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As we close out 2022, we reflect on the huge milestones met across our business and through the very successful implementation of our major projects in the Mekong and Indonesia in particular.

At COP26, the Government of Bangladesh announced that it seeks to achieve 40% of total energy supply from renewables by 2041. The country produced an ambitious revised National Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement to decarbonise and reduce the country’s emissions. These announcements led to the country’s Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan 2022 which indicated a plan to achieve 30% renewable energy by 2030 and 40% by 2041.

After nearly 3.5 years, the Papua Spatial Planning program is coming to end! We’re so proud of our team’s efforts and successes in providing support to Indonesian national, provincial and district governments to develop ‘green and inclusive’ spatial plans.

The Australian Government is preparing a new policy to guide international development cooperation, to be released ahead of the 2023-23 Federal Budget (May 2023). Written public submissions to inform the policy were invited, with key guiding questions addressing key trends and challenges, risk and opportunities, lessons from Australia’s past development efforts, and key needs from Australia in the region.

MRLG seeks a Communication Consultant to support communication at the end of phase two of the project. The position may be home-based or located in Vientiane, Lao PDR. The anticipated start date is October 2022 with a contract duration of three months. While the position is short-term, the project anticipates a third phase from 2023 to 2025. Subject to mutual agreement, the contract may be converted to a long-term contract for the duration of phase three, with competitive remuneration and benefits.

The webinar discussed ideas of shaping land administration design with a better-informed political economy approach. The webinar pre-meetings with each of the panellists leading up to the event along with the research on this topic are incredibly thought provoking. LEI are keen to continue contribute in this space, not only from insights of Tony Burns’ PhD candidacy, but also through reflections on LEI projects. As a start, and given the nature of the project, we have revisited the Mekong Region Land Governance project in a paper by LEI and our MRLG Team Leader, Micah Ingall’s, that was recently accepted at the FIG Congress, Warsaw. Tony and Kate Rickersey will be presenting this in a session on the 13th of September to be broadcast virtually. We are interested in your feedback if you’d like to take a read of the paper “ Thinking and Working Politically in the Land Sector in Mekong Region”.

You can watch the recorded webinar via YouTube by following this link: Smarter Design of Land Administration Reform – YouTube

Large-scale land investments across Africa and Asia have often caused repercussions to food security and supply issues. They have often compromised the livelihoods of smallholder farmers, exacerbated land tenure conflicts and caused environmental degradation. Addressing investment practices – through inclusive business and sustainable agroecology – has the potential to achieve more sustainable food systems and is the core focus of the recently launched Transformative Land Investment (TLI) project.

It creates a financial value for forest carbon, incentivising forest protection rather than forest destruction. This is critical given the mitigation potential of REDD+ is in the realm of 5 gigatons of carbon per year, coming behind only the energy sector in terms of mitigation potential.

Continuing a long history of engagement in south-east Asia, LEI has recently started a new project with the Department of Lands (DoL) in Laos.

LEI was established in 2001 with a goal of being inspirational in developing outcomes for its clients and stakeholders in the land sector, our motto being “sustainable development from the ground up”. We are proud that LEI has crossed a milestone in our history, celebrating 21 years of operation. We have maintained long relationships in countries where much of our work began: Indonesia, Philippines and in particular Lao PDR, where we continue to this day. Throughout the period we have encountered and grown alongside many counterparts, colleagues, and clients, learning, and evolving along the way.

“I forgive you if you have never heard of my country… but you will not forgive yourselves if you ignore our story.” So wrote former President of Nauru, Marcus Stephen, in a New York Times op ed dated 19 July 2011.