Cambodia national land titling program : land mines in land registration
Blair, John D.
In the Western World we take for granted the security of land title. In most of the rest of the world this is not so. International Financial Institutions have been funding land titling projects in developing countries for a number of years, providing security of tenure for the worldds poorest people, and releasing the tremendous potential for capital generation existing in untitled land. However, the areas in greatest need are often in war-torn, remote regions, and few have ever tackled the unique challenges of bringing the benefits of titling to these areas. With the implementation of the World Bank funded Land Management and Administration Program in Cambodia, a gap developed in addressing and resolving the issue of land affected by land mines and unexploded ordinance. The Canadian companies, McElhanney and Geospatial saw an opportunity to combine their expertise in satellite imagery, cadastral mapping, Geographic Information Systems and land mine surveys to design and implement a ground-breaking project in Northwestern Cambodia. With funding from the Canadian International Development Agency, property mapping, demarcation and adjudication, was completed for more than 3,500 land title certificates in five villages badly contaminated with land mines. These grateful land owners were then able to make improvements to their land without fear of access, and losing their right to ownership. Title introduced better access to credit, thus providing investment capital to generate economic activity in this developing region.
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