World Bank support for land administration and management : responding to the challenges of the millennium development goals
Bell, Keith C.
Land and property are generally the major assets in any economy. In most countries, land may account for between half to three-quarters of national wealth. Land is a fundamental factor for agricultural production and is thus directly linked to food security. Security of land tenure is an important foundation for economic development, social and environmental management, and also for supporting reconstruction following a disaster or conflict. There are many complexities, dimensions and themes associated with land administration and management. Securing land rights is particularly relevant to vulnerable groups such as the poor, women, orphans, displaced persons and ethnic minority groups. Fees and taxes on land are often a significant source of government revenue, particularly at the local level. In most societies, there are many competing demands on land including development, agriculture, pasture, forestry, industry, infrastructure, urbanization, biodiversity, customary rights, ecological and environmental protection. Many countries have great difficulty in balancing the needs of these competing demands. Land continues to be a cause of social, ethnic, cultural and religious conflict. For many centuries, many wars and revolutions have been fought over rights to land. Throughout history, virtually all civilizations have devoted considerable efforts to defining rights to land and in establishing institutions to administer these rights, i.e. land administration systems.
Event: XXIII International FIG Congress : Shaping the change
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