How Land Administration Standards Empower People, Environment, and Economic Progress

The session focused on the transformative potential of land administration standards in advancing social, environmental, and economic objectives. It began with a discussion of the Land Administration Domain Model (LADM) and the Social Tenure Domain Model (STDM), showcasing their importance in the global land agenda. These models aim to provide standardized frameworks that address both formal and informal land tenure systems worldwide. The session highlighted the need for a multi-stakeholder dialogue to refine these models further and ensure their relevance to diverse contexts. In exploring the implementation of LADM, panelists from Colombia, Benin, Nepal, and the private sector shared their experiences, detailing how LADM has gained traction in multiple countries since its first publication, with numerous nations developing country-specific profiles. This demonstrated LADM’s increasing role in formalizing land tenure and supporting efficient land governance. The discussion then shifted to the Social Tenure Domain Model (STDM), emphasizing its capacity to integrate informal and customary tenure rights, which conventional land systems often overlook. The session featured insights from UN Habitat, the Cadasta Foundation, and community leaders from Belize and Suriname, illustrating how STDM facilitates the recognition of land rights for marginalized groups, including Indigenous and Afro-descendant communities. Additionally, the introduction of the Land Records and Transaction System Assessment and Design (LRTS) toolkit addressed challenges in sustaining new technologies for land administration post-implementation. The toolkit aims to guide decision-making around investments in land IT systems, ensuring their long-term viability. The session concluded by reinforcing the importance of standardized land administration tools in empowering communities, promoting sustainable development, and enhancing economic progress through secure and inclusive land tenure.


This resource has been made available by the organizers of the World Bank Land Conference under the following disclaimer.