EAP - The Pacific Infrastructure Challenge - World Bank (2006).pdf

characteristics increase the level of familiarity between key stakeholders, making it
difficult to achieve the necessary levels of separation between infrastructure
providers, and oversight authorities.
Land ownership and communal assets are another feature of ethnic diversity. Over
90% of land in the Pacific is customary land 10 . Under customary ownership, there is
seldom a well defined set of owners or a way to manage community land. In some
countries, land disputes can be appealed outside the jurisdiction of customary
authorities. This presents a significant challenge to mobilizing investment in Pacific
countries and adds complexity to providing infrastructure services.
Political Economy and Security Concerns
A number of Pacific countries have been beset by political instability and a poor
security environment in recent years. This is particularly true in Melanesian countries,
where ethnic tensions, land disputes and other social tensions have gradually eroded
the quality of governance, resulting in a leadership crisis. Political conflict weakens
institutions and management and creates an environment of mistrust. In addition,
these countries must prioritize restoring law and order, rather than improving
infrastructure performance.
Land Rights
In many Pacific countries, the majority of land is customary land. It is either held
jointly by all members and descendants of a particular community, or by a subgroup
within this community (e.g. all male or all female members). Traditionally, land has a
special significance for Pacific people but, in urban areas, there is now a conflict
between these traditions, and the demands of increasing urban development.
Infrastructure requires secure, uncontested access to land. In some Pacific countries,
land rights present a challenge to infrastructure development, where Governments
have been unable to negotiate the use of land for public purposes with landowners.
For example: In Papua New Guinea 11 , over 95% of the land is under customary
ownership. These lands can’t be mortgaged or sold. The customary land tenure
system has many different levels of decision-making, and different owners often have
different ideas for the use of a particular piece of land. Because most of the land is
not surveyed or registered, disputes often arise.
The Government has recognized the need to use customary land for development
purposes. It developed the Land Mobilization Program in 1989 to secure land tenure
for public purposes. However, progress under this program has been slow, and land
tenure is often secured through private agreements between customary owners
instead of through formal channels.
This adds a level of insecurity to infrastructure development and where disputes
arise, may significantly increase the cost. Secure land ownership or lease rights are
also critical to foreign investors in infrastructure. Uncertainty over land rights may
make it more difficult for some Pacific countries to mobilize foreign investment.
Low Rural to Urban Migration
Although many Pacific countries have experienced an increase in rural to urban
migration in the past decade, Figure 5.2 shows that rural populations still account
for a significant proportion of the population. On average, rural populations in the
Pacific account for between 70 and 80% of the total population, compared with an
average of around 50% in comparator countries. Marshall Islands, Fiji and Kiribati
are the three notable exceptions.
10 “Swimming Against the Tide” ADB
11 “Managing the Transition from the Village to the City in the South Pacific”
http://www.unescap.org/huset/pacific/pacific2.htm
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