Strengthening the Partnership with the World BankFIG President Stig Enemark and Incoming President CheeHai Teo visit the World Bank, Washington D.C., USA, 13 September 2010
FIG President Stig Enemark and Incoming President CheeHai Teo visited the World Bank 13 September 2010 to strengthen the partnership between FIG and the Land Group of the World Bank. The key purpose of the visit was to review and renew the current Memorandum of Understanding that was signed in February 2007. The visit was kindly hosted by Keith Bell and the co-chairs of the Land Group: Robin Rajack, Senior Urban Development Specialist, and Jorge A. Munoz, Lead Rural Development Specialist, and was organized as a so called “brown back meeting” (a meeting with lunch bags). President Enemark and Incoming President Teo gave a presentation of the importance of the FIG-WB partnership and the achievements over the last four year. The presentation also included a list of suggested issues for further cooperation over the coming four year term. The presentation was followed by a general discussion stating that the partnership has been very successful. The key issues for future cooperation were identified as: The STDM model in cooperation with GLTN and ITC; Land Governance addressing the new challenges; and a joint publication looking at demands for survey accuracy to be “fit for purpose”. The MoU will now be revised accordingly. The visit also included a meeting with the Juergen Voegele, Director of Agriculture and Rural development Department. This meeting confirmed the common interest of FIG and the World Bank in terms of contributing to the global agenda both in relation to the achieving the Millennium Development Goals but also in addressing the new challenges such as climate change, disaster management and food shortage from the point of secure tenure and good land governance. The big issue of “land grapping” was discussed with reference to recent WB report on Rising Global Interest in Farmland (see below).
During their stay in Washington the FIG President and President Elect also had a dinner meeting with Curt Summers, Secretary General of the American Congress of Surveying and Mapping. Common issues were discussed and especially the financial constraints that ACSM is currently facing. Finally Stig Enemark and Chee Hai Teo also met with Jolyne Sanjak, Managing Director of Department of Compact Implementation, Millennium Challenge Cooperation (MCC). Discussions were around issues of possible future cooperation in relation to the wide range of land related projects undertaken by MCC. Further readings:
15 October 2010 |
