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<P class=ecpreformattedtext
style="MARGIN: auto 0cm auto 36pt; TEXT-INDENT: -18pt"><B><U><SPAN lang=EN-AU
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU">EVENT: Our
Land, Our Future: Melanesian Land Speaking Tour 15 - 29 March
2010<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"
/><o:p></o:p></SPAN></U></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 9.0pt"><B><SPAN lang=EN-AU
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN">Join
us to hear from two leading campaigners for land rights in <?xml:namespace
prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:place
w:st="on">Melanesia</st1:place> about the impacts of land reforms on Melanesian
peoples, their cultures, economies and livelihoods.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 9.0pt"><B><SPAN lang=EN-AU
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 9.0pt"><SPAN
lang=EN-AU
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN">Throughout
<st1:place w:st="on">Melanesia</st1:place>, customary land tenure is under
pressure from aid agencies such as AusAID, which want to instigate land reforms
as a means to accelerate economic growth in the region. However, local
indigenous peoples have significant concerns about the transformation of land
ownership practices through registration and privatisation. Customary ownership
remains central to the lives of Melanesian peoples and land reforms threaten to
undermine their livelihoods, cultures, environments and
economies. <B><o:p></o:p></B></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 9.0pt"><SPAN
lang=EN-AU
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 9.0pt"><B><SPAN lang=EN-AU
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN">Speakers:<o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 9.0pt"><SPAN
lang=EN-AU
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN"><STRONG>Joel
Simo</STRONG>, Land <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Desk</st1:City>,
<st1:country-region w:st="on">Vanuatu</st1:country-region></st1:place> Cultural
Centre<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 9.0pt"><SPAN
lang=EN-AU
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN"><STRONG>Steven
Sukot</STRONG>, Campaigns Manager, Bismarck Ramu Group,
PNG<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 9.0pt"><SPAN
lang=EN-AU
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 9.0pt"><SPAN
lang=EN-AU
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN">The
tour will visit <st1:City w:st="on">Brisbane</st1:City>, <st1:City
w:st="on">Canberra</st1:City>, <st1:City w:st="on">Newcastle</st1:City>,
<st1:City w:st="on">Sydney</st1:City> and <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Melbourne</st1:place></st1:City>. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 9.0pt"><SPAN
lang=EN-AU
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 9.0pt"><SPAN
lang=EN-AU
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN">For
tour dates, see: </SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-AU
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><A
href="http://www.aidwatch.org.au/events/our-land-our-future-melanesian-land-speaking-tour">http://www.aidwatch.org.au/events/our-land-our-future-melanesian-land-speaking-tour</A><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 9.0pt"><SPAN
lang=EN-AU
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-AU
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">For more information contact
<st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Gary</st1:place></st1:City> at
AID/WATCH on 02 9557 8944; or email: <A href="mailto:gary@aidwatch.org.au"><SPAN
style="COLOR: windowtext">gary@aidwatch.org.au</SPAN></A> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-AU
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-AU
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN><SPAN
lang=EN-AU
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>AID/WATCH<BR>19 Eve St., Erskineville, <BR>NSW 2043
Australia<BR>Ph: +61 2 95578944<BR>Fax: +61 2
95579822<BR><A href="http://www.aidwatch.org.au">www.aidwatch.org.au</A><BR><A
href="mailto:gary@aidwatch.org.au">gary@aidwatch.org.au</A><BR></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>