Mekong Region Land Governance

26/11/2025

“MRLG’s greatest achievement in Cambodia was building a trusted, multisector platform. The alliances brought together diverse expertise – government engagement, research, grassroots community work – creating complementary strengths. This collaboration enabled policy influence, dispute resolution, and collective action, proving that when actors unite, progress follows.” Sophea Pheap, MRLG Cambodia National Facilitator

This week, Cambodian stakeholders gathered in Phnom Penh for the official Closing Workshop of the MRLG project. It marks the end of a decade-long initiative in the country, launched in 2014 during a challenging period for civil society and land rights. Antoine Deligne, MRLG Deputy TL recalls:
“2017–18 was a very difficult time in Cambodia due to the elections...MRLG was there at this critical moment to maintain engagement in the land sector. Despite the significant challenges this has been a successful collaboration and the Alliances need to continue this momentum and journey together.”

The event celebrated MRLG’s enduring impact and facilitated the formal handover to the Cambodia Customary Tenure Alliance and the Cambodia Alliance for Responsible Agricultural Investment. Milestones include supporting alternative dispute resolution; advancing community forestry; contributing to the shift from Economic Land Concessions (ELCs) to smallholder farmers, and promoting Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC). With reps from all sectors, attendees charted a shared path forward – ensuring the momentum for equitable land governance, community-led conservation, and responsible agricultural investment continues beyond MRLG’s formal support.

Speakers shared powerful reflections:
“Expanding community forestry as a pathway to both conserve forests and secure community livelihoods will require continued strengthening of local recognition, technical support, market access for sustainable forest products, and meaningful inclusion of women and indigenous and local groups.” Micah Ingalls, PhD Ingalls, MRLG TL

“Although we may have different missions, we have a shared goal – improving livelihoods of our people to achieve and sustain biodiversity development, empowering community members to continue their customs and traditions to benefit from and use and own their respective areas.” H.E. Dr. Ken Serey Rotha, General Director, Ministry of Environment

“It’s really the actors that are at the center to take it forward – multisector platform, it has worked!” Reto Grüninger, Director of Cooperation, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation

With MRLG transitioning out, the momentum continues. The workshop affirmed the Alliances’ commitment to carrying forward this work through joint advocacy, donor engagement, and strengthened policy influence. This is not an end, but a new beginning for equitable and sustainable land governance in Cambodia.

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH Land Equity International Pty Ltd GRET Kate

26/11/2025

📢 Sign-ups are still open! Join the “Land, Rights, and Voices: An Introduction to ASEAN Guidelines on the Recognition of Customary Tenure in Forested Landscapes”—a timely opportunity to deepen your understanding and strengthen your advocacy on indigenous peoples' land rights.

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

🔹 Learn the core principles of the ASEAN Guidelines on Customary Tenure
🔹 Compare them with your national legal frameworks
🔹 Apply practical insights directly to your community work and policy efforts

📅 Course begins October 8, 2025
📧 Upon registration, you’ll receive email instructions to access the course via Habi Plus, Habi Education Lab’s learning platform.

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

👉 Secure your spot now—sign-ups are still open!
🔗 Register here: https://tinyurl.com/y2hhbwaa



with Swiss Cooperation Mekong, GRET, NTFP - EP Asia, Campbell, Pinto

21/11/2025

💡Why is good land governance important to you?💡

Missed out on the Mekong Regional Land Forum? You're in luck! Check out this video featuring some of our colleagues, and highlighting their connections to land governance work in the region.

If you want to revisit a session or any of the conference materials, head to the Land Portal Foundation site, here: https://lnkd.in/g8i-RBp4

Thank you again to all of our wonderful speakers, attendees, and team members who helped this event to be such a success!

Cooperation Mekong, GIZ Laos Land Equity International Pty Ltd, GRET Land Portal

17/11/2025

💡Why is improving land governance important to you?💡

Our team is still energised from the extremely positive response to the 4th Mekong Regional Land Forum! The three-day event provided an important opportunity for connection and reinforced many people's commitments to our strong professional community and to improving land governance and tenure security in the Mekong. We're very grateful for the deep level of engagement and thoughtful insights of our speakers and attendees.

Missed out? You're in luck! Check out this video featuring some of our colleagues, and highlighting their connections to land governance work in the region.

If you want to revisit a session or any of the conference materials, head to the Land Portal Foundation site, here: https://lnkd.in/g8i-RBp4

Thank you again to all of our wonderful speakers, attendees, and team members who helped this event to be such a success!

Swiss Cooperation Mekong, Land Portal, GIZ Laos, GRET, Land Equity International

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 B**h 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, Natalie Campbell, Femy Pinto

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!