Government of the Netherlands renews Memorandum of Understanding with Colombian Land Agency
Last March 10th the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Colombia, the Netherlands' Cadastre, Land Registry and Mapping Agency, and the Colombian Land Agency (ANT) have extended their cooperation renewing a previous Memorandum of Understanding for another 4 years. This means these entities will continue activities for the benefit of secure land ownership conditions, especially in Colombia's post conflict regions.
Fruitful cooperation and successful pilots
President of the Board of Directors of the Dutch Kadaster, Frank Tierolff, stated: “We are very interested in continuing the fruitful cooperation with the Colombian authorities to support the formalization of land. We have carried out successful pilots within the framework of the Colombian-Dutch project "Tierra en Paz”. We have used the 'Fit for Purpose' methodology, new cost-efficient technologies and participatory methods. These have greatly facilitated the titling processes and made them more transparent”.
Myriam Carolina Martínez, director of the Colombian Land Agency (ANT), stated that "this bilateral cooperation agreement will address training programs, symposiums and seminars on policies on efficient land administration, a fundamental instrument for economic development and the improvement of living conditions of life of the population”.
The Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Colombia, Ernst Noorman, stated that “for the Dutch Government, rural property formalization is essential to achieve the objectives of the Comprehensive Rural Reform in Colombia, which in turn is key for peace building. This is why in recent years we have worked with Colombia in several municipalities in Antioquia, Meta, Vichada, Huila and Magdalena, to ensure that thousands of families receive their property titles and thus be able to improve their life conditions".
Results so far
For over 5 years the joint collaboration with the ANT and other related governmental institutions in these fit-for-purpose (FFP) methods. The project objective is to promote legal security for all. Many fruitful results have been achieved. Together with the authorities, the FFP method has been adapted to the local circumstances. 2 examples:
- The most recent collaboration with ANT takes place in the municipality of Ciénaga, Magdalena Department to test the methodology in the Caribbean coast of Colombia.
- Together with ANT a joint study with the Externado University is being carried out. ANT´s expertise will be crucial to find practical administrative and legal norms for a simplified land administration, so much needed by Colombian rural inhabitants.
About our collaboration
In 2016 the Colombian government and the FARC guerrillas signed a Peace Agreement. This Agreement states that the rural land registry must be complete and up to date within 10 years. The Dutch government offered to support the Colombian government in the field of fast, affordable, transparent and participatory land administration in rural post-conflict areas. Land rights are an important step in the peace process. Legal certainty of rural property prevents new conflicts in the future. But it also offers farmers opportunities to access credits and other State services to develop further economically.
More information
- Visit the website of the project Tierra en Paz (in English and Spanish).
- Read the article Land tenure and sustainable economic empowerment in Colombia.
If you are interested in delving into these projects, please contact us at BOG-LNV@minbuza.nl