ALTERNATIVE LAND CONFLICT TRANSFORMATION: A CAMBODIA INNOVATION
SOPHORN POCH
When Cambodian Government granted Economic Land Concessions (ELCs) to investors from 2005 onwards, Indigenous People, rural people, women, and children in the targeted areas have been affected by many land disputes left unsolved despite the Government’s efforts. However, there
are successful cases of land dispute resolution through mediation. The dispute between Hoang Anh Gia Lai and 14 IPCs in Ratanakiri which was mediated by the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman
(CAO) has come to an agreement yet has not been officially approved by the Government yet. For
the case of six communities in Northeastern province and a foreign rubber plantation company, the
Independent Mediation organization (IMG) supported by Mekong Region Land Governance has accomplished the pre-mediation/assessment stage and a first round of negotiation stage following
the key principles of mediation. However, mediation approaches still face many challenges like
power imbalances and capacity building, lack of trust, and miscommunication.
Event: Land Governance in an Interconnected World_Annual World Bank Conference on Land and Poverty_2018
Only personal, non-commercial use of this document is allowed.