EWMI NEWS 2007:
JUNE 2007
EWMI LAUNCHES PROJECT TO SAFEGUARD CAMBODIANS' LAND RIGHTS

The U.S. Department of State Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor has awarded EWMI a grant for a two-year project to help Cambodian citizens secure their rights to land. The Safeguarding Cambodians' Land Rights Project extends EWMI's commitment to individual land rights in Cambodia, which began in 2001, to increase and security and to help resolve land disputes peacefully. The project will focus on improving individuals' ability to secure title to lands that historically they and their families have occupied. It will operate at a critical period while an official land registration program is proceeding. As part of its efforts, EWMI will train a network of grassroots "Party Assistants" to advise and assist citizens in resolving land disputes. In cooperation with its local partner ACTION IEC, EWMI will also conduct a series of entertaining and informative "road shows" targeting a largely illiterate population living in underserved, rural regions of Cambodia. Finally, the project will undertake a model community land documentation program, which will help two communities document and preserve their land history. These efforts will safeguard the land rights of Cambodians possessing unregistered land until systematic registration of all land is completed in the next 15-20 years.