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Community Organizations United States Agency for International Development
United States Agency for International Development
United States Agency for International Development
Acronym
USAID
Intergovernmental or Multilateral organization

Location

About Us

We envision a world in which land governance systems, both formal and informal, are effective, accessible, and responsive for all. This is possible when land tenure and property rights are recognized as critical development issues and when the United States Government and its development partners demonstrate consistent attention and a firm commitment to supporting coordinated policies and programs that clarify and strengthen the land tenure and property rights of all members of society, enabling broad-based economic growth, gender equality, reduced incidence of conflicts, enhanced food security, improved resilience to climate change, and effective natural resource management.

Mission Statement

The USAID Land Tenure and Resource Management (LTRM) Office will lead the United States Government to realize international efforts—in accordance with the U.S. Government’s Land Governance Policy—to clarify and strengthen the land tenure and property rights of all members of society—individuals, groups and legal entities, including those individuals and groups that are often marginalized, and the LTRM Office will help ensure that land governance systems are effective, accessible, and responsive. We will achieve this by testing innovative models for securing land tenure and property rights and disseminating best practice as it relates to securing land rights and improving resource governance within the USG and our development partners.

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Displaying 421 - 425 of 440

Evaluation Research and Communication: Global

General

The purpose of the Evaluation, Research and Communication (ERC) project is to create, expand, and communicate the results of evidence-based knowledge around best land tenure and property rights practices in order to enhance internal USAID and external USG learning, guide program design and implementation, and make the most effective use of limited development resources to accomplish key USG development objectives. Activities will support achievement of intermediate result 1.2 under Strategic Objective 1 of the Climate Change and Development Strategy, which notes USAID support for “ensuring the rights and engagement of local and indigenous communities” in conjunction with a focus on improving tools and capacity for land-use planning to reduce deforestation. ERC will also support biodiversity conservation through collection and dissemination of evidence-based knowledge on how secure land tenure and property rights can incentivize sustainable land use and protection of valuable ecosystems including the forest, water and wildlife within them. Work conducted under ERC should adopt a multidisciplinary approach to learning that aligns with USAID’s Evaluation and Gender Equality and Female Empowerment Policies and that communicates results of evaluation and research using innovative, creative methods that target key audiences. This work will also contribute to USAID Forward. Objectives Impact Evaluations: evaluate different modalities for land certification applied across Ethiopia Research: build on the existing body of USAID land tenure and property rights work and extend this base of knowledge; encourage debate around innovative models and competing hypotheses related to land tenure and property rights interventions and expected outcomes – challenge existing assumptions Communications: implement strategies to ensure that new knowledge and learning is incorporated into communications efforts, that new knowledge and learning feeds effectively into Land Tenure Division program design efforts, that this knowledge and learning is accessible to users of the Land Tenure Division’s communication products, and that communication efforts and knowledge management take advantage of creative and innovative approaches to conveying information to key target audiences including policy makers, development experts, Mission staff, civil society organizations, women and other vulnerable groups.

Land Reform in Afghanistan

General

The Land Reform in Afghanistan (LARA) project seeks to develop a robust, enduring, and Afghan-owned and managed land market framework that encourages investment and productivity growth, resolves/mitigates land-based conflict, and builds confidence in the legitimacy of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (GIRoA). LARA provides technical assistance and support to GIRoA institutions that address land issues, particularly the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL), the Supreme Court, and the Ministry of Urban Development Affairs (MUDA), and will create Afghan capacity to successfully design, manage, and implement needed land tenure reform for land market development. Objectives More secure property rights for Afghan citizens through improved institutional, policy, and legal systems Improved public awareness of and ability to exercise property rights, especially in vulnerable populations (women and minorities) Improved economic growth and increased private-sector investment Increased revenue to GIRoA from leases of government land Increased sanitation tax revenues at the municipal level Properties registered with municipal and Supreme Court registration offices Outcomes Established and piloted a model process for land rights formalization of informal settlement in Afghanistan. Mapped 100% of land parcels in Jalalabad; Completed a land parcel/household inventory of 2,780 land parcels covering 2 informal settlements in Jalalabad applying the model formalization process. Completed infrastructure upgrading activities in 2 informal settlements in Jalalabad. Established a Women’s Land Rights Task Force with leading Afghan men and women representing national and local government and civil society to advise LARA on land rights and inheritance issues affecting women in Afghanistan Supported women’s land rights conferences, training sessions and public information awareness campaigns that lead directly to the exercise inheritance rights by women which were successful Conducted gender-mainstreaming training within land administration institutions Installed Cadastral Data Management and Land Records Management systems within the Land Authority (ARAZI) and trained 805 government staff in key land management skills. Installed a Deeds Registry Archive Conversion System for Land Titles (to convert paper deeds into electronic format within a dedicated database) within the Supreme Court. Developed community-based dispute resolution guidelines and conducted associated training to communities and government institutions. Completed a BizCLIR analysis of Afghan laws and advised on the amendments to the Land Management Law and Cadastral Law. In consultation with GIRoA counterparts and key stakeholders, completed a series of maps of Jalalabad identifying donor and government investments in the city, and a Land Ownership Status Map identifying informal settlements that could be the target of project activities. Conducted Three Urban Planning Clinics in Jalalabad with government counterparts for the purposes of drafting a series of thematic maps representing land use, project use, Community Development Council (CDC) boundaries, environmental hazards, and gozar boundaries. Hosted a three-day Informal Settlements Upgrading and Formalization workshop with 140 leading stakeholders in land issues. The workshop was coordinated jointly with MUDA and the Kabul Urban Reconstruction Program. Using local and international partners, conducted and completed a Gender and Dispute Resolution Assessment in two informal settlements in Jalalabad. The data from the assessment has identified key strategies for approaching gender issues in the context of project activities in the selected informal settlements in Jalalabad. Identified and mapped key water networks and road infrastructure in Jalalabad city, in parallel to the assessment of infrastructure servicing targeted informal settlements. With a local subcontractor, conducted and completed a Socio-Economic and Housing Baseline Survey (SES) in Jalalabad involving over 400 household surveys. Completed institutional assessments for relevant Afghan institutions: MAIL/Arazi and AGCHO, MUDA, IDLG/GDMA, and the Supreme Court insofar as their respective activities touch land administration. Completed a Business Climate Legal and Institutional Reform (BizCLIR) Assessment of Real Estate. Supported and contributed to MAIL/Arazi’s national training seminar on land leasing and other land policy-related issues that was attended by over 160 staff.

Capacity Building for Responsible Minerals Trade: Democratic Republic of Congo

General

The Great Lakes Region (GLR) and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are characterized by an abundance of natural resources, including significant deposits of gold, cobalt, copper, diamonds, tantalum, and tin. However, the potential of these resources to contribute to economic growth and sustainable development has remained untapped. The goal of the Capacity Building for Responsible Minerals Trade (CBRMT) project is to strengthen the capacity of the Democratic Republic of Congo and regional institutions to transparently regulate a critical mass of the trade in strategic minerals in eastern DRC in order to transform the region’s mineral wealth into economic growth and development. The project supports programming in responsible mineral access, trade, and chain of custody related tin, tantalum, tungsten, (3Ts) and gold. The project is implemented in three locations with a headquarters in Kinshasa, an Eastern Congo field office in Goma supervising the conflict free minerals trade, and an office in Bujumbura, Burundi, the headquarters of the International Council on the Great Lakes (ICGLR). Partners include Pact and RESOLVE, as well as a number of Congolese organizations dedicated to the responsible minerals trade. Objectives Improve the Legal and policy framework for mining sector in the GDRC Strengthen the capacity of key actors in conflict-free minerals supply chain in the GDRC at national, regional and private sector levels Assess the efficacy of conflict-free mineral certification and traceability systems, and scale up systems for the 3Ts and Gold Improve credibility and capacity of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region and in particular it independent mineral chain auditing capabilities Expected Outcomes Improved legal and policy framework for the GDRC mining sector with respect to artisanal and small-scale mining an public private partnerships that can support it Capacity of key actors in conflict free minerals supply chain developed to enable transparent monitoring of operations, increased incomes for artisanal miners and exporters, and increased revenue for GDRC Conflict free mineral certification and traceability systems scaled up to mitigate the impact of smuggling and insecurity in at least 250-400 more mine sites International Conference on the Great Lakes Region credibility and capacity improved to participate and audit membership compliance with conflict free mineral certification and traceability systems

Sudan Rural Land and Governance Project

General

The Sudan Rural Land and Governance (SRLG) project is a follow-on project to the Sudan Property Rights Program (SPRP), which assisted the Government of Southern Sudan (GOSS) to develop a draft land policy based on extensive public consultation and research, as well as provided support to build the capacity of the South Sudan Land Commission (SSLC). The Sudan Rural Land and Governance project helps to harmonize the land policy with the 2009 Land Act, supports two selected States and two Counties governments for more effective land administration and planning. The goal of this project is to define and establish rural land governance institutions and processes so as to promote property rights, encourage sound land use management, mitigate conflict, reduce the potential for rural landowners to be divested of their land, and to encourage broad based participation in future land allocation, management, and investment decisions.

Objectives

Provide ongoing technical assistance at the National level to South Sudan Land Commission to refine the Land Act 2009 and other related legislation as a result of the final policy outcomes, Develop draft implementing regulations at the State-level to stipulate land governance processes and related institutions in rural areas, Pilot these regulations through establishment and operationalization of at least two County Land Authorities (CLAs), and Build capacity of State and County level land authorities through site specific actions to secure land tenure and improve land use planning in each of the two counties to attract local and foreign investments. Expected Outcomes 3,758 families/parcels and 286.27 km2 demarcated in Yambio Payam, Western Equatoria State. Communities involved in land inventory consulted on investment planning opportunities, risks and benefits via consultation. Discussions between potential investors and communities have been initiated by the project. Methodology for landscape-scale land use planning in the Sudd area of Bor County completed and Bor County Land Authority trained in its implementation. Land use map and agreed rules governing access and use of the Sudd in Bor County established and will be vetted by the communities. County Land Authority office buildings constructed in Yambio County, Western Equatoria State and Bor County, Jonglei State and officially handed over to the county authorities. Management plans, budgets, and codes of ethics for Yambio County, Western Equatoria State and Bor County, Jonglei State County Land Authorities completed. 20 Yambio County, Western Equatoria State and Bor County, Jonglei State County Land Authority Representatives selected and fully trained to improve technical and management capacity pertaining to land administration and adjudication. Final analysis of Land Act 2009 and other related legislation identifying critical gaps and inconsistencies with the Land Policy completed.