Review of National Land Legislation and Policy, Vanuatu and a Land Registration Project in Dubai

In the last newsletter in Project Opportunities we flagged that LEI had tendered for projects in Dubai and Vanuatu. It is pleasing to be able to report that LEI was successful in winning both these projects. The awarding of the Land Registration Project in Dubai resulted in much frantic preparation over the Christmas period by Chris Lunnay and a number of the consultants.

We were informed of our successful bid for the Vanuatu project on 4 January and commenced the contract on 22 January. The Vanuatu Government, in September 2006 convened a very successful National Land Summit with the outcome being the endorsement of 20 resolutions on priority land related issues that required addressing.
The pressures on land in Vanuatu are significant and the customary owners are finding that the long term lease arrangements they are entering into are resulting in a degradation of their customary rights and activities.
Following the National Land Summit, the Vanuatu Government established a Steering Committee which was given the responsibility to progress the 20 resolutions. The objectives of the LEI contract were to support the Steering Committee, undertaking a review of the national land legislation, land policies and land administration activities in Vanuatu and develop approaches to progress the resolutions.
Chris Lunnay and Jim Fingleton with the support of three ni-Vanuatu counterparts, Michael Mangawai, Edward Nalyal and Joel Simo undertook the project. The team submitted a report to the Steering Committee on the 7th March which provides directions on short term and longer term initiatives that need to be implemented so as to ensure the land issues now confronting Vanuatu can be addressed.

Provided by Chris Lunnay