Land & Environmental Justice in Myanmar

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The Challenge

Land seizures and forced displacements were a major feature of the decades of military rule in Myanmar. Despite some steps towards democracy, many previously grabbed lands have not been returned to families who depend on it for survival.

Namati’s Solution

Community paralegals working with Namati’s partners support smallholder farmers across seven states and regions to navigate complex administrative processes and engage in registration, dispute resolution, and other mechanisms to regain access to their grabbed land, and better protect the land they use.

A woman, who worked with paralegals to remedy a land injustice, farms her land in the village of Dwar Ther Hle, Myanmar.

U Win Naing Htay, a community paralegal with Civil and Political Rights Campaign Group (CPRCG) works on a case. ©CPRCG

A paralegal hosts an information session with community members in Myanmar.

U. Soe Khaing, 26, owns 10 acres of land, of which approximately 2.5 are currently contested – his aunt is trying to register the land in her own name. Pat Nan Village, Taung Lay Lone Village Tract, Myanmar.

Advocating for Systemic Change

At the systemic level, we are striving to democratize land governance: to replace a top-down and often repressive regime with one that respects the experience and voice of those who depend directly on the land.