From January 2020 to December 2022, with funding from the INKOTA network and Bread for the World (Germany), the Consultative Institute for Socio-Economic Development of Rural and Mountainous Areas (CISDOMA) coordinated with local partners to implement the project “Strengthening Legal Knowledge and Legal Assistance to Ensure Equal Land Rights for Ethnic Minority Women” in Mai Chau district (Hoa Binh) and Que Phong district (Nghe An).

The project was implemented by first enhancing the land law knowledge and communication/consultation skills of district- and commune-level officials. These officials then directly carried out communication and consultation activities for ethnic minority people, especially women (EM women), at community cultural houses or households, with the support of experts and lawyers from the State Legal Aid Center.

Key Project Results (2020–2022)

  • Communication Events:79 communication events on legal regulations regarding gender equality in land management and use were organized in 79 villages, with the participation of 3,781 ethnic minority people (of which 76.3% were women). Participants were equipped with knowledge related to the rights and obligations of individuals and families in land management and use, as well as gender equality in land management and use.
    • Impact Example: Ms. Bui Thi Uon, a Muong ethnic woman in Panh village, Bao La commune, Mai Chau, shared: “In my time, daughters were not allocated land when they married. After attending the communication events and receiving consultation, I learned that both sons and daughters have equal rights to inherit land from their parents.” She discussed this with her husband and requested the Commune People’s Committee to change the family’s Land Use Right Certificate (LURC) to include both their names.
  • Legal Consultation: Following the communication events, 1,386 people (including 49.1% EM women) who had problems related to individual or family land law received consultation on how to resolve their issues.
    • Resolution Rate: 59% of the consulted cases were resolved, and 62% of cases proactively contacted functional agencies to solve their land-related issues.
    • Common Issues: Disputes revolved around: New issuance or re-issuance of LURCs; LURC title transfer due to inheritance, donation, or transaction; Land use purpose conversion, land recovery, land compensation, and land disputes.
    • Land Disputes: Among the 1,386 cases consulted, 118 involved land disputes. Dispute types included: Boundary disputes; Using land parcels registered under someone else’s name; Encroachment on boundaries between parcels; Disputes over land use right inheritance; and Disputes over LUR division after divorce.
  • Capacity Building for Officials:119 district- and commune-level officials (with functions in legal communication/dissemination, land management advice, and women’s protection) were trained on land management/use legal regulations, communication, and direct consultation skills. After training, these officials directly participated in communicating and consulting with local residents within the project activities and applied the knowledge to their work.
    • Official Feedback: Mr. Ha Cong Nhuan, Justice Officer of Bao La commune, Mai Chau district, stated that he gained significant benefits. Previously, he only guided people mainly on paperwork and general concepts, but now he understands much more clearly. “I feel more confident now in explaining, guiding solutions to people’s issues, knowing the sequence of explanations, and providing more detailed communication.”

Sustainability and Replication

Local functional and professional officials affirmed that even after the project concludes, they will continue to apply the project’s methods and approaches in annual legal dissemination activities in the locality. Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Huy, an official from the Que Phong District Department of Natural Resources and Environment (DONRE), stated he would continue to apply the approach, communication methods, and consulting skills in the Department’s land law communication activities in the coming years.

To sustain and replicate the project’s methods and approaches, the Justice Divisions of Que Phong and Mai Chau districts—in their role as permanent members of the District Legal Dissemination Coordination Council—have proposed integrating land law communication and consultation for women as a key task in the annual plan for legal dissemination and education, grassroots mediation, and commune-level achievement of legal access standards, implementing it across all communes.

New Project Phase (2023–2026)

CISDOMA collaborated with the Que Phong District People’s Committee to develop a proposal and successfully advocated for funding from the INKOTA network to implement the project “Raising Income and Enhancing Gender Equality for Ethnic Minority People in Que Phong District, Nghe An Province,” with an implementation period from March 2023 to December 2026.