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News
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November
2008
 A
Good Question?
A
reader's letter published in the Guardian newspaper (UK) of 15
November questions why, when you don't need a solicitor
(attorney-at-law) to register land with Her Majesty's Land
Registry (HMLR) of England and Wales, that they insist you need a solicitor to
witness your proof
of identity? After all, you don't need a solicitor to witness your identify when applying for a passport, so why for
registering a land transfer? To their credit, HMLR is one of the few registries in the world
that accepts applications directly from the public; a
solicitor isn't needed to complete any of the forms, but HMLR
do strongly recommend that applicants seek legal advice. This
is good advice, because property is most peoples' principle
asset and needs to be handled with care and consideration of
such pitfalls as 'overriding interests'. However, bare land
already registered is much less likely to be burdened with
unregistered rights and interests and therefore is easier and
more straightforward to buy and sell. But a solicitor is still
needed, if only to verify who you say you are. Is fraudulent
land dealing that prevalent in England and Wales?
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October
2008
Facing
the Challenges of African Growth
Although
published over a year ago, this report by the World Bank
should be highlighted because it identifies and explains what
matters most in creating economic growth in Africa and
proposes strategies to remove the obstacles to growth. From
the land administration perspective, the finding that insecure
property rights is a primary constraint should come as no
surprise. Less appreciated but equally as significant is the
high transactions costs associated with securing and enforcing
property rights and one conclusion is that increased efforts
are needed at improving governance in relation to effective
and cost-efficient institutions such as property laws and
registration systems. The report can be accessed here
at the World Bank's website.
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June
2008
Legal
Rights for All
A
report, by the Commission on Legal Empowerment of the Poor,
entitled 'Making the Law Work for Everyone' states that four
billion people – the majority of the world’s people –
are excluded from the rule of law. Prepared by a group
co-chaired by former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine K.
Albright and Peruvian economist Hernando de Soto, the reports
calls on governments, international institutions and civil
society to make legal empowerment a top agenda item in the
fight against global poverty. As the global food crisis wreaks
havoc on nations across the globe, solutions must focus on the
core of the problem...including land and property rights.
Download the report here
from the Commission on Legal Empowerment's website.
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May
2008
Secure
Land Rights for All
Secure
land and property rights for land users strengthen economic
development, social inclusion and good environmental
management; secure land rights are the key to the Millennium
Development Goals in the quest for poverty reduction and
promotion of gender equality; security of tenure is often more
important for the poor than land and home ownership; there are
many tenure choices offering adequate security for all land
users, especially poor women and men in both urban and rural
areas; and, policy makers and planners seeking solutions to
secure land rights must keep abreast of growing urbanization,
environmental problems and climate change. These are some of
the key messages distilled from recent research and
experiences in land tenure and administration and presented in
an important synthesis of lessons and experiences aimed at
policy makers in the developing world. The book is available
online from the Global
Land Tools Network.
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April
2008
Plans
to Fight Hunger
A
recent speech by the president of the World Bank, Robert
Zoellick, laid out a "new deal for global food
policy" to address growing global hunger through measures
to boost agricultural productivity. By moving away from food
aid and by increasing agricultural assistance especially in
Africa, the World Bank are refocusing efforts on the
"forgotten MDG of overcoming malnutrition". A raft
of measures are proposed, one of which is facilitating land
titling. > more
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April
2008
A
New Chapter
Working
in land administration throws up challenges and opportunities.
After spending many years in the challenging role of
independent land administration consultant, working for
governments and companies on short and long term contracts, Sean
Johnson changes tack, grasps an opportunity and
opens a new chapter in his career by working full time for COWI,
one of Denmark's leading consultancy companies and a major
private sector player in cadastre and land administration in
the international development field.
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March
2008
GSDI
10 in Trinidad & Tobago
Ten
workshops,
over 150
papers, and 38 poster presentations made for a successful
and well-attended bi-annual conference
of the Global
Spatial Data Infrastructure Association held recently at
the University
of the West Indies, St Augustine Campus, in Trinidad and
Tobago. Papers ranged over global views, across regional
themes, to national developments, but did not forget the
perspectives of small island states and the specifics of
sustainable development. One paper highlighted the
achievements and challenges facing the cadastre and
registration in the Caribbean > more
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February
2008
Land
Policy in Africa and Rwanda
The
consultative workshops on land policy in Africa recently
passed through Rwanda as part of a programme sponsored by the
African Union, United Nations and African Development Bank to
support national governments in their efforts to formulate and
implement land policies. Rwanda adopted a new land policy in
2004 and currently there is a national programme in place to
improve tenure security and build capacity in implementation.
More on the UNECA
website.
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