ISSUE 41: MARCH-MAY 2006
network of research and training centres/programmes
FRONT PAGE | ARCHIVE |
Land administration courses planned in Africa, Asia
The Netherlands-based International Institute for Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC), an associated institution of United Nations University (UNU) and the Netherlands Cadastre, Land Registry and Mapping Agency are establishing a School for Land Administration Studies at ITC.
The school will deliver land administration education and research within ITC, and will manage and execute a joint land administration programme with UNU. This programme consists of a series of seminars, short courses and networking.
The issue of land and land administration is increasingly claiming the attention of the international community. In a recent interview in ITC News magazine UNU Rector Hans van Ginkel said: “We have to start work and find solutions that are fair and humane to all parties involved. Zimbabwe has attracted the attention of the international media, but in many countries there is a problem as to who owns the land and how it is registered. Redistribution is a touchy subject. It is in the collective interest to reassign functions to land in both urban and rural areas but with adequate government compensation. And this is a major issue in Europe too. For example: once land is known to be eligible for urban expansion, the price rises. It should be possible to set a price on such plots early on and so reduce the element of speculation. This is a problem shared by developed and developing countries.”
The joint UNU-ITC component of the project will get under way this year with two short training courses in Africa and Asia.
The first course, Geo-Information for Land Administration in Africa: Trends and Innovation, is a two-week course in June presented jointly by ITC and the department of Geodetic Engineering, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana.
The course will address the following main subject areas:
- Land administration and registration systems; from existing manual-based to strategic ICT-based systems emphasis on modern trends;
- Land administration and changing environments; from concept to practice including innovations; and
- SDI for land administration.
The course will be held in Kumasi, Ghana and is meant for professionals and researchers dealing with land administration issues in countries in Africa. Tuition Fee is 500 Euros (limited and partial financial support is available) and the deadline for applications is May 31.
The second course, Land Administration for the Southeast Asian Region, will run in September and will be presented jointly by ITC and the Department of Geodetic Engineering of Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
The course will address these issues and will deal with topics such as:
- Land administration and changing environment;
- Land registration and cadastre; and
- Public and private roles in land administration and SDI.
The course will be held in Yogyakarta and is meant for professionals and researchers dealing with land administration issues in countries in Southeast Asia. Tuition fee is 500 Euros (limited and partial financial support is available) and deadline for applications is July 31.
© 2006 United Nations University