Mekong Region Land Governance

06/11/2025

🎉As MRLG enters its final year, we’re reflecting on a transformative journey of partnership, progress, and shared vision.

💪The Mekong Region Land Governance project has, over more than a decade, dedicated itself to building strong, purpose-driven alliances to drive better land governance in the region. Bridging government institutions, civil society organizations, and local communities across the Mekong, we’re proud to have witnessed the development of a strong movement of land professionals. Together, we continue to work hard to protect land rights and improve land and forest governance in the face of mounting pressures like climate change and increasingly competitive investing landscapes.

🤝The actions of our team and our alliance members across all three phases of the project fostered inclusive, sustainable reforms – centered on recognizing customary tenure and advancing responsible agricultural investment – at local, national, and regional levels.

Over the coming weeks, we’ll share more milestones that shaped this regional effort – celebrating achievements, partnerships, and lasting impacts.

‼️As the project comes to an end, we’re moving all of our resources (think articles, publications, tools) across to their permanent home on the portal site. More information to come!

Find the publications mentioned in this post below:
🔗https://www.mrlg.org/news/asean-customary-tenure-guidelines-and-fpic-handbook-launched-in-key-country-events/
🔗https://www.mrlg.org/blogs/bridging-the-gap-between-policy-and-practice-mrlg-convenes-learning-exchange-in-yunnan-china-on-rai/
🔗https://www.mrlg.org/news/mrlg-and-partners-host-national-exchanges-on-social-integrity-in-forest-carbon-investments/
🔗https://www.mrlg.org/news/constructive-dialogue-is-foundational-to-effective-cooperation-for-a-sustainable-future/
🔗https://www.mrlg.org/news/reflections-from-the-2025-mrlg-regional-learning-exchange-on-customary-tenure-recognition-in-luang-prabang/
🔗https://www.mrlg.org/news/key-insights-from-pathways-to-responsible-agriculture-in-the-mekong-webinar/



Swiss Cooperation Mekong, Land Portal

23/10/2025

20/10/2025

👉🏼 Meet Nguyễn Văn Cường, MRLG Photo Competition prize winner for Vietnam. Cường is a public security officer in his community and was inspired to do photography after a fortouitous meeting with To Bich Ngoc, then communications and media officer with People and Nature Reconciliation (Pan Nature) in Vietnam, working in nature conservation and environmental protection. Ngoc encouraged Cường and took him along on Pan Nature's activities as a volunteer.

📷 Cường tells us how he took the photo: "The award-winning photo was taken on August 8, 2025 in Pha Luông village, Mộc Châu, Sơn La province during a PanNature reforestation activity. This photo shows young Hmong women carrying seedlings up the mountain to restore the forest. The path was steep and had just been damaged by landslides after heavy rains. Yet their eyes and steps were full of determination and optimism. I chose to capture this moment because it reflects both hardship and resilience while also holding the strength and hope of the people. living in the mountains. It is a spirit that can inspire even those living in the lowlands."

👏 Congratulations and sincere thanks to all photographers across the region who participated in the photocompetion!

Swiss Cooperation Mekong, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, GRET, Land Equity International Pty Ltd, Land Portal

17/10/2025

👏 Congratulations to Jerry Heilenmang, MRLG Photocompetition 2025 prize winner for Myanmar. Jerry is from Hakha, Chin State in Myanmar and works as a project assistant in an NGO. Photography has always been his passion and he loves capturing moments and building a personal collection of memories through his lens.

Jerry took the prize-winning photo during a site visit in Chin State and he shares: "While traveling, one particular scene immediately caught my eye, and I felt compelled to capture it. When I first looked at the photo, I was even more amazed than I had imagined—it perfectly reflected the moment and the feeling I experienced on that day."

👏 Thanks again to all the photographers across the Mekong Region who participated!

Swiss Cooperation Mekong, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, GRET, Land Equity International Pty Ltd, Land Portal Foundation

15/10/2025

👏 Meet Willie Xaiwouth, 2025 MRLG Photocompetition Laos prize winner!

Willie is an artist from Xayabouri province in norther Laos. He chanced upon this photo while on a family trip. He shared: "Along the side, I saw the forest is half slashed and burned and so much smoke and pollution. And I saw the people, the farmer is harvesting cassava and in the same time in the background I also saw the high voltage electricity pole the huge fire is burning in the same time. For me, this is not just a picture but it's a reflection of the things that's happening that needs to be addressed."

🎉 Congratulations Willie! And thanks again to all the photographers across the Mekong Region who participated!





Swiss Cooperation Mekong, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, GRET, Land Equity International Pty Ltd, Land Portal

13/10/2025

👏 Meet Kouy Socheat, Cambodia Prize winner for the 2025 MRLG Photocompetition.

Socheat's winning entry depicts daily life on the Mekong river in Kratie Province. "Through this image, I want to capture the simple yet powerful life of the local fishing community, the harmony between people, and the river that sustains them. The couple working together in the boat tells the story of traditional resilience and hope for the future. I took this photo to share the beauty and importance of the Mekong and to show how communities depend on it, not only for their livelihood but also their culture and identity."

🎉 Congratulations Socheat! And thanks again to all the photographers across the Mekong Region who participated!

Swiss Cooperation Mekong Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, GRET, Land Equity International Pty Ltd, Land Portal

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07/10/2025

Sign up for “Land, Rights, and Voices: An Introduction to ASEAN Guidelines on the Recognition of Customary Tenure in Forested Landscapes”

Developed by NTFP - EP Asia, in partnership with the Mekong Region Land Governance Project (MRLG) and Habi Education Lab, this course is designed for practitioners and community partners working with Indigenous and local communities on land and resource governance.

✅ Learn the core principles of ASEAN Customary Tenure
✅ Compare them with your national legal frameworks
✅ Apply insights directly to your community work and policy advocacy

📅 Course launches October 8, 2025
🔗 Sign-ups are still open!

Don’t miss this chance to amplify community voices and advance land justice across the region! 🌏✨

👉 Sign up now: tinyurl.com/y2hhbwaa



Swiss Cooperation Mekong

06/10/2025

Meet Huang Hai Thinh, Grand Prize Winner of the 2025 MRLG Photocompetition!

Hai Thinh's photo was taken in Tam Chúc, Vietnam. Describing the shot, he says: "This man, once a forest worker, now fishes to survive after a tourism project flooded local forests to create an artificial lake. Launched in the 2010s, the project turned the area into a major religious and eco-tourism site, displacing ecosystems and altering traditional livelihoods. With little access to former forest resources and few alternatives, some residents have taken up fishing despite having no experience."

Congratulations Hai Thinh! And thanks to all the photographers across the Mekong Region who participated!

06/10/2025

🌟 A huge thank you to everyone who joined us for the Mekong Regional Land Forum (MRLF) 2025! 🌟

Your energy, insights, and enthusiasm made the event truly special. From engaging discussions to meaningful connections, it was an honor to learn and grow together with such an inspiring community.

We’re already working on the full event report—coming your way by the end of October—so stay tuned!

Until then, thank you again for being part of this journey!

See the MRLF highlights in photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/fwSQgCyDsirZJB8o6

with Swiss Cooperation Mekong, GIZ,German International Cooperation Land Portal

(photos: Leonard Reyes/Alla Tykmanova)

13/09/2025

🚨 The countdown is on — the 4th Mekong Regional Land Forum is just 4 days away!

The MRLG team is excited to welcome colleagues from across the Mekong region and beyond for three days of dialogue, knowledge sharing, and collective action toward a more just and sustainable future.

🎥 Check out this short video for a sneak peek of some of our speakers and the key themes we’ll be diving into:
✅ Land tenure security
✅ Climate resilience
✅ Responsible investment
✅ Gender equity

The Forum (17–19 September, Bangkok) will bring together government leaders, civil society, researchers, and development partners to explore inclusive, sustainable solutions for people, land, and climate.

✨ Join us online for free and contribute to shaping the future of land governance in the Mekong:

📅 17–19 September 2025
📍 Bangkok, Thailand

🔗 Register for FREE to participate online: https://landportal.org/landing-page/2025/07/registration-4th-mekong-regional-land-forum-2025

We can’t wait to see you at the Forum and hear your reflections!

Swiss Cooperation Mekong GIZ,German International Cooperation Land Portal

04/09/2025

“Integrating gender equity is not just something that should be done, it is a forward-looking strategy for inclusive development.” - Phean, National Director, Cambodia

“To ensure that all workers receive rights and working conditions that are appropriate to their needs and are free from discrimination, we see the importance of changing practices and considering policy measures to ensure consistency in practice.” - Man, Programme Coordinator, Oxfam Cambodia

In this interview, Asisah Man and Sophoan Phean highlight the need for gender-equitable labor practices and inclusive land governance in the Mekong. Oxfam Cambodia’s vital work with the Mekong Region Land Governance project has strengthened their conviction that gender equity is essential to justice, sustainability, and resilience.

Contribute to the conversation at the Mekong Regional Land Forum in September, and connect with our Land Governance colleagues to reflect on the MRLG alliance’s efforts toward inclusive and rights-based development and imagine a more equitable future for land governance in the region.

📅 17–19 September 2025
📍 Bangkok, Thailand

The Forum will bring together government leaders, researchers, civil society and development partners from across the region to explore solutions at the intersection of:
✅ Land tenure security
✅ Climate resilience
✅ Responsible investment
✅ Gender equity

🔗 Register for FREE to participate online: https://landportal.org/landing-page/2025/07/registration-4th-mekong-regional-land-forum-2025

Join us as we build momentum for effective land governance policy in the Mekong.

Swiss Cooperation Mekong , Oxfam in Cambodia LandEquityInternational, GRET, GIZ, Land Portal

03/09/2025

🎤 Speaker Spotlight: Akiko Inoguchi

🎉 We’re excited to welcome Akiko Inoguchi to the Mekong Region Land Forum 2025.

Akiko has worked extensively in South East Asia on forest and natural resource management focusing on areas like REDD+, participatory management, and land and resource tenure. We’re very happy to have Akiko lead one of our Day 1 sessions at the conference:

💬 Navigating Carbon Markets in the Mekong: Social integrity and local initiatives for nature-based, community oriented solutions

📆 17 September, 2PM ICT
The session unpacks the risks and opportunities for Indigenous Peoples and local communities in engaging in the carbon markets, with a specific focus on social integrity and tenure rights. The session will have an interactive component, where participants will exchange ideas and come up with practical recommendations for fair and inclusive climate action.

💡Akiko was featured on the Land Portal site when she spoke in an MRLG Project panel on social integrity in carbon markets at the World Bank Land Conference earlier this year. You can read the article here: https://lnkd.in/gSvsyayg

You can join us for the conference online for free!
🔗 Register here: https://lnkd.in/gcUCtTxG

Swiss Cooperation Mekong, GIZ,German International Cooperation GRET, Land Equity International Pty Ltd., Land Portal