The New Nation - Internet Edition

UNB, Dhaka

A seminar on access to land by rural poor in Nepal was held on Sunday at the Centre on Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific (CIRDAP) on occasion of the 29th founding anniversary of the centre.

Academicians, rural development practitioners, and development professionals took part in the seminar, inaugurated by ATM Fazlul Karim, Secretary of Rural Development and Co-operatives Division under the Ministry of LGRD & Cooperatives.

In his keynote paper, Dr Jagannath Adhikary, programme coordinator (Development Studies) of Nepal Development Research Institute in Kathmandu, analysed the relationship between 'access' and poverty, the present situation regarding land, the various policies and agendas in land access and other emerging issues in the context of Nepal.

The paper is a part of another CIRDAP study involving four countries including Bangladesh, Indonesia, Nepal and the Philippines, which is expected to be complete by the end of this year.

Addressing the seminar, Fazlul Karim said despite global awareness and efforts, progress on securing access to land by the poor on a sustainable basis has been rather slow, and the subsequent discussion of the crucial factors and issues relating to access of land and other natural resources is extremely important.

Dr Durga Paudyal, Director General, and Dr Nasreen Khundker, Director Research of CIRDAP, also spoke on the occasion.