FIG Task Force On Developing Global Land Tools for Pro Poor Land Management

(Endorsed by the General Assembly 13 May 2007)
Terms of Reference as a .pdf-file

1. Rationale

UN-Habitat and FIG confirm the importance of the Global Land Tool Network and the mutual interest in contributing to the further development of the network by land surveyor’s expertise and experience.

For this purpose FIG establishes a Task Force under the FIG Council to safeguard a coordinated communication and response of FIG to UN-Habitat.

The deliveries will take place at the FIG Working Week in Stockholm (June 2008), the World Urban Forum in Nanjing (November 2008), and the FIG Congress in Sydney (April 2010).

2. Aim of the Task Force

The aim of the Task Force is to facilitate and coordinate the efforts of FIG to be delivered through its Commissions and their working groups in the fields relevant for the cooperation between FIG and UN-Habitat.

The fields that UN-Habitat and FIG believe are relevant for this cooperation are determined by both GLTN and FIG work plans:

1. methods and tools to support the enumeration of the continuum of rights and various spatial units for tenure security,

2. methods and tools for citywide spatial planning and slum upgrading,

3. methods and tools for improving slum conditions through innovative financing.

UN-Habitat emphases to focus on ‘tools’ rather than on abstract deliverables.

The Task Force aims at the delivery of

1. papers and presentations for the WW Stockholm June 2008, and

2. one or more comprehensive reports to be presented at during World Urban Forum in Nanjing, November 2008

3. high profile session at the FIG Congress in Sydney, April 2010

3. Composition of the Task Force

The Task Force will comprise the working groups and/or commission chairs responsible within FIG for the indicated fields of work. This includes Dr. Chryssy Potsiou (Commission 3), Mr. Christiaan Lemmen (Commission 7), Dr. Diane Dumashie (Commission 8) and Mr. Bengt Kjellson (Commission 9).

The Task Force will be chaired by FIG Vice-president, Prof. Paul van der Molen.

4. Objectives

Commission 3 (Dr. Chryssy Potsiou) will work to develop low cost methods and tools for city wide environmental monitoring of unplanned urban developments. This will be based on the outcome the WPLA/FIG workshop on Informal Settlements held in Athens, Greece, March 2007.

Commission 7 (Mr. Christiaan Lemmen, working group 7.1) will work to develop a working prototype of the social tenure domain model, testing procedures against the continuum of rights and various spatial units, and the applicability of various data acquisition tools. Part of this work will include a peer review of the Social Tenure Domain Model and the Concept of Continuum of Rights.

Commission 8 (Dr. Diane Dumashie, working 8.3) will work to develop tools that impact directly on the supply of land in a pluriform legal environment, with participation of traditional leaders, and tools and guidelines for citywide upgrading of informal settlements including provision of public utilities.

Commission 9 (Mr. Bengt Kjellson, working group 9.4) will work to develop tools that bring the financial market and the housing market together for better slum upgrading, such as private investments funds, guarantee funds, fast track loans.

The outcome of this work will be in the form of one or more reports to be presented at the World Urban Forum in Nanjing, November 2008.

Furthermore, Mr. Bengt Kjellson (Commission 9) will also be in charge of organising a joint FIG/UN-Habitat seminar on “Slum Upgrading and Improving of Financial Mechanisms” to be held as an integrated part of the FIG Working week in Stockholm, June 2008. The seminar will include a coordinated input also from Commission 3, 7, and 8.

The final outcome of the Task Force will be presented at a high profile session during the FIG Congress in Sydney 2010.

7 March 2007