A/HRC/45/56 of Justice, the Ministry of the Interior and the General Department of Prisons, advocating for the release of prisoners in situations of particular vulnerability to COVID-19, including pregnant women, older persons and persons suffering from underlying illnesses. OHCHR received no reply to the letter and is not aware of any release of prisoners and detainees on COVID-19 grounds. V. Economic and social rights A. Situation of land rights and housing 39. Challenges persisted in the area of land and housing rights, due to forced evictions, a lack of proper standards on resettlement, and lengthy, complex, opaque and prohibitively expensive land titling processes. The allocation, sale, and use of land continued to operate on a patronage system that sustains structural inequality, disproportionately affecting persons living in poverty and in situations of marginalization. No new State laws or policies relating to land and housing rights were developed or adopted. 40. OHCHR received petitions from individuals and groups seeking its intervention in land disputes, including from communities living inside protected natural areas at risk of forced eviction. OHCHR conducted field visits to ascertain facts, engaged with relevant authorities, facilitated dialogue between local authorities and aggrieved parties, monitored the work of dispute-resolution mechanisms, and provided technical assistance to communities and civil society organizations. OHCHR also participated in the land sector coordination group. Composed of United Nations agencies, development partners and civil society organizations working on land and housing issues, this forum facilitates information-sharing and enables coordinated action. 41. In June 2019, in follow-up to its monitoring of land disputes related to economic land concessions, OHCHR organized, in partnership with Oxfam, a multi-stakeholder dialogue entitled “Responsible foreign direct investment in agriculture in Cambodia”. The dialogue identified gaps in the implementation of the economic land concession framework and developed recommendations for the Government. As an outcome, local authorities in Kampong Speu, Mondulkiri, Ratanakiri and Stung Treng Provinces engaged in formal mediation processes to solve pending land disputes involving private companies. 42. OHCHR used the findings of its May 2018 study entitled “Assessing the impact of social land concessions on rural livelihoods”22 as a basis for advocacy with national and local authorities. Social land concessions allow for the transfer of State land to poor or landless individuals and families for residential and income-generating purposes, such as agriculture. In November 2019, OHCHR and Open Development Cambodia produced an infographic summarizing the main findings of the report, and a fact sheet on the social land concession process. OHCHR also conducted follow-up field visits to Kampot, Mondulkiri and Preah Sihanouk Provinces to discuss the findings and recommendations of the study with local authorities and residents. In December 2019, OHCHR organized a national consultation to discuss lessons learned and ways forward. Key recommendations included conducting social and environmental impact assessments before social land concessions were granted, and only issuing social land concessions on land adjacent to that of indigenous groups once their claims for communal or individual titles had been fully assessed and processed. 43. OHCHR continued to advocate with authorities on forced eviction cases, including in support of prior consultation with affected families and individuals, relocation procedures, access to information, and compensation. This included engagement with the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction on remedies for affected communities. OHCHR carried out seven monitoring missions in relation to foreseen evictions involving approximately 2,000 families across Kampong Thom, Koh Kong, 22 See https://cambodia.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/InfoNotes/Finding%20SLC%20Infographic %20with%202cm%20bleed-20%20Sep%202019%20low.pdf. 9