Development of Fit-For-Purpose Land Administration Country Strategy: Experience from Nepal

SUMMARY
Existing Nepalese Land Administration System (LAS) only deals with the formal or statutory land tenure system. Out of total arable land, approximately 75% is formally registered in the national cadaster. Remaining 25% with estimated 10 million physical parcels, mostly owned by socially and economically deprived (SED) classes are outside the formal cadaster and under constant fear of eviction. Further, unrecognized land tenure restricts the settlers for getting any compensation and government grants. Nepal Government is working on an integrated and consolidated land policy to address this shortcoming. The policy is aimed to recognize and respect all land tenure types. Therefore, the Nepalese LAS requires a new and innovative solution to be able to deliver security of tenure for all which is affordable, flexible and can be implemented to deliver results in a relatively short period. The Fit-for-Purpose (FFP) approach to land administration has emerged to meet these requirements. In this context, Nepal Government decided to develop land administration strategy for implementing progressive
provisions outlined in the new Nepalese Constitution, existing and proposed land policies in compliance with international instruments such as the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure (VGGT), the New Urban Agenda, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and human rights frameworks. This paper outlines the process in developing such a strategy in Nepal based on FFP approach. Further, the paper summaries the results of the FFP country level strategy for Nepal with reference to the guiding principles and key provisions for
providing universal security of tenure across the entire country. The study finds that the FFP strategy is feasible and can be applied in developing countries as a quick and low-cost solution with reasonable accuracy to support good land governance to support continuum of land rights.