Land Tenure for Social and Economic Inclusion in Yemen : Issues and Opportunities

The report, Land Tenure for Social and Economic Inclusion in Yemen: Issues and Opportunities was completed in December 2009. The report addresses the problems of land ownership in Yemen and the various social and economic problems associated with t...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: World Bank
Format: Policy Note
Language:English,Arabic
en_US
Published: Washington, DC 2013
Subjects:
Online Access:http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2009/12/16280969/land-tenure-social-economic-inclusion-yemen-issues-opportunities
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/12298
id okr-10986-12298
recordtype oai_dc
repository_type Digital Repository
institution_category Foreign Institution
institution Digital Repositories
building World Bank Open Knowledge Repository
collection World Bank
language English,Arabic
en_US
topic ACCESS TO LAND
AGRARIAN REFORM
AGRICULTURAL AREAS
AGRICULTURAL LAND
AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION
AGRICULTURE
APPROPRIATION
APPROPRIATIONS
ARCHEOLOGICAL SITES
CITIES
CIVIL CODE
CIVIL LAW
COMMERCIAL PROPERTY
COMMUNAL LAND
COMMUNAL PROPERTY
COMPENSATION
CONSTRUCTION
CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS
CULTIVATED LAND
CULTIVATION
DEFORESTATION
DRAINAGE
EASEMENTS
EMINENT DOMAIN
FARMLAND
FISHERIES
FORESTS
GRAZING LAND
HOUSEHOLDS
HOUSING
HUMAN SETTLEMENTS
IMPROVED LAND
INVENTORY
IRRIGATION
LAND ADMINISTRATION
LAND CLAIMS
LAND DISTRIBUTION
LAND GRABBING
LAND MANAGEMENT
LAND MARKET
LAND MARKETS
LAND OWNERS
LAND OWNERSHIP
LAND PARCELS
LAND PRICES
LAND PRODUCTIVITY
LAND RECLAMATION
LAND REFORM
LAND REGISTRATION
LAND RESOURCES
LAND RIGHTS
LAND SUBDIVISION
LAND TENANCY
LAND TENURE
LAND TENURES
LAND TITLING
LAND TRANSACTIONS
LAND USE
LAND USES
LAND VALUES
LANDLESSNESS
LANDLORD
LANDLORDS
LANDOWNERS
LANDS
LEASEHOLD
LEASES
LEASING
NATURAL RESOURCES
OPEN ACCESS
PASTURE
POINTS
PRIVATE LAND
PRIVATE LANDS
PRIVATE OWNERSHIP
PRIVATE PROPERTY
PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS
PROPERTY OWNERS
PROPERTY RIGHT
PROPERTY RIGHTS
PUBLIC LAND
PUBLIC LANDS
REAL ESTATE
REAL PROPERTY
RENTS
REPAIR
RIGHTS OF WAY
RURAL AREAS
RURAL COMMUNITIES
RURAL DEVELOPMENT
RURAL LIVELIHOODS
RURAL POPULATION
SEA
SHARECROPPING
SITES
SMALL TOWNS
SOIL
SOIL EROSION
SQUATTER
SQUATTERS
TENANT FARMERS
TENANTS
TOPOGRAPHY
TRIBAL SYSTEM
URBAN AREAS
URBAN LAND
URBAN PLANNING
VACANT LAND
VILLAGES
WATER RESOURCES
WATERS
spellingShingle ACCESS TO LAND
AGRARIAN REFORM
AGRICULTURAL AREAS
AGRICULTURAL LAND
AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION
AGRICULTURE
APPROPRIATION
APPROPRIATIONS
ARCHEOLOGICAL SITES
CITIES
CIVIL CODE
CIVIL LAW
COMMERCIAL PROPERTY
COMMUNAL LAND
COMMUNAL PROPERTY
COMPENSATION
CONSTRUCTION
CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS
CULTIVATED LAND
CULTIVATION
DEFORESTATION
DRAINAGE
EASEMENTS
EMINENT DOMAIN
FARMLAND
FISHERIES
FORESTS
GRAZING LAND
HOUSEHOLDS
HOUSING
HUMAN SETTLEMENTS
IMPROVED LAND
INVENTORY
IRRIGATION
LAND ADMINISTRATION
LAND CLAIMS
LAND DISTRIBUTION
LAND GRABBING
LAND MANAGEMENT
LAND MARKET
LAND MARKETS
LAND OWNERS
LAND OWNERSHIP
LAND PARCELS
LAND PRICES
LAND PRODUCTIVITY
LAND RECLAMATION
LAND REFORM
LAND REGISTRATION
LAND RESOURCES
LAND RIGHTS
LAND SUBDIVISION
LAND TENANCY
LAND TENURE
LAND TENURES
LAND TITLING
LAND TRANSACTIONS
LAND USE
LAND USES
LAND VALUES
LANDLESSNESS
LANDLORD
LANDLORDS
LANDOWNERS
LANDS
LEASEHOLD
LEASES
LEASING
NATURAL RESOURCES
OPEN ACCESS
PASTURE
POINTS
PRIVATE LAND
PRIVATE LANDS
PRIVATE OWNERSHIP
PRIVATE PROPERTY
PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS
PROPERTY OWNERS
PROPERTY RIGHT
PROPERTY RIGHTS
PUBLIC LAND
PUBLIC LANDS
REAL ESTATE
REAL PROPERTY
RENTS
REPAIR
RIGHTS OF WAY
RURAL AREAS
RURAL COMMUNITIES
RURAL DEVELOPMENT
RURAL LIVELIHOODS
RURAL POPULATION
SEA
SHARECROPPING
SITES
SMALL TOWNS
SOIL
SOIL EROSION
SQUATTER
SQUATTERS
TENANT FARMERS
TENANTS
TOPOGRAPHY
TRIBAL SYSTEM
URBAN AREAS
URBAN LAND
URBAN PLANNING
VACANT LAND
VILLAGES
WATER RESOURCES
WATERS
World Bank
Land Tenure for Social and Economic Inclusion in Yemen : Issues and Opportunities
geographic_facet Middle East and North Africa
Yemen, Republic of
description The report, Land Tenure for Social and Economic Inclusion in Yemen: Issues and Opportunities was completed in December 2009. The report addresses the problems of land ownership in Yemen and the various social and economic problems associated with the system of land ownership. Property rights under Yemeni Law are expressed both in custom and statute, but both are informed by shari a (Islamic law), which provides the basic property categories for land in Yemen. There are unfortunately no reliable official statistics for the amount of land within these categories, or how much arable land (a small percentage of total land area) falls within each. It is clear however that certain groups suffer from disadvantages in accessing land and land rights. Daughters are disadvantaged by shari a rules which limit their inheritance shares to only half that of a son. Youth, unable to inherit until the demise of their parents and lacking the capital to buy land, lack access to land and other employment opportunities, which endangers social stability. There are occupational castes (artisans) who are discriminated in land holdings and ethnic minorities, former slaves and immigrants from East Africa, who lack access to land, and especially land ownership, limiting them to the most menial labor. Amongst the recommendations the report addresses are; the law on state land and compulsory acquisition of land by the state are relatively recent and are in general in line with current best practices. There is however some fundamental problems in its legal delineation of state land. First and foremost, there is a need to provide a clearer distinction between state and communal land. In addition, it is clear that implementation of the law concerning state land is badly flawed, and that there are abuses in terms of uncompensated land takings and illegal appropriations of state lands for private purposes. The law concerning private ownership of land is satisfactory in most respects. Yemen has a long tradition of private ownership and land and rental markets. Those markets are clearly quite active, at least in areas where the economic basis for such market activity exists. The right of pre-emption in Yemeni law, a shari a institution, has been criticized by some commentators, but more recent scholarship recognizes its value. Waqf may offend the economic sensibilities of market economists in that waqf land is permanently held out of the land (sales) market, but it does move in rental markets and in the circumstances of Yemen it performs strong social functions. It supports important public functions and provides access to land for the poor but is increasingly negatively affected by weak supervision and corrupt practices. Tenancies are an important means of access to land in Yemen, especially for the poor, and their relatively stable terms stable terms under customary rules have historically provided a reasonable degree of tenure security. Post-land reform issues remain a problem in the southern governorates. Improving the system for recording of land rights has been a focus of law reform discussions in Yemen in recent years. Women are clearly disadvantaged by the terms of inheritance law, and even more greatly disadvantaged by the failure in practice to realize their limited rights under that law. The situation of disadvantaged ethnic groups deserves priority attention. Their lack of secure access to land, especially owned land, is a violation of the humanitarian values of Islam and condemns them to continuing poverty. There is growing competition for land. This is driven in some parts of the country by the development of new water technologies which have enabled larger- scale cultivation and created economic opportunities. It is clear that land dispute resolution mechanisms are not functioning well.
format Economic & Sector Work :: Policy Note
author World Bank
author_facet World Bank
author_sort World Bank
title Land Tenure for Social and Economic Inclusion in Yemen : Issues and Opportunities
title_short Land Tenure for Social and Economic Inclusion in Yemen : Issues and Opportunities
title_full Land Tenure for Social and Economic Inclusion in Yemen : Issues and Opportunities
title_fullStr Land Tenure for Social and Economic Inclusion in Yemen : Issues and Opportunities
title_full_unstemmed Land Tenure for Social and Economic Inclusion in Yemen : Issues and Opportunities
title_sort land tenure for social and economic inclusion in yemen : issues and opportunities
publisher Washington, DC
publishDate 2013
url http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2009/12/16280969/land-tenure-social-economic-inclusion-yemen-issues-opportunities
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/12298
_version_ 1764420109349158912
spelling okr-10986-122982021-04-23T14:03:01Z Land Tenure for Social and Economic Inclusion in Yemen : Issues and Opportunities World Bank ACCESS TO LAND AGRARIAN REFORM AGRICULTURAL AREAS AGRICULTURAL LAND AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION AGRICULTURE APPROPRIATION APPROPRIATIONS ARCHEOLOGICAL SITES CITIES CIVIL CODE CIVIL LAW COMMERCIAL PROPERTY COMMUNAL LAND COMMUNAL PROPERTY COMPENSATION CONSTRUCTION CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS CULTIVATED LAND CULTIVATION DEFORESTATION DRAINAGE EASEMENTS EMINENT DOMAIN FARMLAND FISHERIES FORESTS GRAZING LAND HOUSEHOLDS HOUSING HUMAN SETTLEMENTS IMPROVED LAND INVENTORY IRRIGATION LAND ADMINISTRATION LAND CLAIMS LAND DISTRIBUTION LAND GRABBING LAND MANAGEMENT LAND MARKET LAND MARKETS LAND OWNERS LAND OWNERSHIP LAND PARCELS LAND PRICES LAND PRODUCTIVITY LAND RECLAMATION LAND REFORM LAND REGISTRATION LAND RESOURCES LAND RIGHTS LAND SUBDIVISION LAND TENANCY LAND TENURE LAND TENURES LAND TITLING LAND TRANSACTIONS LAND USE LAND USES LAND VALUES LANDLESSNESS LANDLORD LANDLORDS LANDOWNERS LANDS LEASEHOLD LEASES LEASING NATURAL RESOURCES OPEN ACCESS PASTURE POINTS PRIVATE LAND PRIVATE LANDS PRIVATE OWNERSHIP PRIVATE PROPERTY PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS PROPERTY OWNERS PROPERTY RIGHT PROPERTY RIGHTS PUBLIC LAND PUBLIC LANDS REAL ESTATE REAL PROPERTY RENTS REPAIR RIGHTS OF WAY RURAL AREAS RURAL COMMUNITIES RURAL DEVELOPMENT RURAL LIVELIHOODS RURAL POPULATION SEA SHARECROPPING SITES SMALL TOWNS SOIL SOIL EROSION SQUATTER SQUATTERS TENANT FARMERS TENANTS TOPOGRAPHY TRIBAL SYSTEM URBAN AREAS URBAN LAND URBAN PLANNING VACANT LAND VILLAGES WATER RESOURCES WATERS The report, Land Tenure for Social and Economic Inclusion in Yemen: Issues and Opportunities was completed in December 2009. The report addresses the problems of land ownership in Yemen and the various social and economic problems associated with the system of land ownership. Property rights under Yemeni Law are expressed both in custom and statute, but both are informed by shari a (Islamic law), which provides the basic property categories for land in Yemen. There are unfortunately no reliable official statistics for the amount of land within these categories, or how much arable land (a small percentage of total land area) falls within each. It is clear however that certain groups suffer from disadvantages in accessing land and land rights. Daughters are disadvantaged by shari a rules which limit their inheritance shares to only half that of a son. Youth, unable to inherit until the demise of their parents and lacking the capital to buy land, lack access to land and other employment opportunities, which endangers social stability. There are occupational castes (artisans) who are discriminated in land holdings and ethnic minorities, former slaves and immigrants from East Africa, who lack access to land, and especially land ownership, limiting them to the most menial labor. Amongst the recommendations the report addresses are; the law on state land and compulsory acquisition of land by the state are relatively recent and are in general in line with current best practices. There is however some fundamental problems in its legal delineation of state land. First and foremost, there is a need to provide a clearer distinction between state and communal land. In addition, it is clear that implementation of the law concerning state land is badly flawed, and that there are abuses in terms of uncompensated land takings and illegal appropriations of state lands for private purposes. The law concerning private ownership of land is satisfactory in most respects. Yemen has a long tradition of private ownership and land and rental markets. Those markets are clearly quite active, at least in areas where the economic basis for such market activity exists. The right of pre-emption in Yemeni law, a shari a institution, has been criticized by some commentators, but more recent scholarship recognizes its value. Waqf may offend the economic sensibilities of market economists in that waqf land is permanently held out of the land (sales) market, but it does move in rental markets and in the circumstances of Yemen it performs strong social functions. It supports important public functions and provides access to land for the poor but is increasingly negatively affected by weak supervision and corrupt practices. Tenancies are an important means of access to land in Yemen, especially for the poor, and their relatively stable terms stable terms under customary rules have historically provided a reasonable degree of tenure security. Post-land reform issues remain a problem in the southern governorates. Improving the system for recording of land rights has been a focus of law reform discussions in Yemen in recent years. Women are clearly disadvantaged by the terms of inheritance law, and even more greatly disadvantaged by the failure in practice to realize their limited rights under that law. The situation of disadvantaged ethnic groups deserves priority attention. Their lack of secure access to land, especially owned land, is a violation of the humanitarian values of Islam and condemns them to continuing poverty. There is growing competition for land. This is driven in some parts of the country by the development of new water technologies which have enabled larger- scale cultivation and created economic opportunities. It is clear that land dispute resolution mechanisms are not functioning well. 2013-02-11T18:42:26Z 2013-02-11T18:42:26Z 2009-12-01 http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2009/12/16280969/land-tenure-social-economic-inclusion-yemen-issues-opportunities http://hdl.handle.net/10986/12298 English,Arabic en_US CC BY 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/ World Bank Washington, DC Economic & Sector Work :: Policy Note Economic & Sector Work Middle East and North Africa Yemen, Republic of