Kyrgyz Republic : Benefits of Securing and Registering Land for Development

Abstract

The project initially focused on building upon the 1998 Registration Law to develop registration procedures, and on getting the Legislative Reform Office (LROs) up and running. Cost, affordability, and quality of services were important considerations. The Project benefited from the country's high education levels and relatively low labor costs. Since independence in 1991, the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic has sought to promote market reform. An important part of this reform is a program to privatize land and secure property rights in land and other immovable property. Prior to independence, all land was state property, with use rights granted to occupants. Most commercial buildings and structures were, likewise, state property. Rights to residential properties were presumed to be held by occupants, but there was no clear legal support or guarantee to these rights. The large majority of agricultural land was farmed collectively. Workers on these state and collective farms were allocated small household plots for their own production. The most essential success factor for the Project has been the continuity and strength of government commitment. Without the strength of leadership in the implementing agency, as well as the quality and extent of skills brought to oversee project implementation, none of the successes that have been achieved would have been possible.