Bangladesh has actively participated in the World Bank (WB) Land Conference 2024, held at the World Bank headquarters in Washington, DC from Monday to Friday. This marked Bangladesh’s inaugural participation in the conference, during which it showcased the ‘Smart Land Service’ program.
The theme of the conference was “Securing Land Tenure and Access for Climate Action”.
About 1500 representatives of government and non-government and international organizations, academia, civil society, and stakeholders from different countries discussed land ownership, land-related laws, land administration, and civil land services at the conference. They exchanged experiences, information, and knowledge at the conference.
Land Minister Narayon Chandra Chanda nominated Dr Md Jahid Hossain, Joint Secretary, Digitization, Knowledge Management and Performance (DKMP) Wing of the Ministry of Land, to represent Bangladesh at the Regional Operational Workshop session of the conference.
Under the direction of Land Ministry Secretary Md Khalilur Rahman, it was decided to highlight the smart land management activities taken under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's special initiative “Digital Bangladesh” at the conference.
The conference provided an opportunity to learn about technical achievements, challenges, and innovations in individual management workshops for different countries and regions of the world. On the final day of the conference, Friday, a daylong workshop titled “Breaking Barriers: Access to Land and Poverty Reduction and Climate Resilience” was held at the World Bank Headquarters Main Complex C2 Hall. Bangladesh participated in the workshop, along with various countries from the East Asia, Pacific, and South Asia regions.
Land Minister Narayon Chandra commented on Bangladesh's successful participation in the World Bank Land Conference 2024, saying, “Our presence at this conference reflects our unwavering commitment to land reforms through 'Smart Land Management' and the 'Bangladesh Digital Survey' under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. We will continue to work towards building a smart Bangladesh by providing citizens land services using smart innovations.”
According to the plan, Joint Secretary Jahid Hossain highlighted the 'Smart Land Service' programs of Bangladesh in the workshop. Currently, more than 10 land-related services are provided online to the citizens through this program. He explained to the world how the digitization of land services has ensured the security and tenure of land ownership of millions of Bangladeshis.
At the conference, the initiatives of the Ministry of Land regarding increasing citizen services and awareness in the land sector were highlighted. These initiatives include user-centric design, seamless integration with essential services, automation, efficient workflow management, critical analytics and reporting, robust digital security, and a commitment to an open data governance policy.
The Ministry of Land also shared information about plans for the integrated automation of registration, mutation, Khaitan (record of rights), and map updating following the transfer of land. Additionally, the increase in revenue in the land sector due to the digitization of land services was lauded at the conference.
The positive impact of the digitization of land services in Bangladesh on climate resilience, green growth, and urbanization generated significant interest among delegates from different countries. Bangladesh also gained valuable insights from the best practices of land management in other countries.
It is noteworthy that the Ministry of Land has already received international recognition by being awarded the United Nations Public Service Award in 2020 for the e-Mutation System and the ITU WSIS Prize in 2022 for the Digital Land Development Tax System.
The World Bank organizes the Land Conference as an international forum to direct and inform investments in the land sector, facilitate and advance multi-stakeholder dialogues and collaboration, advocate for evidence-driven policymaking, and share knowledge on emerging best practices and innovative research.
The 2024 conference aimed to highlight effective strategies for securing land tenure and access in support of climate change mitigation and adaptation.
