Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Partner in Land
Tenure and
Management
1
34% 70%
Some 1 in 4 people feel Of people consider corruption Amount of About 41M hectares of
insecure about their with land authorities to be undocumented land have been
tenure rights. a very serious problem. land in acquired for agricultural
(Prindex survey in 15 (Transparency International Global developing countries investment purposes in
countries, 2018) Corruption Barometer, 2009) recent years.
(Land Matrix, 2019)
Gender inequality in land rights is pervasive. Women have less secure ac-
cess to and control over land than men. In many societies, women’s rights to
land are viewed as secondary — their rights are guaranteed through a male
household member, commonly a husband or father. Women risk losing their
Land tenure and management — key for socially rights in situations of marriage, migration, widowhood, polygamous union,
separation, or divorce. NIRAS carefully considers such challenges in our pro-
Yet, the way in which land is accessed, managed, and controlled represents political, institutional,
economic, environmental, social, and cultural challenges, which need to be governed to ensure
equitable access as well as to procure a feeling of security to legitimate land holders.
With our public, private, and civil society partners, NIRAS aims to ensure that land tenure and man-
agement contribute to reducing poverty, enhancing livelihoods, strengthening investment op-
portunities, guaranteeing sound environmental management, contributing to social inclusion and
justice, empowering women and reducing conflict. We ensure that no one is left behind.
2 3
A new zero-order geodetic network for Ethiopia
PEOPLE AND RIGHTS LAND MARKET SOCIAL PEACE HOUSING AND URBANISATION
• Increased recognition, respect and safe- • Improved regulation of land markets; • Balanced interests over land and renegotiated • Conditions for decent, dignified, and reward-
guard of legitimate tenure rights including • Reduced speculation over land, natural tenure rules; ing lives ensured for people living in formal or
customary tenure rights, indigenous peoples' resources, and housing; • Disputes mediated and resolved prior to the informal settlements;
rights, and rights on commons; • Transparent and just valuation and taxation generation of conflict. • Protection against forced evictions;
• Equitable access to land between women and processes. • Provision of access to affordable housing;
men, and between different social groups; • Balanced urban expansion and industrialisation;
• Protection of legitimate tenure rights against • Improved infrastructure, services, and transport.
arbitrary losses.
4 5
Where we work How we work NIRAS clients in the As an knowledge organisation, we have exten-
lands sector sive experience in project management from
NIRAS works on land tenure and management We have adopted a holistic approach and op- large, complex assignments in development co-
at global, national, and local levels collaborating erate in line with global frameworks and best • African Development Bank operation. We have developed in-depth expertise
with multiple actors: international organisations, practices on land tenure and management. Our • Asian Development Bank of the entire development project cycle: from the
donors, public institutions, professional struc- expertise covers policy development, drafting • Danida design, implementation, technical and financial
tures, the private sector, academia, non-govern- of legislation, and review of institutional frame- • Department for International Develop- management to the monitoring and evaluation
mental, civil society and farmers’ organisations, works as well as the recognition, transfer, and ment (DFID) of the United Kingdom of projects. We rely on evidence-based manage-
as well as local communities. Our global network administration of land tenure rights. We inter- • European Union (EU) ment and reporting. Our strong track record with
of country offices gives us a unique understand- vene in rural areas on agricultural, forest and • GIZ donors is widely recognised.
ing of local contexts and political economies pastoral land, in urban areas, and in contexts of • KfW
shaping land tenure and management. land-use planning. • Millenium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Our people
• Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland
• SIDA NIRAS's greatest strength is our permanent
• USAID
NIRAS's approach and • World Bank
team of land expoerts and vast global network
of professionals who are trained as political sci-
7
Securing access to land, recording hectares were allocated to 3,100 land-recipient
tenure rights, and mapping parcels families who could become fully fledged legal
owners of the parcels within five years. Entire
new villages with necessary infrastructure
In several development contexts, land tenure (roads, schools, water wells, and healthcare
activities include support for the access to land facilities) were also established. Accompanying
for rural and urban populations and the legal services, which have focused on agricultural
recording and spatial delimitation of their ten- extension and community development, have
ure rights. These measures are accompanied furthermore enabled the beneficiaries to use
by activities that focus on capacity building their newly acquired land productively. Finally,
LASED introduced and tested legal, institutional,
and awareness raising. NIRAS ensures that the
organisational, and technical methods that later
legitimate tenure rights of women and men enabled the roll-out of a countrywide social land
are recognised on an equal basis and that the distribution programme.
legitimate tenure rights of the most vulnerable
populations are respected. The registration of tenure rights and the map-
ping of parcels are increasingly done using par-
In Ethiopia, in the context of the Responsible and ticipatory approaches and simple, inexpensive,
Innovative Land Administration (REILA) project,
and accessible solutions.
NIRAS has developed procedures for the system-
NIRAS’s services in land tenure atic registration of tenure rights in rural areas and
demarcated some 400 000 parcels. Before any In Indonesia, in sub-activity eight of the MCA-
Indonesia-funded Participatory Mapping and
and management
registration occurs, the project raises awareness
among farmers and rural communities about their Planning (PMaP) project, NIRAS contributed to
tenure rights. As part of this process, NIRAS has the spatial definition of village boundaries based
ensured that women's tenure rights are consid- on participatory surveys and methods. Attention
ered on an equal footing with those of men. was given to the participation of women and
Our interventions typically involve one or In Bangladesh, NIRAS facilitated the finding of
disadvantaged groups. The work was conducted
several of the main building blocks: solid common ground between various actors
NIRAS has provided technical support for the in accordance with governmental and interna-
in view of elaborating a land policy that con-
• Developing policies, laws and Land Allocation for Social and Economic Devel- tional guidelines. In addition to generating spatial
siders, for example, women's tenure rights in a
institutional frameworks; consistent manner. opment (LASED) project in Cambodia. Its main data, the process also resolved land conflicts and
• Securing access to land; objective was to distribute land to landless and noted agricultural areas and land required for
natural resource management.
• Registering tenure rights; In Mongolia, NIRAS contributed to the prepa- land-poor families for agricultural and housing
• Strengthening tenure systems ration of a strategic plan for the registration purposes. Through the project, some 10,000
and land administration; of tenure rights in the medium-term and the Photo by Akara Yoth Tat
8 9
Mapping and land information services
Strengthening land administration In Indonesia, sub-activity four of the PMaP pro- the mandated institutions, and clearly defined registration cadastre maps and land records, iv)
ject involved the implementation of a spatially business processes. background - registering, managing deed regis-
enabled information management system that ters, supporting land adjudication procedures,
Land administration is about the rules and pro-
integrates land use, cover, and use licensing and preparing surveying records and sketch
cesses needed to administer the relationships data. The system is managed and used by
In the context of REILA I in Ethiopia, NIRAS
pans, v) operating infrastructure - providing
between people and their land, comprising developed an IT strategy to harmonise land
district level governments. To implement the standard system wide services, and vi) manage-
administration within the country and the
— among others — land surveying and registra- activity, NIRAS collected, referenced, analysed ment - controlling and monitoring the system,
national rural land information system and
tion, markets, information management, and and merged existing satellite images as well
strategies (NRLAIS) to ensure the sustainabil-
and for providing functions for IT operations.
taxation. NIRAS contributes to the strengthen- as thematic, topographic, infrastructure, and
ity of all land records. It established a geodetic
ing of the mandated government authorities cadastral maps. The technical work was ac- Making it sustainable: awareness rais-
positioning reference network as a foundation
companied by the analysis of existing mapping
as well as civil society organisations by empha- for future mapping activities and survey work. ing, capacity development, and training
regulations, the review of information man-
sising the transparency and efficiency of pro- REILA II is providing training for system users,
agement systems, the drafting of recommen-
particularly within the Ethiopian Geospatial Public information, awareness raising, capacity
cesses, systems, and technologies. dations for best practices, the simplification of
Information Agency Institute and the Ministry
data exchange systems, and the strengthen- development, and training are parallel activities
of Agriculture.
In Mongolia, NIRAS worked on the assessment ing of the capacities of responsible authorities. to any policy, legislative and institutional process
and simplification of administrative processes, furthermore contributing to their sustainability.
In Zanzibar, in the second phase of the Sustain-
the improvement of accounting and finan- Information on newly allocated, demarcated, able Management of Land and Environment They ensure that all actors have the information
cial processes, the development of human
registered, and sold land is managed, saved, (SMOLE) project, NIRAS developed the Zanzibar they need to understand and contribute to the
resource policies for land administration, the
and updated by land administration institu- Land Information System (ZALIS) with ade- implementation of policies, laws, institutional
drafting of proposals for IT solutions, and the
tions. They oversee registers and cadastres quate land registration and cadastre functions
establishment of financial systems for land frameworks and administrative processes.
as well as data security. The ZALIS business
administration. that include information on right-holders and
model embraces six functional areas: i) front of-
parcels. These can be sometimes complex IT fice - supporting client interactions, ii) land use
In Ethiopia, REILA I developed public informa-
and GIS databases (land information systems) tion and awareness activities adapted to the
- supporting the update and sharing of land use
socio-cultural and economic conditions of each
requiring the latest technology, ownership of data layers, iii) legal - storing and managing title
10 11
Photo by Gladys Savolainen
Land tenure and management sits at the inter- For around 25 years, NIRAS has been in-
face of land use planning; environmental man- volved in the development of Ethiopian land
agement; climate change adaptation and mitiga- administration. First as part of the SIDA-
tion; disaster risk responses; agriculture; forestry; Amhara Rural Development Programme
water management; urban development; and (SARDP, 1995-2010) and more recently as
infrastructure. The objective is to ensure that part of the Responsible and Innovative Land
Administration Project (REILA I and II 2011-
the rights of legitimate tenure right holders are
2021), funded by the Ministry for Foreign
recognised and respected, and that they bene- Affairs of Finland. We are also a partner in
fit from and are integrated in development and the DFID-funded LIFT project along with DAI.
management endeavours. In addition, synergies
can be created between policies, laws, institu- REILA aims to ensure that people in rural areas
tional frameworks, administrative approaches, have greater land tenure security and are
empowered to participate in land-use manage-
and technological solutions.
ment to reduce land degradation. A key task
is to harmonise and strengthen the Ethiopian
In Laos, NIRAS contributed to the development
land administration system by building the ca-
of sustainable agricultural production systems
pacities of officials and developing an efficient
and the effective management of rural land.
system to register rural land parcels in Amhara REILA is promoting a new method that uses aerial
We supported planning processes and man-
and Benishangul-Gumuz. REILA also involves photographs and satellite images to define parcel
agement practices. This involved institutional-
awareness raising of farmers' rights, for boundaries. This application minimises the need for
ising methods for the planning, allocation, and
Photo by Anni Valkonen instance through radio programmes. Farmer costly technical equipment and has resulted in excel-
management of forest and agricultural land
awareness has been crucial to the demarcation lent participation of rural smallholders and significant
using GIS.
of a significant number of parcels. During REI- savings regarding the cost per parcel. The achievement
locality as well as the concerns of people and
LA I, over 400,000 parcels were demarcated. has enabled DFID to finance a new Land Investment for
other specific issues. The project ensured that In Morocco, NIRAS has considered land ten-
On a household level, some 80% of distributed Transformation (LIFT) programme, which is implement-
the activities reached all women, including ure questions within the development and
certificates contain a woman's name. ing systematic land registration on a massive scale to
those in male- and female-headed households implementation of Moroccan forest policy
register 14 million parcels in rural Ethiopia. Building on
and polygamous marriages, as well as vulner- (PAPS-Forêts). This has involved building an
REILA II builds on this with "second-level land on the method developed by REILA, LIFT promotes the
able groups such as orphans and persons with intersectoral vision for the forestry sector
certification", which involves using photomaps use of land registration certificates to guarantee loans
disabilities. through dialogue and convergence between
(based on rectified satellite or aerial images) and rental agreements providing farmers with capital
multiple institutions and actors, reinforcing the
and a participatory approach to demarcate and improved financial security. In partnership with
REILA I also strengthened the capacities of capacities of forest institutions and improving
the physical size and extent of the land. DAI, NIRAS is involved in LIFT, providing expertise and
central and regional land administration based the governance of the sector. NIRAS has also
key staff.
on training-needs assessments. It ensured contributed to securing the status of state
As a part of the exercise, the project has de-
transparency, participation, and compliance forests, conserving and developing national
veloped a fit-for-purpose approach for land
with good governance practices in agricultur- forest patrimony, and promoting the sustain-
registration and contributed to the respec-
al investment cases. The project also raised able management of forest products together "Register your land and
tive publications of the World Bank, the Glob-
awareness of actors on the legal framework. It with local actors. have the certificate in your
al Land Tools Network, and the International
has clarified the scope of federal policies and hand. But do not simply put
Federation of Surveyors. The Government of
standards that ensure, among other things, the certificate in your pock-
Ethiopia has adopted this efficient, transpar-
equal tenure rights for women. REILA further- et or under the bed. Use it
ent, and equitable approach as the reference
more provided on-the-job training on cadastral to borrow money. Invest
system for land registration, and it is used in
mapping. Finally, the project organised study the money in appropriate
other development partner projects such as
tours, supported the higher education of gov- businesses to change your
those of DFID and the World Bank.
ernment employees, and set-up a professional families’ lives."
land administration training programme.
REILA also focuses on the strengthening of
land administration institutions. This has
In Laos, NIRAS has developed the skills of min-
involved training for government officials Adamu Tilaneh received a second-level land certificate
istries and local partners in the management of
and professionals, creation of higher educa- through REILA, enabling him to get credit with lower
land registries, in the operation of GIS and oth-
tion programmes on land administration and interest rates as the financial institutions have been
er databases as well as in land use planning.
operational manuals for professionals (such able to check whether there are any other loans or
as surveyors), as well as up-grading of land agreements attached to the land. He used the credit to
administration infrastructure and IT solutions. finance his cattle-fattening business.
12 13
NIRAS selected reference
projects
Africa Latin America
Country Project Year Client Value (€) Country Project Year Client Value (€)
Côte Institutional support for the rural land department - 2017—2021 EC 3.5M Nicaragua Cadastre updating and verification of property rights in 2006—2010 Nicaragua 2.2M
d’Ivoire sector-based reform contract * the urban centres Ministry of
Côte Technical assistance to the monitoring and analysis 2016—2018 EC 1M Finance
d’Ivoire of the implementation of improved governance in the
application of the law on rural land *
Ethiopia Responsible and Innovative Land Administration in 2011—2017 MFA Finland 12M
Our work in Bangladesh
Ethiopia - REILA I
Ethiopia Responsible and Innovative Land Administration in 2017—2021 MFA Finland 7M The majority of the rural poor in Bangladesh are landless.
Ethiopia - REILA II The lack of land ownership and inequalities in access to
Ethiopia Land Investment for Transformation (LIFT) * 2013—2019 DFID 69.4M land pose clear obstacles for inclusive development, poverty
Ethiopia Consulting services for the establishment of a 2009—2010 WB 0.2M alleviation, lasting peace, human rights, and good govern-
harmonised land administration system * ance. Funded by the EU, the main objective of the Promote
Ethiopia Sida-Amhara Rural Development Programme (SARDP) * 1995—2010 SIDA 91M Access to Land in Bangladesh project was to support the
government in promoting new land policies and reforms
Kenya Technical assistance to Ministry of Lands to support 2009—2011 SIDA 0.4M
and strengthening access to land and property rights for all
the land reform transformation unit and strategic land
information management system * Bangladeshis. The project helped build a land ownership
registration system at the policy, legislative, and institu-
Kenya Miti Mingi, Maisha Bora support to the reform of the 2009—2017 7.1M
tional levels and established an authoritative land record at
forest sector in Kenya
the Upazila or sub-district levels. In addition, studies were
Morocco Programme of technical assistance of the European 2014—2018 EU 3.7M conducted on the rights to land of vulnerable segments
Union to support the forest policy in Morocco
of the society, including women and indigenous people.
South Support to land governance in South Sudan in the 2015—2016 EU 1.8M These studies focused on lessons learned in neighbour-
Sudan scope of the voluntary guidelines (2015-2016) ing countries and practical barriers in Bangladesh, such as
Tanzania Merged Urban Development and Environmental Man- 2011—2014 DANIDA 0.5M weaknesses in policies and laws as well as ground-level
agement (UDEM) / Tanzania strategic cities project hindrances stemming from existing cultural, traditional and
Tanzania Land Management Programme (LAMP) * 2001—2010 SIDA 40M institutional practices – including the protection and recog-
Zanzibar Sustainable Management of Land and Environment 2005—2015 MFA Finland 13.3M nition of indigenous peoples’ right to their ancestral lands.
(SMOLE I and II)
14 15
Our work in Kosovo
Country Project Year Client Value (€) Country Project Year Client Value (€)
Bangla- Promoting access to land in Bangladesh 2012—2017 EC 5.8M Hungary Quality assurance of the IT development and oper- 2008—2011 Agriculture 1.4M
desh ation of the Integrated Administration and Control and Regional
Cambodia Land Allocation for Social and Economic Development 2007—2011 GIZ 1M System (IACS) software and GIS subsystem handling development
(LASED)* part of the mult-donor Land Administration, Land Parcel Identification System (LPIS) Agency
Management and Distribution Programme (LAMDP) Kosovo Implementation and Enforcement of Rural Spatial 2014—2016 EU 1.5M
Indonesia Participatory Mapping and Planning (PMaP 4) 2016—2017 MCA 5.4M Planning (IruSP)
Indonesia Participatory Mapping and Planning (PMaP 8) 2017—2018 MCA 4.2M Kosovo Cadastre reconstruction and development of land 2006—2009 Kosovo 0.7M
administration Cadastral
Laos PDR Village Forest Management Project (VFMP) 2019—2026 KfW 1.7M Agency
Laos PDR Agro-Biodiversity Initiative (TABI) - 3 phases 2009—2020 SDC 16M Macedonia Preparation of digital cadastral maps for 59 cadastral 2007—2009 State 0.3M
municipalities (2007-2009) Authority of
Laos PDR Land Management and Rural Economic Development 2012—2015 GIZ 1.4M Geodetic Work
– Component Socio-economic development planning
Moldova Establishment of cadastral system 2006—2010 SIDA 1.5M
(LM-RED)
Mongolia Urban property rights project 2009—2011 MCA 1.3M
Serbia Quality control and support to Republic Geodetic 2014—2015 EU 0.6M
Authority
Vietnam Strengthening environmental management and land 2004—2009 SIDA 6.7M
Ukraine Rural Land Titling and Cadastre Development Project 2005—2011 State Commit- 2.5M
administration (SEMLA)
tee of Ukraine
for Land
Resources
* NIRAS as partner in consortium
16 17
NIRAS global presence
NIRAS Africa NIRAS Finland Oy NIRAS Nepal SMC NIRAS Thailand
The Mvuli, Mvuli Road Ratatie 11, 11th floor Maitri Marg Sanepa 3 Bangkok Business Centre Building
P.O. Box 1493 01300 Vantaa, Finland Lalitpur, Nepal Unit 1301-03, 29 Sukumvit 63
00606 Nairobi, Kenya T: +358 9 836 2420 GPO Box 8975, EPC 1291 Bangkok 10110 Thailand
T: +254 716 198 269 E: mhyl@niras.com T: +977 01 5545439/+977 9843538414 T + 66 2 381 7232
E: irka@niras.com E: neeranjan.rajbhandari@gmail.com E: kim.p@smcniras.com
NIRAS-IP Consult Germany
NIRAS America Latina SAS Stuttgarter Strasse 48 NIRAS Poland LTS International, UK
Calle 69a No. 4-47, Ofs 4-5 D-70469 Stuttgart, Germany ul. Pulawska 182 Part of the NIRAS Group
Bogotá, Colombia T: +49 0711 8969050 02-670 Warsaw Pentlands Science Park
T: +571 926 1217 / +571 316 839 E: wgh@niras.com Poland Bush Loan, Penicuik Nr.
E: kaa@niras.com T: +48 22 395 71 00 Edinburgh, EH26 0PL Scotland
LTS International Indonesia, E: jck@niras.com T: +44 131 440 5500
NIRAS Asia-Pacific Part of the NIRAS Group E: pabb@niras.com
Unit No. 20-B, Wynsum Corporate Plaza Jl. M.H. Thamrin No.Thamrin, RT.9/RW.5, NIRAS Serbia
No. 22 Emerald Avenue, Ortigas Center Kebon Sirih, Menteng, Central Jakarta City Koste Jovanovica 3 NIRAS Ukraine
1605 Pasig City, Metro Manila Jakarta 10240, Indonesia Belgrade 11000, Serbia 22-A Kruglouniversytetska str
T: +63 2 310 0065 T: +62 821 1210 1210 T: +381 62 8432 519 01024 Kyiv
E: ain@niras.com E: davs@niras.com E: jic@niras.com Ukraine
T: +38 063 222 9663
NIRAS Oceania NIRAS Laos NIRAS Sweden E: ndo@niras.com
Adelaide, Australia Green Building, Nongbone rd, Fleminggatan 14, 9tr
T: +61 408 208 020 Ban Naxay, PO Box 4298 Box 70375 NIRAS Vietnam (RCEE-NIRAS JSC)
E: gemo@niras.com Vientiane, Lao PDR 107 24 Stockholm, Sweden Unit 901, 9th Floor, Kham Thien Building
T: +856 21 250 845 T: +46 854 553 300 193-195 Kham Thien
NIRAS Belgium E: jnn@niras.com E: anlh@niras.com Dong Da Dist., Hanoi
Avenue de Broqueville 40 NIRAS Taiwan Limited Vietnam
1200 Woluwe-Saint-Lambert LTS International, Malawi Room 2002, 20F No. 333 T: +84 4 86 8592
Belgium Part of the NIRAS Group World Trade Centre E: anh.nguyen@rcee.org.vn
T: +32 (0) 4 8411 3406 P.O. Box 2344 Section 1 Keelung road
E: asp@niras.com Plot 287 Area 15 Xinyl District NIRAS Zambia
Lilongwe, Malawi Taipei City,Taiwan R.O.C.T Plot 54 Sable Road
NIRAS Cambodia T: +265 991 877 070 T: 886 27576688 10101 Kabulonga
No. 381, Building H, Phnom Penh Centre E: jstr@niras.com E: npc@niras.com P.O. 320115
Cnr Sihanouk & Sothearos Boulevard Lusaka, Zambia
Tonle Bassac, Phnom Penh, Cambodia NIRAS Mozambique NIRAS Tanzania Ltd. T: +260 953 727 948
T: +855 (23) 216 672 Rua de Argélia 159 Msasani Mwisho, Off Kimweri Avenue E: ellu@niras.com
E: abn@niras.com Maputo, Mozambique Plot No 18 Block B
T: +258 82 601 8860 P.O. Box 23070
NIRAS Denmark E: jlb@niras.com Dar es Salaam, Tanzania For a complete list of NIRAS country offices,
Søtorvet 5, 4th floor T: +255 784 783 111 visit our website: www.niras.com/locations
DK - 1371 Copenhagen K NIRAS Myanmar E: ssh@niras.com
T: +45 3537 4200 NIRAS Myanmar, 290 (A)
E: svh@niras.com Pyay Road, Myenigon
Sanchaung Township NIRAS offices around the world
NIRAS Ethiopia Yangon, Myanmar
Our decentralised structure ensures that we are always close to our projects. With 51 offices in 27 countries worldwide, we maintain strong
Atlas Area, Siham Building T: +95 01 525 317 local ties to clients, experts, and organisations in all of our key markets. Building on our motto “we listen, we learn, we deliver”, NIRAS is
5th Floor, Room: 501 - 503 E: ads@niras.com proud to be a long-term partner in the pursuit of growth and prosperity for the countries in which we work. Our representations are staffed
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia by professionals committed to building partnerships with local service providers, and we train and recruit local talent beyond the lifespan of
individual projects. NIRAS sees this as a contribution to building sustainable and equitable future societies wherever we work. Contact our
T: +251 9 4406 4058
representatives to see how we can support your needs.
E: mdi@niras.com
18 19
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NIRAS Group
June 2019