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

Attachment 71. INTRODUCTIONThe Government of Vanuatu’s strategic priorities have been build on previousreform efforts which centred around a Comprehensive Reform Programme (CRP)initiated in 1997 with the assistance of a US$20 million Programme Loan from theADB. The CRP was aimed to enhance and sustain private sector led economicgrowth with its benefits distributed equitably within Vanuatu. This ambitiousobjective was to have been achieved by (i) redefining the role of government andenhancing the quality and delivery of its services, (ii) increasing the productivity andgrowth of the commercial and private sector, and (iii) supporting improvement ofsocial indicators. As implementation of the CRP policies proceeded in the late1990s, refinements were introduced through the deliberations of National Summitsand the National Business Forum. In addition, Provinces have prepared RuralEconomic Development Initiatives (REDI) Plans to identify key needs in theProvinces and outer islands.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” 1 .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” 2 .1.1. Land Use Management and Land AdministrationThe land use management and administration sectors of government have yet toembrace innovative policy making and good governance standards as is expectedby the Government. There is much to be done.In most jurisdictions, responsibility for land 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,1 Priorities and Action Agenda 2006-2015, ‘An Educated, Healthy and Wealthy Vanuatu’,Ministry of Finance and Economic Management, Government of Vanuatu, June 2006, p 32 ibid p 5