World Bank Conference ... continuum of land rights

The adoption of the continuum of land rights was one of the main highlights of the Annual World Bank Land Conference, held in Washington, 23-26 April 2012. In his remarks, Mr. Teo Cheehai, President of the International Federation of Surveyors (FIG), underscored the need to move beyond the now widely known and accepted continuum of land rights concept and extend it to all facets of land systems. This would in practice translate into the continuum of technology, the continuum of approaches, the continuum land taxation, continuum of measurement, for instance, Mr. Cheehai noted. This, he said, would be the only way to make land systems, especially in developing countries, inclusive in order to address the realities of different sections of society. In a bid to advance the continuum of land rights agenda and share its unique knowledge and experience on land tools development, the Global Land Tool Network (GLTN) team successfully participated in the Conference and undertook a range of high level activities. In addition, members of the team authored and co-authored papers for presentation by UN-Habitat and GLTN partners highlighting the tools and work of the Network. Among the areas discussed were tenure security indicators, pro-poor land recordation and post-conflict. The team on mission at the conference also featured in posters presentations, chaired sessions, acted as discussants, co-organized side events, sponsored special sessions (on urban and land readjustment), launched books, mounted exhibition and held bilateral meetings. Through the various side events and parallel discussions, the Conference served as a sounding board to strengthen the partnership between GLTN as facilitated by UN-Habitat, the FAO-led Voluntary Guidelines on Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests, the World Bank-led Land Governance Assessment Framework, and the African Union-led Land Policy Initiative (LPI). The three-day conference gave participants and partners alike the opportunity to share ideas. Pertinent and obstinate land issues were quickly taken up and discussed in the context of land tool development at the UN-Habitat and GLTN exhibition booth.