EXPERT MEETING TO REVIEW LEGISLATION FOR SURVEYING AND MAPPING HELD AT HEADQUARTERS
Press Release
NR/228
EXPERT MEETING TO REVIEW LEGISLATION FOR SURVEYING AND MAPPING HELD AT HEADQUARTERS
19970611 NEW YORK, 6 June (DDSMS) -- The United Nations Ad-Hoc Expert Group Meeting on Legislation for Surveying and Mapping met at Headquarters in parallel to the Sixth United Nations Regional Cartographic Conference for the Americas, held from 2 to 6 June.The Expert Group Meeting was convened pursuant to resolution 14 of the Thirteenth United Nations Regional Cartographic Conference for Asia and the Pacific held in Beijing, in 1994, recommending, among other things, that the United Nations facilitate the organization of special seminars or symposia for legislation on surveying and mapping.
The importance of legislation on surveying and mapping for legal administration and further development of cartography has been acknowledged as a key factor linked with the improvement of efficient land management and land tenure systems. As many countries have promulgated laws or regulations on surveying and mapping and gained valued experience, the purpose of this Ad-Hoc Expert Group Meeting was to bring specialists from different countries to exchange views, share experience and highlight issues and problems of common interest.
The meeting was organized by the Department for Development Support and Management Services (DDSMS) which also provided substantive inputs and services for the Group.
The meeting considered three technical background documents submitted by the Department -- as well as eight papers prepared by members of the Group -- covering the main issues with special focus on legislation as it relates to topographic surveying and mapping procedures, cadastral surveying and land registration procedures, and the lessons learned from the implementation impact of existing survey laws.
A set of eight recommendations was submitted by the Group stressing the importance of surveying and mapping legislation as an essential instrument of a national land management strategy and policy framework and the need for cautious approaches when considering the transfer of legislative models from
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elsewhere. The recommendations of the Group also covered the risks and dangers of over-regulation, the needs for cost/benefit assessments when considering alternative legislation, and the role of existing intergovernmental bodies, non-governmental organizations, and research and academic institutions in promoting the implementation of appropriate instruments and institutional framework on legislation for surveying and mapping.
A special recommendation was also made by the Group calling for more initiatives by the United Nations in promoting the establishment of appropriate surveying and mapping legislation, facilitating the organization of related seminars and workshops in cooperation with professional organizations, and facilitating through existing institutions and communication channels, such as the Internet, the exchange of applicable laws and/or regulations on surveying and mapping.
The meeting was attended by 22 experts on surveying and mapping legislation from 10 countries representing a broad panorama of situations found in industrialized and developing countries and economies in transition. The meeting was chaired by Abdul Majid Bin Mohamed, Director-General of Survey and Mapping, Malaysia.
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