Land Management & Policy: National Land Utilization Council organizes meeting

The 4th meeting of National Land Utilization Council was held at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation on Friday with an address by Chairman of the Council, SAC member, Deputy Prime Minister and Union Minister for Defence Lt-Gen Mya Tun Oo.

On the occasion, Chairman of the Council Union Minister Lt-Gen Mya Tun Oo said this meeting is the 1st one after reorganizing the council. The difficulties were occurred in the land management due to increasing land confiscations, disputes and complaints and the complication in the laws, procedures and the ways for solving and as the consequence; it caused a barrier for the development of the State.

Thus, the governmental organizations have implemented to enact a national land use policy in cooperation with international development partners and experts from local and abroad. From 2012 to 2015, the meetings were held for 39 times by forming working groups, technical trainings 2 times and the national level workshop were held for 5 times.

Based on the results of the workshops and discussions, the National Land Use Policy was enacted on January 2016. The aim of the National Land Utilization Council is to implement the objectives, guidelines and basic principles in the National Land Use Policy 2016 and related laws.

The Union Minister added that the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation which is the focal Ministry of the working committee reported the chapters that should be included in the National Land Law (1st Draft) (2022) based on the National Land Use Policy (2016) and some relevant ministries have already reported with their remarks on the drafted law.

The Council Chairman called on the relevant organizations and departments to follow the decision of the SAC meeting regarding as a policy in the farmland use and the members also need to strive for implementing the committee tasks in their respective sectors.

Then, Vice Chairman of the Council, Deputy Prime Minister and Union Minister Lt-Gen Soe Htut clarified the status of land use policy and National Land Law (Draft) undertaken by the Ministry of Home Affairs. Secretary of the Council, Union Minister for Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation U Khin Maung Yi then reported on the accomplishment of the decisions of 3rd meeting.

After that, Union Minister for Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation U Min Naung and the Deputy Minister for Home Affairs clarified progress of works. Next, Officials reported implementations of the related work committees.

Later, Council members, Union Ministers, Nay Pyi Taw Council Chairman, Regions/States Chief Ministers and officials made general discussion on drafting the National Land Use Law, Myanmar national mapping system and land use management.

Attendees also participated in the discussion regarding the land policy in the respective sectors. The meeting then concluded with closing remarks by the Council Chairman.