CAMBODIA is in the process of drafting a new Law on Land Management, which will earmark certain areas of the country for development or conservation, officials said in Phnom Penh on Wednesday.

During a two-day conference on the proposed law, which is being formulated by the General Secretariat of the Land Policy Council in the Ministry of Land Management, ministry officials said the new law is in the process of being drafted and would be put together in consultation with relevant nongovernmental organisations.

Roth Sarin, secretary general of the Council, said the discussion was conducted in order to gather input so that standardised policies could be established for inclusion in the law.

He did not specify when the draft could be officially completed, but said that following the conference, which wound up on Wednesday, the Land Policy Council’s general secretariat would make some adjustments to the law and conduct broader discussions during which it would seek additional input from NGOs.

According to a copy of the draft legislation obtained by the Post, the Law on Land Management is being designed to ensure that land and natural resources will be used with “effectiveness, stability and equity in order to promote economic and social development”.

The draft of the law also states that “constant population growth and the changes in lifestyle in the cultural and economical context of globalisation require effective land management”.