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Project Profile: Georgia |
 
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Project Title: Land Market Development in Georgia
Term: 1 January - 31 December, 2002
Funding: Terra Institute (USAID/Caucasus)
Project contacts: J. David Stanfield (jdstanfi@facstaff.wisc.edu), Malcolm Childress (mdchildr@facstaff.wisc.edu)
Participating institutions: Terra Institute, Mount Horeb, Wisconsin, USA; Association for the Protection of Landowners' Rights, Tbilisi, Georgia
Summary: As a former part of the USSR, Georgia is undergoing radical changes in the administration of land and real estate. Privatization has moved ahead in agricultural land, housing units, and enterprises.
This project assists with the initial registration of privatized agricultural land (1.4 million parcels in 26 months). The project is innovative in that the initial registration work and other project activities are being carried out through a cooperative agreement between Terra Institute, a Wisconsin non-profit NGO, and the Association for the Protection of Landowners' Rights (APLR), a private NGO chartered in Georgia in 1996. One of the primary objectives of the project is to contribute to the institutional development and long term sustainability of the APLR.
This project also assists with the creation of land market professional associations and the interlinkages among them (brokers and appraisers, plus the APLR itself). A final component of the project is the development of legal and institutional options for dealing with the main constraints on the proper functioning of land and real estate markets in Georgia.
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Background: As a former part of the USSR, Georgia is undergoing radical changes in the administration of land and real estate. Privatization has moved ahead in agricultural land, about 30%, as well as for housing units, and enterprises.
The creation of a land registration system is a major institutional innovation being created, and this project assists with the initial registration of privatized agricultural land (1.4 million parcels in 26 months). The project is innovative in that the initial registration work and other project activities are being carried out through a cooperative agreement between Terra Institute, a Wisconsin non-profit NGO, and the Association for the Protection of Landowners' Rights (APLR), a private NGO chartered in Georgia in 1996. One of the primary objectives of the project is to contribute to the institutional development and long term sustainability of the APLR.
This project also assists with the creation of land market professional associations and the interlinkages among them (brokers and appraisers, plus the APLR itself).
A final component of the project is the development of legal and institutional options for dealing with the main constraints on the proper functioning of land and real estate markets in Georgia.
Initial registration of 1.4 million agricultural parcels (surveying, registration of rights, preparation of field records, strengthening of Land Registries)
Land Market Institutional Strengthening (broker and appraiser associations, APLR strengthening), development of land market statistics
Legal and Policy Analysis
A team of legal specialists works with Parliament and with land administration
agencies of government to develop legal and policy options for resolving
the main problems of an emerging market in land and real estate.
The APLR under a sub-agreement with Terra Institute, Ltd. will be responsible for meeting the following objectives during the period of this Cooperative Agreement:
Registration of an additional 1,400,000 parcels (for a total of2,400,000 total since July 1999) and issuance of registration certificatesto landowners that ensures secure title;
Provide support for land transactions that lead to land market development;
Provide public education and support to landowners to ensure theprotection of their land rights;
Provide support and assistance for further land privatization, including enterprise land;
Advise on legal land reform and monitoring new land law introduced by GOG;
Strengthen its administrative and financial management capacities for managing initial registration, land market policy development, public education concerning landowners' rights and responsibilities, and the promotion of security of rights to land and real estate through registered transactions;
(a) Conversion of the APLR and other organizations into Self Regulating
Organizations (SRO's) which will include other groups or professionals related
to real estate transactions, cadastral surveying, property appraisal, auction,
and land registration services;
(b) Within six months of organization and registration of the umbrella SRO,
develop a strategic plan for commercial viability of the umbrella SRO and
begin implementation of the plan. At the completion of the two-year project,
it is expected that the umbrella SRO will be near commercial viability and
will require limited foreign technical and financial assistance. This will
include revenue generating capacity from a range of activities other than
membership fees, i.e. certification programs, licensing, etc.
Conduct foreign donor liaison;
Report on project progress and other issues to USAID and other appropriate authorities;
Enterprise land legal arbitration/resolution unit will be established in each rayon.
Studies available from Terra Institute:
Ebanoidze, Jaba. 2002. "Integrating
Land Issues into the Broader Development Agenda: Country Case Study
for the Regional Workshop on Land Issues in Central and Eastern Europe
and the CIS"
Stanfield, J. David, and Manana Amonashvili. 2002. "The
Development of a Non-government Organization for Re-defining Property
Rights in Georgia"
Stanfield, J. David. 2002. "Options
for State Owned Agricultural Land in Georgia"
Thiesenhusen, William C. 2002. "Discussion
of the Draft Law Prepared for the Second Phase of Land Reform and Privatization
in Georgia (Prepared by the Association for the Protection of Landowners'
Rights (APLR))"
Vashakidze, Marina. 2002. "Financial
Management and Monitoring of the Land Market Development Project"
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