KATHMANDU, APRIL 3

The National Land Coalition Nepal, in collaboration with the Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation, Community Self-Reliance Centre and International Land Coalition Asia, is all set to have a regional policy dialogue on 'Securing land rights of women and indigenous peoples in the face of climate change in South Asia.'

With the motto of 'Land rights for women and Indigenous Peoples: A solution to mitigate climate change in South Asia,' they have decided to organise it from April 4 to 6 here.

'As a foundational aspect to address climate adaptation and mitigation policies, securing the rights of indigenous people and local communities, and guaranteeing Women's Land Rights is proven to increase local communities' adaptive capacities, food security, and inclusive and meaningful participation in the decision-making processes,' stated a statement published by NLC.

'Strong evidence reveals that deforestation and degradation are reduced in areas that are owned, managed and controlled by indigenous people and local communities, thereby highlighting the centrality of recognition of their land and territory in support of effective and equitable conservation and climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies,' read the statement.

In Nepal, India, and Bangladesh, women's access to and decision-making power over land, in the sense of ownership, use, and tenure security, is limited and often hindered by the existing social norms and patriarchal attitudes. This is further exacerbated by restrictive policy instruments and legal frameworks and/or weak law enforcement at the local and national levels.

'Increasing commoditisation of natural resources, particularly of land, has posed a serious threat to the land and forest tenure security of women and indigenous communities.

The three-day regional forum will facilitate dialogue between the local communities and national and regional actors to draw attention to the existing gap between policy, practice on the ground and the needs of the people,' said Dharm Raj Joshi, facilitator of NLC.

'The NLC Nepal is a platform which brings together a network of land actors to address the most challenging land-related issues in the country,' Added Joshi.

A version of this article appears in the print on April 4, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.