1. The Importance of Land Administration Systems for Sustainable Development
Jorge Muñoz
Practice Manager
Global Land and Geospatial Unit
International Workshop
Bangkok, Thailand
June 2017

2. Contents The World Bank Group Bank Engagement on Land Issues
Land Tenure at center of Global Mega Trends
A Typical Land Administration Project
Key Lessons 2

3. 1. The World Bank Group Part of the United Nations (UN) System
Over 10,000 employees
Over 5,000 consultants
120 country offices
International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD)
1944
International Development Association (IDA)
1960
1956
The Bank’s twin goals:
Ending Poverty
Boosting Shared Prosperity
1966
1988
Part of the United Nations (UN) System

4. How the World Bank is organized
Six Regional VPs
(AFR, EAP, ECA, LCR, MENA, SAR)
Country Management Units with Country Director
ECA
MENA
14 Global Practices &
5 Cross Cutting Solution Areas
EAP
SAR
LCR
AFR
Technical content of projects
Several units led by Practice Managers
Corporate Departments
Office of the Chief Economist:
Research, Development Data
ICT Department (GIS expertise)

5. 2. Bank Engagement on Land Issues
1980’s: Focus on titling (first project in Thailand)
1990’s – 2000’s:
Increased recognition of the importance of secure tenure rights and land markets
Collapse of the Soviet block triggers unprecedented land reforms (in scale and scope) in Eastern Europe and Central Asia
Surge of land administration projects in Latin America and East Asia & Pacific

6. Bank Engagement on Land Issues
Largest financier of land administration projects ($1.2 bn in current commitments
59 Land Projects in 26 3 13 2 13 2
+ 294 other projects with land components

7. 3. Land Tenure at center of Global Mega Trends
WEAK TENURE
Demographics
Increased inequality
Urbanization
Strain on public resources
Climate Change
Increased CO2 emissions
Conflict and displacement
Fragility

8. Land Tenure at center of Global Mega Trends
STRONG TENURE
Better income; social safety nets
Demographics
Ability to leverage assets
Urbanization
Forest & water management
Climate Change
Fragility
Resilience

9. 4. A typical land administration project
Policy & Legal Reforms
Digital Land Administration Systems
Mapping/Spatial Data
Institutional Development
from to

10. Enabling Technologies…
Use of the Cloud
3D/4D visualization
Aerial and satellite imagery
Modern Land Administration System
UAVs (drone)
Indoor positioning
LiDAR & GPS

11. 5. Key lessons Principle of “Fit-for-Purpose”
Development of methodologies, standards, and of Land Information Systems (software and hardware)
take time
better done by “building modules”
learning by doing
site-specific
No Turn-key approach
Ideal: Merge Cadaster with Registry under one entity
Second best: full integration of information systems

12. Key lessons... Institutional capacity buidling is permanent
Coordination among entities is extremely challenging
Use alternative dispute resolution mechanisms
Public dissemination campaigns
of peoples’ land rights,
field operations,
access to information
dispute resolution

13. Key lessons...
Area-Systematic surveying (and/or adjudication) is cheaper, progressive, and more sustainable
International expertise is helpful, but inevitably requires permanent local knowledge and local field teams
Local government involvement is critical from the outset

14. Thank You