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Monday, March 01, 2010 - 05.50 GMT |
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Sri Lankan
officials study Timor land issue |
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Senior
government
officials
from
central
and
provincial
ministries
currently
on a
7-day
study
tour to
learn
how land
ownership
issues
are
being
resolved
in
Timor-Leste
(also
known as
East
Timor),
a
country
recovering
from
conflict.
This
study
tour
will
focus on
land
tenure
issues
in a
post-conflict
environment
and
highlight
issues
of
ownership
security
and
occupation
of land
by
non-original
owners.
Sri
Lankan
officials
will
meet
with
Timorese
government
authorities,
development
workers
and
community
leaders,
and will
participate
in site
visits
to local
areas to
gain
many
perspectives
on the
issue.
“USAID
is
sponsoring
this
study
tour to
introduce
Sri
Lankan
officials
to some
of the
issues
they
will
face as
they
work to
address
land
ownership
and
tenure
in the
North
and the
East,"
said
Rebecca
Cohn,
USAID
Mission
Director.
Land
ownership
issues
in areas
affected
by the
conflict
will be
difficult
to
resolve,
but
stability
and
prosperity
will
depend
on
policies
and
practices
that are
fair and
just. We
hope
that Sri
Lankan
officials
will
come
back
with
some new
ideas
and best
practices
that
they can
use to
develop
policies
that
meet the
needs of
all Sri
Lankans,
she
further
said.
USAID
invited
government
entities
involved
with
land
ownership
issues
to
select
representatives
to
participate
in the
Land
Study
Tour.
Participants
include
land
commissioners
from the
North
and
East,
provincial
council
officials,
justice
sector
representatives,
and
officials
from the
Ministry
of
Justice,
Ministry
of
Environment
and
Natural
Resources,
and the
Ministry
of
Nation
Building
& Estate
Infrastructure
Development.
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