Start Date : 13 Sept 04   End Date : 17 Sept 04 Location: Barcelona-Spain

The event on land and urban poverty was attended by approximately 70 participants from all over the world representing the different layers of stakeholders in urban land management. The panel was composed of professionals within the land sector, researchers, NGOs and the United Nations. The discussions focused on urban land tenure security, provision of land and on the recommendations on land and the reduction of urban poverty. The key issues for the urban poor were raised and examples of pro poor and gender sensitive alternatives were presented.

Tenure is often interpreted as legal access to land. Sufficient legal access through a continuum of land rights for securing tenure means cities can recognize the rights of the poor to be on the land. Clarissa Augustinus from UN-HABITAT declared that legalising access to land can address urban poverty and that the practice of local authorities to exclude slum dwellers from development and services is a result of their initial illegal access to land in the city. Access to land and the ability to make productive use of such land is critical to poor people and for sustainable development worldwide. In addition to its direct effect on households’ welfare and their strategies for risk coping, the system of land tenure will also affect the scope for the emergence of land markets and the structure of governance at the local level.

“We need the support from the professional experts” Holger Magel, the president of the International Federation of Surveyors (FIG), stated. “We need to look at different tenure types not just the best cadastral systems of the world, and see what is appropriate for different countries” he said.

Minar Pimple from People´s Movement for Human Rights Education (PDHRE) stated that the key issue is to avoid forced evictions and argued that appropriate alternatives must be provided.

Lorna Juliet Amutojo from the Uganda Land Alliance highlighted the importance of having a decentralised land management system in place which is affordable and accessible for all.

Alanna Hartzok from the Earth Rights Institute acknowledged the obvious linkages between land and conflicts. “Better justice in terms of land and wealth distribution will bring peace and stability to the world” she said. She further emphasized the need for land value taxation in achieving a more balanced and fair urban development.

Evelyn Tehrani from Geoffrey Payne and Associates declared that innovative tenures have to be introduced to ensure that the majority of people, especially women, have security of tenure. Co-registration of family land in the name of both spouses could be another approach to improve women’s secure tenure, while the recognition and implementation of women’s inheritance and marital property rights would also greatly contribute to women’s security of tenure.

The discussions during the event were lively and there were numerous contributions from the floor. Unfortunately there was not enough time to allow the floor to comment on the panel’s recommendations to governments, to the land industry and civil society and to multilaterals and bilaterals.