Model houses and land provided to the poor by the government in 2019. Land management ministry
The government has formed the "National Committee for Leading the Implementation of the Social Land Concession Programme for Joint Forest Protection and Sustainable Development" to ensure that social land allocated to disadvantaged individuals remains sustainable and that the surrounding forests are protected.
This committee is directly overseen by the prime minister and comprises leadership from various ministries, heads of national institutions, provincial governors, as well as members of the armed forces and National Police.
According to a Royal Decree issued on November 6 and published on November 13, the committee’s purpose is to “allocate land in the form of social land concessions to impoverished citizens who lack housing for residency or agricultural land for family use, support community development initiatives and safeguard nearby forests in a sustainable manner.”
The committee is responsible for creating policies for the programme, selecting suitable locations and assessing and approving eligible recipients for land under the concession model.
Additionally, the committee will oversee and approve development plans within concession areas and surrounding regions, as well as the construction of necessary infrastructure in these zones and adjacent areas.
The Royal Decree also mandates that the committee “review and make decisions on requests to cancel, modify or adjust land use and distribution plans, and to reclaim land from individuals who have failed to meet the conditions of land ownership and usage.”
The committee will also review and approve budget plans for the programme's implementation and address any complaints from citizens regarding the initiative. Additionally, it will work with relevant partners interested in supporting the programme.
Prime Minister Hun Manet previously stated that the government is committed to providing land to genuinely landless citizens, particularly in border areas, to enable them to serve as a strong line of defence for national territory.
He also instructed authorities to take action against individuals encouraging others to apply for social land concessions under false pretences, labelling such actions as fraudulent.
Yong Kim Eng, president of the People Center for Development and Peace (PDP-Centre), noted that some past distributions of concessions to landless citizens encountered problems, including land being seized by others or sold multiple times.
He pointed out that delays in title issuance have sometimes prevented recipients from obtaining land titles immediately, and occasionally, ineligible individuals were granted land.
He emphasised the need for thorough monitoring and suggested involving third-party oversight from civil society.
"For the successful management and use of social land concessions, it’s essential to have civil society involvement to support government monitoring efforts, ensuring transparency and accountability. Without this, the same issues may continue to arise," he said.
"Relying solely on state channels for implementation can sometimes reduce effectiveness, as independent oversight and balance are missing,” he added.
Yang Peou, secretary-general of the Royal Academy of Cambodia, stressed that social land concessions must be handled strictly, preventing cases where land is allocated and then sold, or where forest areas are cleared under the guise of land allocation.
He mentioned that some forest areas were previously cleared on the pretext of distributing land.
He expressed hope that the newly formed committee would ensure fair and impartial allocation by tracking and verifying that recipients are genuinely in need and using the land responsibly.
Am Sam Ath, operations director at rights group LICADHO, noted that powerful or wealthy individuals often carried out large-scale forest encroachments in the past, while smaller-scale encroachments by citizens were typically for subsistence farming.
He highlighted that influential individuals have, at times, used citizens for encroachment, with some local authorities also involved.
He acknowledged that social land concessions have encountered issues when they overlap with local residents' land. He explained that recipients of concessions must wait five years before receiving full title, and due to a lack of infrastructure, some citizens sell their land prematurely.
He views infrastructure development as crucial for ensuring the programme’s long-term success and sustainability.
