1. Land Administration Åse Christensen Polytechnic of Namibia, Namibia
Course Land Administration, Bachelor
Semester 5
Lection 27 & 29 April 2015

2. Agenda Good governance and LA Definitions of good governance
Improving public sector performance
Transparency
Accountability
Decentralisation
International initiatives
Diversity of needs
The need of re-engineering systems
The Bathurst Declaration on LA for sustainable development

3. Definitions of good governance
“the process of decision-making and the process by which decisions are implemented” (According to the UN) “good management of government mechanisms in administering social and economic resources for development” (World Bank, 1989)

4. Good governance means
Decision makers are held accountable through voice of stakeholders
Policy making and implementation processes are transparent and efficient
Decisions are contestable
Rules and regulations are predictable

5. Components of good governance
Source: Adopted from UNESCAP, 1999

6. Good governance and LA Adopting favourable policies
Providing regulations
Monitoring progress on land

7. Good governance and LA Adopting favourable policies
Achieved through adoption of international policies (i.e Agenda 21 and Habitat Global Plan of Action)
Outline how sustainable development be achieved through:
Better access and distribution of land
Security of tenure
Favourable land use patterns
Mechanisms for land delivery and transfer
Transparent procedures for land registry and cadastre

8. Good governance and LA Transparent regulations
Supported by effective and efficient institutions are necessary
Give detailed explanation to various LA issues
Limit rights of private individuals and users of land
By requiring permits or licenses for certain activities such as: land use planning and development, building permits, expropriation, sub-division, etc. that impact on individuals’ land ownership and use rights

9. Good governance and LA Monitoring development on land
Important in order to assess progress
How many properties are added to the registers/ subdivided/ amalgamated each year?
What is the trend or land values within a given local area?
How much land has been transferred to disadvantaged groups in the last year?
Assess progress at both local/ regional/ national levels
GIS/ LIS can be a useful tool (provides administrative and geometric data)

10. Improving public sector performance
Social development success depends on a competent and well-functioning government and public sector
Worldwide governments are under pressure to reduce the size of public sector/ budgets/ expenditure while still improving the overall performance
Citizens often requires “better government”

11. Improving public sector performance
Drivers of public sector reform
Need to control government expenditure
Need to improve the quality of life
Pressure to become more competitive
Developments in ICT
Changes in the global economic and political agenda
Calls for new forms of governance

12. Improving public sector performance
Within the context of often-changing political, social and economical environment the reform of public sector reform needs to:
Find best way to integrate new incentives to improve performance of institutions
Guarantee widespread public access
Ensure minimum standards for services

13. Improving public sector performance
Public service reforms include
Rationalisation and restructuring to ensure a unified, integrated and leaner public service
Institution building and management reforms to promote greater accountability and organisational and managerial effectiveness
Increasing representativeness (gender, race) in public sector through affirmative action within the structure of a merit-based system

14. Improving public sector performance
Improved service delivery to meet basic needs and redress past imbalances
Promotion of internal democracy and external accountability
Human resource development and capacity building
Improved employment conditions and labour relations
Promotion of a professional service ethos

15. Improving public sector performance
Transparency
Decisions taken and their enforcement are done in line with rules and regulations
Information is freely available and directly accessible for persons affected by decisions
Enough information is provided in an easily understandable form and media

16. Improving public sector performance
Accountability
Governmental organisations/ private sector/ civil society organisations are accountable to the public and stakeholders
To internal and/ or external to the organisation/ institution
To those who will be effected by decisions or actions
Closely linked to transparency and the rule of law

17. Decentralisation
Delegation or redistribution of power to various lower level autonomous and formal structures
Decision making
Administrative
Budget

18. Decentralisation
LA operations can be centralised/ decentralised depending on i.e.
The size and political geography of the country
The nature of transportation and communication

19. Centralisation Centralisation can lead to economies through:
Use of common administrative procedures
Standardisation of documentation
Easier exchange of information between users
Large and powerful systems can be used with mass production techniques

20. Decentralisation Decentralisation of routine operations can lead to:
Routine operations can offer important advantages (i.e. large distances/ travelling is inconvenient)
Political appeal
More answerable to local community
Often provides more reliable and up-to-date data records
Requires strong central control and good communication between local offices and headquarter

21. Diversity of needs
Different countries have different needs for a cadastre at different stages of development
Basic justification for cadastre:
Economic development
Environmental management
Social stability
Countries will place greater importance on different areas at different periods

22. Diversity of needs Developed countries:
Have relatively complete cadastral systems
More concerned with increased efficiency and micro-economic reform
Countries moving from command to market economy:
Rapid creation of new system to support economic development and efficient land markets

23. Diversity of needs Developing countries:
Concerned with economic growth
Protection of land rights
Reduction of land and boundary disputes
All countries: Concerned with social justice
Different capacities at different stages of development (human, technological, financial)
Simple low cost manual cadastre suitable for one country.
While sophisticated cadastre may be suitable for another country

24. The need of re-engineering systems
Success of cadastre depends on whether it protects land rights adequately and permits rights to be traded efficiently, simply, quickly, securely, at affordable cost
Calls for focus on land owner and needs of government

25. The need of re-engineering systems
Efficiency on key cadastral processes: land adjudication, land transfer, mutation (sub-division and consolidation)
Identify bottlenecks, inefficiencies, duplication
Requires:
Change of legislation
Modified institutional and adm. arrangements
Use of different technologies

26. Best practices
Source:

27. International initiatives
Agenda 21; UN global plan of action for sustainable development, 1992
UN-FIG: Bogor Declaration on cadastral reform, 1996
UN-FIG: Bathurst Declaration on LA for sustainable development, 1999
FAO: Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries ad Forests in the Context of National Food Security, 2012

28. Agenda 21 Combating poverty Demographics Dynamics and Sustainability
Promoting Sustainable Human Settlement Development
Integrated Approach to the Planning and Management of Land Resources
Promoting Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development
Strengthening the role of Farmers

29. Bogor Declaration Cadastral Vision:
… develop modern cadastral infrastructures that facilitate efficient land and property markets (if appropriate, protect the land rights of all, and support long term sustainable development and land management …

30. Bogor Declaration Simple and effective cadastral structures
Adapts to rates and patterns of population change
Adapts to differences in humankind to land relationships
Provides access to land, security of tenure and permits land rights to be traded efficiently, effectively, and at affordable cost

31. Bogor Declaration Permits a vast array of options
Includes all state, public, and private rights, incl. common and indigenous rights
Part of spatial data infrastructure

32. Bogor Declaration Need for re-engineering of systems
In order to improve a cadastral system it is necessary to focus on cadastral processes to identify bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and duplication
Once the processes are documented and understood they can be re-engineered
Re-engineering often requires changes to legislation, institutions and administration, and the use of ICT

33. Bathurst Declaration Considered: Future humankind/ land relationships
The role of land in sustainable development
Land tenure and land administration systems
Re-engineering land administration systems
And the relationship between:
Land, Water, and Food
Land tenure, Markets, Planning, and Valuation

34. Bathurst Declaration Concluded:
“… most land administration systems today are not adequate to cope with the increasingly complex range of rights, restrictions, and responsibilities in relation to land, …”

35. Bathurst Declaration Calls for:
Recognition that without effective access to property, economies are unable to progress and the goal of sustainable development cannot be realised
Investing in LA infrastructure
Dissemination of land information
Cooperation between land administration professionals
Participation by local communities

36. Bathurst Declaration Calls for: Improved access to land and to LAS
Development of user-driven systems for sustainable development
Efficient operation of land markets
Flow of information between government agencies and the public
Coordinated education and research in LA
Country profile analyses of LAS
Development of performance indicators

37. Conclusion
Sustainable development is just rhetoric without appropriate land administration and spatial data infrastructures