|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
  |
 |
  |
This is an archived USAID document retained on this web site as a matter of public record.
Remarks by Carl H. Leonard,
Implementing the Summit of the Americas Initiative on Property Registration
Acting Assistant Administrator,
Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean
Summit Implementation Review Group
Organization of American States
Washington, D.C.
April 7, 2000
Good afternoon. On behalf of the United States Government, it is my pleasure to report to you significant progress on the property registration initiative of the Santiago Summit of the Americas. At the Santiago Summit, the USG accepted the role of Responsible Coordinator for the initiative on property registration. Shortly after the Santiago meeting, based on El Salvador's tremendous progress over the last several years in improving their registry systems, El Salvador accepted the role of Responsible Co-coordinator. As partners, we each will share with you today some aspects of the progress being made.
Property Registration was introduced in Santiago as part of the issue basket on "The Eradication of Poverty and Discrimination." This is so important because the lack of formalized property rights and limited access to property are barriers for the poor to economic opportunity, governance and sociopolitical participation. Property registry modernization is a foundation for reducing these barriers.
Improving systems for property registration is also very relevant to other Summit interests. In fact, property registry reform influences many fundamental Summit goals -- justice, human rights, gender equality, financial market strengthening and economic integration and poverty alleviation.
The Santiago initiative expresses, for the first time, a unified political will to reform property registration institutions and sets forth the core characteristics to be incorporated in such reforms. It has, thereby, given renewed motivation to move forward with implementation of the many ongoing efforts in this area and clearly indicates the need for coordination and consensus among government institutions, donors and civil society. The initiative has provided the basis for consolidating progress and achieving results.
Today we can point to numerous developments that show progress. Increased and improved policy dialogue is a result of the Summit initiative. As called for in the Santiago Plan of Action, the World Bank has contributed significantly to facilitating policy dialogue, particularly with the Central American nations and Panama. This dialogue is critical because various interpretations can be given to each of the specific reforms called for in the Plan of Action.
Today almost all of the 34 countries participating in the Summit of the Americas have activities underway to improve property registration systems. The written report drafted for this SIRG summarizes these activities based on statements submitted to us in preparation for today's meeting and on input from technical assistance projects. That report is a draft and we welcome corrections and additions to the summary.
Argentina and Canada began substantive reform processes in the 1980s that are now near completion. Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, a few states within the United States of America, El Salvador, and Guatemala introduced initiatives in 1990's that continue to be improved and expanded. In Jamaica, Guyana, and Trinidad recent initiatives are addressing the complementary legal and institutional problems that affect the ability of a registered right to be used in transactions.
Building on past progress, moving toward best practices and avoiding past errors is an important dynamic that the Summit initiative is helping to coalesce. The major donors are evaluating how to strengthen their technical assistance and how to enhance coordination.
Additionally, after the Summit, several new projects have begun or are presently under design. These include national initiatives in Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, and Costa Rica. In Brazil, the rural cadastral information system is working with municipalities to streamline access and is investing in improving the map base using state of the art technology. The report sent to us from St. Kitts indicates that a registry modernization plan is under development there as well.
It is worth mentioning that ensuring access by the poor to property and to markets entails more than strictly modernizing the registry and cadastre institutions. Some countries, like Mexico and Peru, have projects underway to systematically ensure that all property rights are documented in the new systems. In Honduras, massive rural land titling efforts are underway. In other countries, such as El Salvador, special programs have been created to help specific groups of informal property holders to formalize their rights such as the programs of the Institute for Liberty and Progress. These activities are essential complements to the modernization of the property registration system.
USAID is supporting regional activities that facilitate and motivate further progress on the action items. Just after the Summit, USAID created The Inter-Summit Property Systems Initiative (IPSI). El Salvador, through its National Center for Registries (Centro Nacional de Registros), has endorsed IPSI as an appropriate strategy for implementing the action items and is contributing to its continual development.
Through IPSI, we have supported several activities in addition to the policy dialogue already mentioned. We have extended our long-standing relationship with the Peruvian Institute for Liberty and Democracy. Their analyses and other activities will advance the objectives of the Santiago initiative and its ability to alleviate poverty. A bilingual Virtual Office for the initiative has been created in partnership with the OAS Office of Summit follow-up. This is a means for continual dialogue and information sharing. A series of events aimed to promote understanding of the Summit initiative with Civil Society and promote participation of Civil Society in the implementation process have begun.
Finally, support was granted to the University of Florida to develop and test, in coordination with El Salvador, an internet-based training course in contemporary land administration. Other activities are being developed presently. The written report that was submitted to you provides information on the 'next steps' that IPSI considers essential to facilitate further progress.
For the sub-theme of indigenous rights to property, our approach is to identify experiences that offer positive examples of greater security of tenure. This is appropriate because of the very diverse situations across the hemisphere and even, in some cases, within a country.
There are several on-going efforts to improve the security of property of indigenous populations. Both the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank have just completed major revisions of their strategy for assisting governments with issues relating to the rights of indigenous populations and have included indigenous land tenure as an important issue area. Several World Bank-supported programs focus specifically on land issues. Examples include the Indigenous and Afro-Ecuadorian Development Project and the new GEF-financed Atlantic Biodiversity Corridor Project in Nicaragua.
In addition, the Canadian government's progress is reflected in the extension of modern information technology to the administration of indigenous lands; the adoption of legislation enabling more direct land management by indigenous populations, and; the establishment of new territorial units of government that flow from negotiations over comprehensive land claims. Against this portrait of significant progress, it is important to discuss problems identified in the post-Summit implementation process and to raise awareness of some newly emerging issues.
First, there is still not enough knowledge of the initiative and, therefore, insufficient evaluation of whether current efforts are leading to full implementation of the action items. Participation from your countries in the Virtual Office and in our other activities will improve this situation.
Second, there continues to be a lack of consensus on the need to link the cadastre and registration information. Also, where there is consensus, there are significant institutional coordination issues to resolve.
Third, to ensure impact on the poverty problem, there is a real need for commitment to the inclusion of currently informal or extra-legal property rights into these new registration systems.
Fourth, it is clear that for a title to enable a poor person improved access to the benefits of market economy, there is a need for a comprehensive enabling environment that allows title to function beyond being a mere record of property. For example, this might require improved contract enforcement mechanisms and a harmonization of core rules and documents across localities.
Fifth, in general, there is a need for more linkage with the efforts being conducted under the other initiatives in the Summit Plan of Action that have cross-linkages with property registration. Examples are the initiative on strengthening local governance and ensuring legal equity for women.
To conclude, let me summarize our view of the situation regarding improving property registration systems. From a pre-summit history in most countries of slow, overly costly effort, we have learned a lot. The bases for creating complete and modern property information systems are known. The Santiago Plan of Action expresses a political will to reform property registration institutions; it sets forth the core characteristics to be incorporated in such reforms; it has given renewed motivation to move forward with implementation of the many ongoing efforts in this area; its implementation requires coordination and consensus among governments, donors and civil society.
We urge you to help us reinforce awareness of the commitments made in Santiago within your own countries and to understand that progress made on this initiative is important to the cause of poverty alleviation as well as to stability of macroeconomic and democratic reforms. We also believe that for modernized property registration systems to achieve optimal impact, commitments beyond and in clarification of the Santiago Action Plan need to become part of the next Summit Plan of Action.
Thank you.
This is an archived USAID document retained on this web site as a matter of public record.
 |
|||
Last Updated on: July 12, 2001 |
