Vice President Paul van der Molen receives RICS Michael Barrett AwardLondon, United Kingdom, 13 December 2006
Prof. Paul van der Molen became the tenth recipient of the coveted RICS Michael Barrett award for excellence in land law, administration and registration and gave a very well received and in depth presentation to a packed RICS Great George Street in late December 2006. The RICS Christmas lecture has seen some very high profile speakers over the years, Prof. Peter Dale FRICS, Prof. Holger Magel and Prof. Stig Enemark HonRICS have all graced the stage in recent years. In receiving his solid silver medal, Prof van der Molen became the first non UK recipient and gave a wonderfully engaging and global lecture. Prof. van der Molen presentation aimed to elaborate on the changing concepts of land tenure and the changing design of land administration systems, as an attempt to better serve poverty reduction and economic growth. His presentation gave examples of the often difficult relationship between indigenous systems of land ownership and property rights and imposed systems. He also highlighted the real need to achieve land re-distribution in South Africa and the political consequences of failure to establish land rights in many developing countries. Lithuania was held up as an exemplar of progress in the establishment of land rights and coherent mapping/administrative systems post Soviet Bloc and even North Korea was held up for examination, a rare insight into a closed society. Prof. van der Molen's global tour was very much appreciated by the RICS audience and the traditional festivities concluded in the bar with the full international RICS geomatics faculty board and FIG delegation in attendance. Paul van der Molen (56) has a degree in geodesy from Delft University of Technology (NL). He is currently a director of the Netherlands Cadastre, Land Registry and Mapping Agency, responsible for Kadaster International. He is a professor at the International Institute for Geo-information Science and Earth Observation ITC in Enschede (NL). He acted as a chair of FIG Commission 7 2002-2006, and has been elected as Vice President if FIG 2007-2008. He acts as a director of the FIG International Bureau of Land Records and Cadastre OICRF. James Kavanagh |
