UN Envoy Paints Bleak Picture of Economic Land Concessions
Economic land concessions (ELCs) benefit only a minority, the human rights consequences of the concessions are stark, and Cambodia’s sustainable economic development is threatened by the practice. U.N. human rights envoy Surya Subedi told the Human Rights Council in Geneva yesterday. … Mr. Subedi cited uneven access to information as being central to the proliferation of land conflicts, and he said that only a minority received any benefit from such concessions. … The U.N. envoy also warned that institutional opacity and a lack of community consultation with regard to the granting of ELCs could hamper economic development. … [Council of Ministers spokesman] Mr. Siphan said that as a sovereign state, the Cambodian government’s granting of land concessions was part of a “policy of sustainable development.” “People enjoy concessions,” Mr. Siphan said. …
