"This policy note on Land Policy and Regulatory Framework in Myanmar is the first of five policy notes prepared under the Land Sector Needs Assessment technical assistance initiative between the World Bank and the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation and the General Administration Department of the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Yangon City Development Committee. It is intended to assess and inform the land related discourse in Myanmar on the status of governance and administration of land with strategic options and recommendations on the way forward. The policy notes aim to promote consensus over priorities under the following five key themes of the land sector: (i) Land Policy and Regulatory Framework; (ii) Forestland Administration and Management; (iii) Land Administration; (iv) Geospatial Infrastructure and Services; and (v) Property Valuation and Taxation....Key elements for effective policy and regulatory framework on land that should be developed are: *Developing an effective land governance system should begin by using of the current legal framework to implement new land policies such as: (i) protections for customary users? tenure rights; (ii) the promotion of diverse agricultural practices such as livestock breeding and aquaculture; (iii) directing land allocation policies to improve land access for marginal farmers and landless households; (iv) and establishing programs such as a model land office to guide the development of a national land administration system that covers all areas (rural, urban, forest) and all tenure types (individual, group, communal). * The establishment of a union-level body or council to carry out the National Land Use Policy and allow land sector coordination between land related line ministries. * The amendment of current land laws to expand the roles of farmers and community members in land use decision * The promotion of the revised community forest instruction, which broadly reinterpreted the forest law to remove restrictions on shifting cultivation to protect customary land NOTE: Stakeholder and governmental consultations/workshop will be held for reviewing the draft policy notes in September, 2017 in Yangon and in Nay Pyi Taw, and the policy notes will be finalized by the end of 2017. ?Developing an effective land governance system” in Myanmar is essential to the economic success as the new government sets priorities and implements reforms since nearly 70% of the population is rural and relies upon agriculture for their livelihoods.... POLICY NOTE 1: Land Policy and Regulatory Framework rights and to protect in community decision making on land use, allocation and possible conversion to commercial use; including promotion of community forests and commercialization for inclusive economic growth at the grassroots level. *The establishment of an open, multi-stakeholder process for making land governance decisions that includes civil society organizations, farmers? unions and citizens, in addition to government officials and other stakeholders. * Finally, the drafting of a new national land law that incorporates the findings from earlier land administration work..."