KATHMANDU, Feb 5: Secretary at the Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation, Damodar Regmi has said that the ministry is not only for those who own land but also for the landless.

He said this while inaugurating the “Securing land rights of women and indigenous peoples in the face of climate change in South Asia” ongoing in Kathmandu co-organized by the Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation, Community Self-Reliance Center, and International Land Coalition.

Member of federal parliament and land rights activist Saraswati Subba said that earlier people only talked about access to natural resources- water, forests, and land - but now they have started talking about the effects of climate change, which is a good thing. She added that these issues are not prioritized at the local and federal governments, and that the focus has been only on the formation and dissolution of governments. Thus, it is necessary to have strong activism from the affected population.

Similarly, Janakraj Joshi, director general of the Survey Department stated that the policies are good and in accordance with the constitution, however the problem lies in capacity, awareness, and implementation. He also added that the funding too is a challenge.

In the event, plenary sessions were conducted on various topics. In that context, Jagat Deuja, the Executive Director of Community Self Reliance Center, brought forth the notion that till now, we do not have a clarity on the land reform agenda, and it is necessary to have the clarity in our concept for us to reach the destination.

Similarly, Jagat Basnet, Advocacy, Research and Policy Analyst of the Center, informed that land reform has taken place in 22 countries in Asia and said that in many countries, rather than gaining land, the poor have lost it.

Joint Secretary of the Ministry Prakash Joshi, indigenous rights activist Nand Kandangwa, gender specialist Yamuna Ghale, land expert Pada Kailash Pyakurel, Dr. Devendra Chapagain etc. presented various perspectives.

According to the press release, the Regional Environmental Policy Dialogue where Nepali and foreign participants will share their views, experiences and suggestions will last for three days. In the program, emphasis was placed on inclusion and gender justice especially due to climate change. In this program there are about 70 participants from different countries including Nepal, Bangladesh, Thailand, Indonesia, and India.

 
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