Ukraine Land Titling Initiative Boosts Private Property Ownership
Nearly 600 citizens gathered at the Liubovytska Village Rada, located in Malyn raion (district), on June 29, 2005 to receive Land Share Certificates for the right to ownership of land parcels. USAID Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator for Europe & Eurasia Drew Luten joined local Ukrainian officials at the land titling ceremony to distribute certificates to the new land owners.
Since 1995, Ukraine has created a legal infrastructure for private property ownership and witnessed the first transfers of agricultural and urban lands to private hands. However, the pace of change has been slow. Many farmers and entrepreneurs remain unaware of their ownership rights, and some government officials who misunderstand or oppose privatization continue to obstruct the process. In 2001, USAID selected Chemonics and its partners to build on successful land reform results achieved under a predecessor project and to accelerate reforms by privatizing agricultural and urban land. Over the past five years, the team has helped to advance land titling and private property rights, establish a land market and promote environmentally sound land use.
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| E&E Senior Deputy Administrator Drew Luten distributes land titles at a ceremony held by the Malyn village council |
“The US Government’s assistance program is funded by the American people who wish to join hands with ordinary Ukrainians to make Ukraine a productive, democratic market-oriented society,” said Luten. “In total, we will support the issuance of more 1.8 million land titles in all parts of Ukraine. This great task will give ordinary Ukrainians property rights that already exist in other free European nations.”
The Land Titling Initiative is currently the largest USAID project in Ukraine, encompassing a variety of important programs. Legal and regulatory work promotes land market development and establishes simplified land titling procedures. A national public education campaign—which includes daily radio and weekly television programs—informs rural citizens and landowners of their rights, and regional legal aid centers provide free assistance. In rural areas, the project contracts with local survey firms to divide up large tracts of land previously used by collective farms and prepare land titles for rural citizens. In urban areas, project consultants help assess the value of land parcels, guide entrepreneurs and local officials through the privatization process, and produce title documents. Entrepreneurs who purchase land make new investments, create jobs, and generate municipal funds that pay for roads, schools, gas, electricity, transportation, and other civic amenities. In 2003, the project received a two-year extension to carry out additional public education and legal aid work.
Most importantly, USAID’s programs have achieved results. More than 1.3 million land titles covering more than 5.5 million hectares of agricultural land have been issued to more than a
half-million Ukrainian citizens, and an additional 450,000 more titles are in progress. Over
15,000 urban land titles have been issued to businesses. Urban land sales and auctions have
generated over $100 million in revenues for social programs, economic development and local
infrastructure improvements. Legal and regulatory efforts have contributed to the drafting and
passage of important codes and laws governing land ownership and nearly 100,000 citizens
have received free assistance through the 25 legal aid centers that have been established
across the country.
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