UN-backed workshop focuses on Afghan land distribution

9 Apr 2015

UN-backed workshop focuses on Afghan land distribution

KABUL - Following the release of a new UNAMA report on land use, officials from the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, in collaboration with national and international partners, hosted a workshop to discuss land distribution in the country.

The UNAMA-backed Kabul workshop, held on 7 April, was conducted in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the the Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit and the United States Institute of Peace.

Senior UN and government officials, including the Secretary-General’s Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan, Mark Bowden, discussed the technical aspects of an effective land usurpation law and worked to develop a set of principles to guide the final draft of penal code provisions.

According to the new UN report, there are significant vulnerabilities in Afghanistan’s land distribution system that provide an opportunity for individuals to distribute valuable land, including entire townships,  at no cost and to whomever they choose.

The report, titled “The Stolen Lands of Afghanistan and its People: The State Land Distribution System,” is the second in a series of three, and was prepared by UNAMA’s Rule of Law section to provide an analysis of the land administration and management framework in the country.

In addition to offering an analysis of the current state land distribution system, the report makes several recommendations, including the development of an overarching distribution policy implemented through a framework to provide for sufficient oversight and accountability.

UNAMA Rule of Law officials presented the report at the Annual World Bank Conference on Land and Poverty on 24 March 2015 in Washington D.C. Download the full report here: The Stolen Lands of Afghanistan and Its People: The State Land Distribution System.