Globally, 75% of the world’s population lacks access to formal and documented land rights[1]. As in many parts of the world, most of the countries in the Arab region struggle to put in place land registration/land administration systems that are pro-poor and that function at the national scale.
The land registration/land administration systems in the Arabic countries have progressed over many centuries, incorporating laws of many other cultures and countries, mostly from the west. The growing influence of western legal systems and practices in the region varied. Therefore, the approach used for building land administration systems in the region should be going along with the modern and transformative era that the Arab region is going through in the last decades.
Fit- For-Purpose (FFP) land administration is emerging as an inclusive solution that meets the needs of all segments of society and incorporate essential component such as affordable, innovative, and sustainable method of land mapping, registration of land rights and titling which can address all land tenure types including informal tenure and in the context of recovery and reconstruction processes in post-conflict countries.
Land administration is traditionally the responsibility of the government; governments at local and central levels enforce land policies and legislation through land administration. The production, dissemination and use of land information is necessary to inform different land administration aspects, such as tenure security provision, regulation of property markets, promotion of effective land use planning and taxation.
Key interventions
The Global Land Tool Network (GLTN) develops and promotes innovative, fit-for-purpose land administration tools and approaches that support governments and their counterparts in their land administration work. Some of the tools are: The Social Tenure Domain Model (STDM), Costing and Financing of Land Administration Services, Transparency in Land Administration and Fit-For-Purpose Land Administration.
Key documents and links
- Land Administration and Information – GLTN website ( https://gltn.net/land-administration-and-information-2/ )
- E-learning – Teaching Essentials for Responsible Land Administration( https://elearning.gltn.net/)
- Regional Center for remote Sensing of North Africa states (CRTEAN) (https://arabstates.gltn.net/2021/08/16/regional-center-for-remote-sensing-of-north-africa-states-crtean/)
- Roundtable: Addressing land administration and land rights challenges to pave the ground for peace and stability in Libya (https://arabstates.gltn.net/event/roundtable-addressing-land-administration-and-land-rights-challenges-to-pave-the-ground-for-peace-and-stability-in-libya/ )
- Expert Group Meeting on Fit-For-Purpose Land Administration System in the Arab region (https://arabstates.gltn.net/event/expert-group-meeting-on-fit-for-purpose-land-administration-system-in-the-arab-region/ )
- First Training on Fit-for-Purpose Land Administration hands-on tools and techniques for mapping and information management ( https://arabstates.gltn.net/event/call-for-participation-first-training-fit-for-purpose-land-administration-hands-on-tools-and-techniques-for-mapping-and-information-management/ )
- Main Publications, events and info on the Arab Land Initiative website related to Land administration (https://arabstates.gltn.net/?s=land+administration )
[1] Fit-For-Purpose Land Administration, International Federation of Surveyors (FIG) 2014
