Chief Land Registrar's Report

International

We continue to support the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) in its important work in assisting countries in transition to re-establish systems of private land rights and land transfer. The Director of Business Development is an active member of the governing Bureau of the UNECE Working Party on Land Administration.

On behalf of the UNECE, we carried out an in-depth Study and published the 'Inventory of Land Registration Systems in Europe'. This authoritative Report details the organisational, financial, technical and statutory basis of land registration and cadastral systems in 42 countries. Widely circulated, it is a major source of information for officials, specialists, academics and all those concerned with improving security of land tenure and developing functioning land market systems world-wide.

Following discussion between Ministers of both countries, Land Registry and Romanian officials are drawing up a formal agreement and action plan specifying how the Land Registry will assist Romanian officials in devising a basic electronic system that will complement and support the information system being developed under a World Bank project.

We have received delegations from 11 countries, including China, Japan, Bangladesh, Greece, Australia, France, Hungary and Kenya. We have also been represented in Albania, Lithuania, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Australia and New Zealand.

As custodians of a proven and advanced system of land registration, there are continuing calls for our advice from countries re-instating and developing land registration systems overseas. At the same time, we have been active in learning from progress made by our counterparts elsewhere. Plans are now in hand to establish an 'International Consultancy Unit' within the Land Registry to co-ordinate such activities.