UNECE urges secure digitalisation in land administration

The report highlights the need to harness the benefits of digital approaches for land administration, such as increased efficiency, accessibility, and cross-sectoral governance, but also raises concerns about cybersecurity, privacy, ethics, and inclusion.
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Findings from the report ‘Digital transformation and land administration – Sustainable practices from the UNECE region and beyond’, co-authored by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and International Federation of Surveyors (FIG), informed discussions in Geneva at the 13th session of the Working Party on Land Administration of the UNECE. The session focused on digitalization, data security and innovation in the land administration sector. 

The report highlights the need to harness the benefits of digital approaches for land administration, such as increased efficiency, accessibility, and cross-sectoral governance, but also raises concerns about cybersecurity, privacy, ethics, and inclusion, among other issues that must be addressed.

During the session, experts emphasised that there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to the sector’s digitalisation. The Director of the Forests, Land and Housing Division stated that digitalisation is a valuable tool for advancing sustainable development goals and can improve the effectiveness of land administration systems. On the same note, the Chair of the Working Party agreed that digitalisation could be disruptive in promoting effective land administration and interplay among different functions. 

To tackle concerns related to data and cybersecurity, member states agreed to develop a security study in land administration and continue capacity-building and policy advice activities as part of the Working Party programme for 2024-2025.