ARGENTINA: RESTORE RURAL LAND PROTECTIONS

Honorable Congressmen and Congresswomen,

I am concerned about the repeal of the Rural Land Law, Law No. 26,737, through Necessity and Urgency Decree (DNU) No. 70/2023. Law No. 26,737 established limits on the ownership and possession of rural land by foreign individuals and entities, including limits on land concentration, and restrictions concerning land containing or bordering large and permanent bodies of water. In December 2023, the national executive branch enacted Decree 70/2023. Article 154 of Emergency Decree No. 70/2023, which repeals Rural Land Law.

This situation raises human rights concerns. Removing limits on the acquisition and concentration of this land may intensify pressures linked to agricultural, extractive, and other large-scale economic activities, with consequences for water, the environment, livelihoods, and access to land. These risks may be particularly severe for Indigenous Peoples and other rural communities whose rights, cultures, and livelihoods are closely connected to their territories.

I urge the National Congress to restore the safeguards provided by the Rural Land Law to protect Argentina’s rural lands, water, biodiversity, natural resources, Indigenous Peoples lands, and the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment.

Sincerely,

[YOUR NAME]