---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: John Ashworth <[email protected]> Date: Thu, Mar 24, 2011 at 8:17 AM Subject: [sudan-john-ashworth] Fwd: South Sudan land grab threatens rights: report To: Group <[email protected]>
A new report by David Deng entitled "The New Frontier, A baseline survey of large-scale investment in Southern-Sudan" has been published by NPA. It is too big to circulate, but can be downloaded at: http://www.npaid.org/en/News_Archive/?module=Articles;action=Article.publicShow;ID=17086 1. From the NPA website: The report, The New Frontier, A baseline survey of large-scale investment in Southern-Sudan, is part of a baseline survey of large-scale land-based investment in Southern Sudan prepared for Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA). It presents data on 28 foreign and domestic investments planned or underway across the ten states of Southern Sudan. In just four years, between the start of 2007 and the end of 2010, foreign interests sought or acquired a total of 2.64 million hectares of land (26,400 km2) in the agriculture, forestry and biofuel sectors alone. That is a larger land area than the entire country of Rwanda. If one adds domestic investments, some of which date back to the pre-war period, and investments in tourism and conservation, the figure rises to 5.74 million hectares (57,400 km2), or nine percent of Southern Sudan’s total land area. While in theory, this influx of investment could provide development opportunities for rural communities, without the appropriate procedures in place there is a danger that it will serve to undermine livelihoods. Below are a series of recommendations that may help the Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS), its international partners, civil society, companies, investors, and rural communities in Southern Sudan to address the risks and opportunities of largescale land investments moving forward: 1. Adopt a presumption in favor of disclosure for all documents associated with large-scale land-based investments; 2. Develop clear jurisdictional roles for public institutions at all levels, including an appropriate balance between central oversight and state-level flexibility, and providing a role for the legislative branch in approving large-scale land allocations; 3. Consider establishing a graduated land ceiling in which the authorization of successively higher levels of government is required as the size of land allocations increases; 4. Consider a temporary moratorium on all land acquisitions above a certain size in order to allow time for the appropriate procedures to be put in place; 5. Establish a technical committee to review all existing contracts to ensure that they comply with relevant provisions of the 2009 Land Act, the 2009 Local Government Act, and the 2009 Investment Promotion Act; 6. Promote alternative business models that better account for the needs of local populations, such as giving communities an equity stake in the venture or maximizing the links between companies and smallholder producers living on or around the project area; 7. Explore opportunities for constructive engagement with companies that demonstrate a willingness to adhere to regulatory standards and prioritize the development needs of host communities. END1 2. South Sudan land grab threatens rights: report – Tue Mar 22, 2:13 pm ET JUBA, Sudan (AFP) – Unregulated large-scale land acquisition in south Sudan by foreign companies threatens the rights of the people, with an area bigger than Rwanda earmarked for use by outside businesses, a report released on Tuesday warned. Investigations commissioned by Norwegian People?s Aid calculated that between 2007 and 2010, "foreign interests sought or acquired a total of 2.64 million hectares of land (6.52 million acres) in the agriculture, forestry and biofuel sectors alone." "That is a larger land area than the entire country of Rwanda," said the report's author, David Kuol Mading. If domestic investments, tourism and conservation are added, the figure rises to 5.74 million hectares (14.17 million acres), or nine percent of southern Sudan?s total land area, the report said. South Sudan is due to gain independence in July after southerners voted almost unanimously for secession in a landmark referendum in January. The oil-rich but grossly underdeveloped south was left in ruins by decades of war with the north, and in the transitional period ahead of independence experts say there is no clear process for large-scale land acquisition. Many of the agreements are in name only -- and may not be recognised by the central government -- and several companies still have no visible presence on the ground. The report acknowledges that the investments could help boost sorely needed development, but it warns that without care they could also threaten the fledgling nation. "With the nascent state of government, a society still reeling from years of conflict, and the legal ambiguity of the transitional period, there is also a danger that this influx of investment, if left unchecked, may serve to undermine livelihoods," it added. The largest land deal detailed in the report is the alleged leasing of 2,280,000 hectares (5,631,600 acres) in Boma National Park in Jonglei state by Emirati company Al Ain Wildlife. The next biggest are agricultural ventures, by US firms Nile Trading and Development and Jarch Management, which have leased 600,000 hectares (1,482,000 acres) in Central Equatoria state and 400,000 hectares (988,000 acres) in oil-rich Unity state, according to the report. The latter scheme results from a controversial deal struck two years ago between Jarch, a New York-based investment house, and former warlord turned deputy commander of the south?s army Paulino Matip. Analysts say farmland across Africa has come under growing pressure in recent years from large-scale farming by international investors, with activists warning of the risks that it could deny residents their own resources, boosting insecurity. Mading said the government should temporarily suspend large scale investments. "That will allow time for the proper procedures to be put in place, so that investment can be done in a responsible manner." http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110322/wl_africa_afp/sudansouthlandrights END2 ______________________ John Ashworth Sudan Advisor Sudan Ecumenical Forum [email protected] +254 725 926 297 (Kenya mobile) +249 919 695 362 (Sudan mobile) +27 82 853 3556 (South Africa mobile) +44 750 304 1790 (UK/international) +88 216 4334 0735 (Thuraya satphone) PO Box 52002 - 00200, Nairobi, Kenya This is a personal e-mail address and the contents do not necessarily reflect the views of any organisation -- The content of this message does not necessarily reflect John Ashworth's views. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, John Ashworth is not the author of the content and the source is always cited. You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "sudan-john-ashworth" group. 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