NES Nepal members are amplifying their voice in the media to raise public awareness of people-centered land governance
The National Engagement Strategy (NES) in Nepal has been making efforts to strengthen its communications plan. One of the actions taken is to go the traditional way and engage with local and national media in order to raise the public awareness of land issues in the country and advocate for a policy change.
As the Nepali Government sets a long-term vision of a 'Prosperous Nepal, Happy Nepali' for the next 25 years, the media has become a much more relevant ally to civil society organisations who are advocating for policy change to realise this goal. The Government has now put more emphasis on land issues as a means to achieve improved prosperity.
Members of NES Nepal during an interview with ABC TV Nepal
ABC TV in Nepal, a local news channel, has been organising a popular programme called "Prosperity Conference", in which experts, practitioners, activists and government representatives come together to discuss specific issues pertaining to the country's development and prosperity.
On February 19th, members of the National Engagement Strategy (NES) in Nepal were invited by ABC TV to discuss the progress towards people-centred land governance. The four speakers were Padma Kumari Aryal, the Nepali Minister of Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation (MOLMCPA); Keshab Badal, former chairperson of the High-Level Commission on Land Reform; Saraswati Subba from ILC member organisation the National Land Rights Forum (NLRF); and Dharm Joshi, NES Nepal Facilitator.
During the interview, NES Nepal members reiterated that the challenges to pursuing a more inclusive and people-led land reform still remain, but there are opportunities that both the government and civil society organisations can tap into to overcome the challenges.
Watch the full interview from the video below (in Nepali):
NES Nepal Facilitator Dharm Joshi also did a separate interview with Krisi TV, highlighting the importance of land ownership, secure land tenure, and easy access to land by poor agricultural households as we strive for food security.
In addition, Joshi also spoke in a local radio programme called the "Peoples' Issues", hosted by local radio station Dinesh FM. Together with Dhanej Thapa, Executive Director of ILC member organisation COLARP, they discussed the importance of using data for evidence-based advocacy on land issues.
Strong media engagement has proven to be an effective tool to influence policy-makers, civil society organisations, and the general public to present arguments for change. ILC members have an important role to play when it comes to spreading the joint message and mission of the network and by following in the footsteps of NES Nepal, together as a coalition ILC can show why land rights matter.