizations, academics from Dutch, Belgian and other international universities and research organizations, national and international civil society organizations and the private sector operating under a corporate social responsibility banner (planning consultants, geographical system companies, fair trade organizations and agricultural investors). It thus facilitates the communication, exchange and debate on analysis of land rights problems, approaches and policies.

Reviewing and rethinking policy and practice

The seminar is proposed in collaboration with Oxfam Novib, the International Land Coalition and the Sustainable Economic Development Department of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which seeks to review its recent land policy and its linkages with the proposed theme and improve its policy effectiveness,. Furthermore, all possible mechanisms for promoting socially and environmentally responsible land-related commercial activities that respect local livelihoods and natural resource use systems will be discussed. The seminar will thus rethink policy as well as practice on all levels of intervention: the local, national and international level, as well as Dutch and EU policy and corporate codes. The policy and practice review is aimed to allow increased cooperation between stakeholders engaged in policy analyses, adding to the credibility of the policy recommendations developed among all partners and laying the foundation for continued knowledge exchange and future collaboration. The seminar is linked to setting up a potential consortium in order to play a significant role of facilitating and fostering multi-stakeholder participation in land policy review and address the pressing need for innovative approaches to food security, safeguarding poor farmers' land rights and sustainable rural development. It will be a timely contribution to the formulation of more pro-poor based policies in facing the challenges of global economic crisis.