FIG President Stig Enemark attends the 3rd UN Sponsored Land Administration Forum for the Asia and Pacific Region

Tehran, Iran, 24-26 May 2009

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The conference poster.

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Tehran, about 8 mill inhabitants sheltered by white mountains.

President Stig Enemark attended the 3rd UN Sponsored Land Administration Forum for the Asia and Pacific Region entitled “Re-Engineering the Cadastre to Support E-Government” in Tehran, Iran, 24-26 May 2009.

The Forum was organised by the UN sponsored Permanent Committee on GIS Infrastructure (PCGIAP) together with Islamic Republic of Iran’s Deeds and Properties Registration Organization, the International Federation of Surveyors (FIG), the Global Spatial Data Infrastructure Association (GSDI) and the Centre for Spatial Data Infrastructures and Land Administration, University of Melbourne. The aim was to discuss to discuss land administration issues and the role of cadastre to support e-government in the Asia and Pacific region. The Seminar was Chaired by Prof Ian Williamson and co-chaired by Associate Professor Abbas Rajabifard.

This initiative was the result of a Resolution passed by the 14th PCGIAP meeting in Malaysia in 2008 and a desire by many countries in the Asia and the Pacific region to have a forum to discuss and share land administration issues, best practice and experiences, in a similar manner to the Working Party on Land Administration (WPLA) for European countries, organized by the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE).

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The conference organisers Prof. Ian Williamson (left) and Abbas Rajabifard (right) with Bas Kok, President of GSDI and FIG President Stig Enemark.

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Mrs. Parvin Gharibavaz, President of the Iran Society of Surveyors and FIG President Stig Enemark.

Over 410 people from 15 countries and 4 international organisations attended the forum. The objectives of the forum in Tehran were

  • to discuss the role of cadastre to support e-Government strategies and to share land administration experiences in the Asia and Pacific region with a focus on re-engineering cadastre to support e-government;
  • to discuss wide ranging land administration issues including access to land and security of tenure, the role of land administration in supporting sustainable development, the promotion of effective land markets, poverty reduction, protection of vulnerable groups, e-land administration, land registration, cadastral surveying and mapping etc; and
  • To continue discussion on the need for an ongoing land administration forum in the Asia and the Pacific region that was commenced at the Mongolian and Malaysian forums with a view to preparing a proposal and resolution to be put before the UN Cartographic Conference for Asia and the Pacific in Bangkok 26-29 October, 2009.

Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani, Chairman of the Assembly of Experts of the Leadership, provided an excellent and inspiring opening address to the Forum. The Ayatollah pointed to the guidance in the Koran on land as a place for location and it is our obligation to harness and exploit land in a responsible manner. The Ayatollah noted his role as President of the Islamic Republic of Iran in fostering the cadastre.

The Forum included about a range of sessions with about 25 presentations, including invited papers from Stig Enemark (FIG), Tony Burns (Aus), Prof. Bas Kok (GSDI), Peter Holland (Aus), Jude Wallace (Aus), and Daniel Steudler (CH).

As an outcome of the Forum a report is presented in a summary of the presentations, see: http://www.csdila.unimelb.edu.au/projects/tehran/Report%20on%20LA%20Forum-Tehran%202009.pdf.

Also, a declaration was adopted with a range of recommendations for good land administration and key issues to assist improvement and management of land administration systems, see:
http://www.csdila.unimelb.edu.au/projects/tehran/Tehran%20Declaration-24-26%20May%202009.pdf.

Furthermore a special Land Market Management Seminar was held 23 May in the afternoon to look at international trends and the Land Market in Iran. The seminar was opened by Dr. Ghalibaf, Mayor of Tehran and the closing address was presented by Judge Amiri, Deputy Head of Judiciary power and Head of Iran's Deeds and property Registration organisation. Papers and presentations are available at the conference website at: http://www.csdila.unimelb.edu.au/projects/tehran/pre-seminar.html.

Read more:

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The ancient city Persepolis (founded about 500 B.C.) at Shiraz in the southern part of Iran.
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Original carvings in the Persepolis walls.
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The beautiful square in Esfahan in the centre of Iran is the second largest in the world (after Tiananmen in Beijing).
 
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President Enemark with two local surveyors at work in the Sheikh Lotfollah mosque, Esfahan.

3 July 2009