The Global Land Tool Network (GLTN) was well represented at the international workshop, Land Use Planning and Land Administration: Integration and Decentralization organized, hosted by the Government of Nepal, Land Management Training Centre (LMTC) from the 16th to 17th of February at Dhulikhel in Nepal. More than 150 invited land administration and land use planning professionals from 13 different countries including Nepal participated in the event. At a time where Nepal is undergoing transformation in its governance structure into a federal system, and in the process of implementing the National Land Policy adopted in 2019, the main objective of the event was to create a platform to share research, international practices, and professional experiences at the intersection of the fields of land administration and land use planning, among the multidisciplinary attendees. Further, the workshop was organized in the context of the Government of Nepal’s move to implement land use planning across the country and future plans for decentralizing land administration services.
The event provided an opportunity for the GLTN to address a wider audience with its engagement in supporting the land reform processes in Nepal since 2016. Professor Uchendu Eugene Chigbu of the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) and co-chair of the International Research and Training Cluster of the GLTN represented the Network at the event. Mr Raja Ram Chhatkuli from UN-Habitat Nepal was also present at the event. Other GLTN partners represented at the workshop include the Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements (KRIHS).
This Workshop focused on two major themes, including the integration of land use planning, and the decentralization of land administration. Whilst the international experts shared different international practices and experiences in their own countries, representatives from different stakeholder organizations in Nepal reflected on their own activities to support land governance. A dedicated session focusing on Nepal was organized to discuss the status and to gather recommendation on the way forward regarding land use planning and land administration. As one of the speakers during the plenary session, Professor Chigbu presented the GLTN’s land tool on land use planning, ‘Tenure Responsive Land Use Planning’ highlighting the tenure-responsive concept and practice in country level implementation. He also had the opportunity to meet local stakeholders involved in land use planning and tenure security initiatives to gain feedback on their experiences while implementing GLTN tools and approaches, and to advise on ways for deeper collaboration. The Tenure Responsive Land Use Planning tools (TRLUP: A Practical Guide for Country-level Intervention | TRLUP: A Guide for Country Level Implementation EN-FR) were highly appreciated in the context of improving security of tenure for all through land-use planning. Other issues discussed at the workshop include optimum management of land, and good land governance which are some of the major pillars of the National Land Policy in Nepal.
