SWOT Analysis of Systematic Land Registration’s Procedure under Order 01 for Strengthening Land Tenure Security in Cambodia

Abstract

In 2011, the conflicts over economic land concession (ELC) were hardened and became more violent than before. Hence, Order 01 on “measures for strengthening and increasing effective management of economic land concession” was decreed on 07 May, 2012. The aims of this study were 1) to evaluate the strength and the weakness of the land registration procedure under Order 01, and 2) to assess the challenges and opportunities for improving land registration. A qualitative approach, incorporating observations and semi-structural interviews with 96 local families based on questionnaires survey and 23 key informants, were applied in this study. Secondary data were collected from Cambodia’s ministry of land and land administration sub-sector program (LASSP). The results of this study showed that land conflicts were reduced and solved, measures for preventing land conflicts were taken, illegal land occupations were regularized and 361,734 titles were provided to the people. The process was fast. Local people were satisfied and confident on its implementation. Moreover, the local people’s livelihoods were improved as well as the public awareness of systematic land registration (SLR) was spread throughout the country. However, the weaknesses of its implementation were: technical problem, lack of information and quality control, poor governance, state land decreased and it impacted on educational institutions and on the environment, wildlife and indigenous culture. Its opportunities were found that the investment on land will be more active from now on due to the investors’ confidences and trust on land titles. Its challenge was identified that financial support of technical assistances was pulled out from LASSP. In conclusion, its implementation was very useful for the landless people, and the poor. Quality control should be included into the process and land occupants should be seriously identified. SLR should be sped up to register in hot-issue sites.