Vanuatu Review of National Land Legislation, Policy and ... - AusAID

Despite the substantial reforms and restructuring that have occurred since 1997Vanuatu has not been able to realise its full development potential. “There havebeen many reasons for this relatively poor performance. Chief amongst these hasbeen that generally poor standards of governance remain at all levels of the publicservice, despite the improvements that have been made since the CRP. Weakinstitutions and poor standards of governance have been widely recognised withinVanuatu as critical factors in constraining development” 35 .The document goes further in outlining what measures need to be taken to achievesustainable economic growth. “To achieve sustainable economic growth anddevelopment Vanuatu must adopt an innovative policy making process. It must alsobe open to a continuing adoption of the economic and structural reforms needed toovercome the weaknesses in its economy. Outward looking, private sector focusedstrategies that will both broaden and deepen the economic base of the nation mustcontinue to be embraced. Governance standards need to be raised and a moreservice and customer–oriented approach needs to be adopted by the public serviceto its dealings with the public and particularly with potential investors” 36 .6.1. Land Use Management and Land AdministrationIn most countries, responsibility for land use management and land administrationmatters are spread between a number of different government agencies and thesituation in Vanuatu is no different. However with such a split, there is need for aclear delineation of responsibilities and clearly defined administrative procedures,without which there will be confusion and a high probability that administrative,management and enforcement activities will not be undertaken.The National Land Summit, in approving the 20 resolutions, has highlighted seriouspublic concern over the management and administration of land matters in Vanuatu.There is ineffective regulation of land dealings, failure by the Government to protectthe interests of the public and customary owners, poor or non-existent enforcementof regulations, incorrect interpretation of government legislation and a lack ofdefined responsibilities for numerous administrative activities that should beundertaken to ensure adequate and appropriate management and administration ofland. This is all exacerbated by a lack of public awareness of property rights.In Vanuatu there are a number of ministries and organisations responsible for themanagement and administration of land matters, and these include:Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources Department of Lands, Survey and Records which includes,surveying, land registration, land valuation, land use planning andcustomary lands unit Environment UnitMinistry of Internal Affairs35 Priorities and Action Agenda 2006-2015, ‘An Educated, Healthy and Wealthy Vanuatu’,Ministry of Finance and Economic Management, Government of Vanuatu, June 2006, p 3.36 Ibid p 5.30