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Selangor govt instructs factory behind water pollution to vacate land

05 September 2020

(main photo: Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari says the factory building will be demolished within the next few months)

KUALA LUMPUR: The Selangor government will instruct the factory responsible for the pollution of Sungai Selangor, which led to water disruptions to over 1.2 million people in the Klang Valley, to vacate the land it occupies.

At a press conference, Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari said the factory in the Sungai Gong Industrial Area in Rawang had already been closed.

Paper giant APP linked to Indonesia peat clearing despite sustainability vow

01 September 2020
  • Greenpeace Southeast Asia has identified nearly 3,500 hectares (8,650 acres) of peatland clearing in pulpwood plantations in Sumatra supplying Asian Pulp & Paper.
  • Analysis of satellite imagery showed the clearing began in August 2018 and continued through June this year, despite APP having a “no peatland” and “no burning” policy that it also imposes on its suppliers.
  • Greenpeace and local NGO Jikalahari also found evidence of fires in the concessions in question, which appeared to have been set deliberately to clear the land for planting.

World Bank Suspends Doing Business Report

02 September 2020
  • The Doing Business Report (DBR) has been “paused” by the World Bank after acknowledging a number of “irregularities” in the data used.

  • The report—used to drive policy and regulatory changes favorable to businesses and corporations—ranks countries on the “ease of doing business.”

  • This suspension comes less than two years after the World Bank’s then-Chief Economist, Paul Romer, exposed the manipulation of DBR data to support right-wing governments in Chile.

Five Years into the SDGs: Are we on track to deliver the land targets?

Reports & Research
August, 2020
Global

This virtual side event was proposed as part of the 2020 SDG High Level Political Forum which was held from 7th to 16th July 2020. It was organised by the SDG Land Momentum Group, an informal group of civil society organizations and multilateral agencies which advocate the implementation of the land targets of the SDGs and support their monitoring.  

The Nexus Between Urban Land Governance and Climate Adaptation

Reports & Research
August, 2020
Global

Informal settlements in areas that are already disaster prone are an increasing problem. Climate adaptation is also often used as an excuse fo evictions to redevelop sites in a more climate-proof manner in what is often referred to as ‘climate gentrification. Nature-based solutions to climate change, such as increasing green spaces, may increase home values, but the question of who benefits from these initiatives arises. How can the side effects of climate interventions that can lead to inequality, such as increase in value, be avoided?

Few Answers on Missing Lao Citizens as World Marks Enforced Disappearance Victims

28 August 2020

(Main photo: Lao agricultural expert Sombath Somphone, who went missing in December 2012, in 2005 file photo. Courtesy of Somphone family)

The 10th annual International Day of Victims of Enforced Disappearance Sunday offers a fresh reminder that Laos has done little or nothing to investigate citizens, including a highly respected development expert, who have vanished in the communist Southeast Asian nation, human rights groups said.

Land, Housing, and COVID-19

01 September 2020

In the six months since the coronavirus began its global spread, more than 15 million people have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and more than 600,000 have perished. Governments around the world have instituted lockdowns and shut down businesses. Entire industries have been devastated, notably travel, hospitality, and entertainment in the formal sector, and day labor and street and market vendors in the informal sector. Overall, hundreds of millions of people worldwide have lost their livelihoods.

One day land title transfer registration improves Malaysia's position in World Bank report

28 August 2020


One day land title transfer registration improves Malaysia’s position in World Bank’s ‘Doing Business’ report.

The efficiency of the one day land title transfer registration had contributed to the country's position in the 'Registering Property' indicator evaluated by the World Bank's 'Doing Business' report.

The Federal Territories Director of Lands and Mines Office (PPTGWP) said Malaysia is ranked a creditable 33rd out of the 190 economies for 2020 in the report.

Webinar Series: The Effect of COVID-19 on Indigenous People’s Organizations and Local Communities

01 September 2020 - 16 September 2020
Online

This series of three webinars features indigenous and non-indigenous leaders in a virtual roundtable to discuss both the key effects that COVID-19 is generating in their communities as well as possible solutions and the way forward.

Ford Foundation
Land Portal Foundation
The Tenure Facility
Thomson Reuters Foundation
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