Land Titling Project Comes to an End in Lao PDR

As LEI’s successful and committed team of national and international staff close project operations of Phase 2 on the Lao Land Titling Project we reflect on the impact of over 15 years of donor assistance.

When the first mission of design experts gathered in Vientiane in 1994 they had an enormous task ahead of them, creating land market mechanisms that will strengthen the economic platform in an emerging market economy. This strategy was met with significant constraints, including, minimal basic land administration systems in operation, addressing the limited capacity and resources within the Lao PDR government, and appreciating the beneficiary capacity to engage in land registration. In light of this, the project has managed to achieve the following key outputs simultaneously with significant efforts reforming policies and laws.

Results: Comparison from 1995 to end of project in 2009

• Government revenue from land transactions – 749 million (kip) > 16,640 million (kip), a 22 fold increase
• Government capacity – 19 DOL staff > more than 900 staff trained in adjudication, valuation, registration, surveying and mapping, community education services 
• Institution strengthened – Limited to no capacity or resources at Provincial level > Constructed 9 Provincial Land Offices as well as fully trained office staff in 14 Provinces and 20 systematic adjudication teams (20 people per team)
• Tenure security – Land titles out of date or issued with limited rights > 550,000 land titles issued
• Education opportunities – No land administration courses > Higher Diploma for Land Administration and Surveying; Diploma in Valuation

In leaving the current implementing agency, the National Land Management Agency, the project leaves in place a well-functioning system for issuing land titles and dealing with subsequent transactions, a computerised registration and valuation system, a fully trained and resourced cadastral surveying unit with accompanying decentralized teams, standard operating manuals and service standards, and a national monitoring and evaluation system. As land titling initiatives under NLMA take on new challenges expanding to rural and upland areas it will be critical that the social and environmental safeguards which were well developed during project implementation remain high on the agenda.While key partners and political will supporting the project has fluctuated over the years it is clearly evident that the project objectives to improve tenure security, institutional capacity and increased revenue have been met. Technical advice provided through the AusAID funded component, managed by LEI, provided approximately 650 months of technical advisor inputs, with a 40/60 split between international and national advisors. Strategic partnerships throughout the project were key elements of effective implementation, particularly partnerships with the National Geographic Department for geodetic control, the Polytechnic College for diploma level education and the Lao Women’s Union providing community and gender specific education and services.