The Special Parliamentary Committee on Customary Land and Land Reforms

By WANPIS AKO |PNG SUN|

#pngsun #news The Special Parliamentary Committee on Customary Land and Land Reforms is considering to formalise the country’s customary land ownership system as part of a nationwide reform agenda, according to its Chairman, Keith Iduhu.

Mr Iduhu said the committee’s work over the past two years has focused on recognising and strengthening indigenous forms of land ownership, in line with the spirit of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. 

He was speaking yesterday (Thursday) to PNG SUN after the opening of the High-Level Seminar on Customary Land and Human Rights taking place at the APEC Haus in Port Moresby. 

It is being co-organised by the Special Parliamentary Committee on Customary Land and Land Reforms and, the United Nations in PNG.

It is themed: “How can human rights standards support inclusive, transparent and accountable customary land reforms and formalisation in PNG?”

The local Hiri-Koiari MP stressed that the reforms are not intended for one district or region, but are designed as a national solution that will benefit all Papua New Guineans.

He noted that only about 4 to 6 percent of PNG’s land is currently held under state titles or alienated, leaving the vast majority of land undocumented and loosely classified as customary land. 

The committee’s intention, he said, is to formalise this land without taking ownership away from clans.

Under the proposed reforms, he said, two national registries would be created. 

One would register clans and customary land groups, correcting weaknesses in the current Incorporated Land Groups (ILG) system, he said.

The second, he said, would register property interests derived from customary land, such as lease agreements. 

Chairman Iduhu told PNG SUN while clan land itself would remain inalienable and non-bankable, leases created from it could be used for agriculture, urban development and other economic activities.

Mr Iduhu said these reforms could unlock major economic potential, particularly in agriculture and real estate, and reduce reliance on imported food. 

He added that documenting land and property rights would help bring informal economic activity into the formal system, increasing national revenue.

The committee, he said, plans to present its findings to Parliament, with a proposed bill expected to be introduced as early as March.