Community Resources for Resisting Forced Displacement
The Community Resources for Resisting Forced Displacement initiative is a series of popular education manuals for communities fighting to defend their rights against unjust displacement. The first Guide is specific to Cambodia, and will serve as a template for additional country-specific manuals to follow.
Updates
Watch the video from the international launch of the Community Guide in Phnom Penh!
Click here to read Joanna's reflections on the launch and her time in Cambodia.
More information coming soon on additional country-specific resources being developed in India, East Timor, Loas and elsewhere...
Overview
The People's Guide is an initiative to create a series of country-specific guides, each of which will outline practical information on rights, national laws and effective resistance and advocacy strategies for communities facing development-induced displacement, eviction and resettlement. The illustrated guides include stories and lessons learned from communities who have organized successfully in diverse ways to assert their rights in the face of development-induced displacement. The entire Guide is composed of curriculum for grassroots leaders to use in organizing workshops in their communities. It includes activities, visuals and case studies that support communities to understand the issues at play, and formulate a well-informed plan to defend their rights.
Concerns
When people find out their community is in danger of being displaced by a new dam, mine, factory or other project, most often community members do not know what they can do. It is often almost impossible for communities to find accessible information about what specific rights and avenues they have to influence or contest the project, or to ensure they receive just compensation, meaningful benefits, and genuine forms of resettlement and rehabilitation. It can be even more difficult to find out what specific laws the company or government must uphold--and how local citizens can effectively hold companies and governments accountable to these obligations.
The People's Guide initiative is designed to address this need through creating an empowering and accessible resource for communities on the front lines of unjust displacement.
Our Approach
IAP is working in close collaboration with NGO and grassroots partners at every stage of this process--in designing the initial concept and content, in field-testing the draft chatpers, and in supporting existing grassroots trainers networks in making use of the Guide. In 2009, IAP and partners launched the first country-specific version of the guide,in Cambodia, and is currently working with partners in India to create a second country-specific resource. Both of these will serve as templates for creating additional country-specific versions in South Asia and the Mekong region. Our co-authors in drafting the Guide are:
IAP initiated the process in June 2007, through extensive scoping meetings and research in South Asia and Southeast Asia led by IAP 2007 Summer Research Fellow Nina Robertson. (See slide show from Nina's trip.) The input, stories and inspiration shared with us by over 50 community groups, civil society organizations and human rights advocates has been invaluable in shaping a resource that we hope will be a truly powerful tool for the many peoples' struggles for land and life across Asia.
In 2008, IAP Research Fellow Anthony Fontes built on this work, collecting additional input and case studies from groups in India and the Mekong region.
If you would like more information or are interested in being a part of this process, please contact us! Write to iap@accountabilityproject.org.
International Accountability Project
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Tel: +1 (415) 659-0555 | Fax: +1 (415) 398-2732 | Email: iap@accountabilityproject.org
The People's Guide is an initiative to create a series of country-specific guides, each of which will outline practical information on rights, national laws and effective resistance and advocacy strategies for communities facing development-induced displacement, eviction and resettlement. The illustrated guides include stories and lessons learned from communities who have organized successfully in diverse ways to assert their rights in the face of development-induced displacement. The entire Guide is composed of curriculum for grassroots leaders to use in organizing workshops in their communities. It includes activities, visuals and case studies that support communities to understand the issues at play, and formulate a well-informed plan to defend their rights.
When people find out their community is in danger of being displaced by a new dam, mine, factory or other project, most often community members do not know what they can do. It is often almost impossible for communities to find accessible information about what specific rights and avenues they have to influence or contest the project, or to ensure they receive just compensation, meaningful benefits, and genuine forms of resettlement and rehabilitation. It can be even more difficult to find out what specific laws the company or government must uphold--and how local citizens can effectively hold companies and governments accountable to these obligations.
IAP is working in close collaboration with NGO and grassroots partners at every stage of this process--in designing the initial concept and content, in field-testing the draft chatpers, and in supporting existing grassroots trainers networks in making use of the Guide. In 2009, IAP and partners launched the first country-specific version of the guide,in Cambodia, and is currently working with partners in India to create a second country-specific resource. Both of these will serve as templates for creating additional country-specific versions in South Asia and the Mekong region. Our co-authors in drafting the Guide are:
IAP initiated the process in June 2007, through extensive scoping meetings and research in South Asia and Southeast Asia led by IAP 2007 Summer Research Fellow Nina Robertson. (
