Housing, Land, and Property Rights in Post-Conflict United Nations and Other Peace Operations : A Comparative Survey and Proposal for Reform

For more than sixty years, the blue helmets of the United Nations peacekeeping missions have come to symbolize both the promise and the fragility of the UN. Though beset with unresolved conflicts, underfunded, and invariably burdened with sentiments of over-expectation, UN peace operations have made a difference with their 'peacebuilding' initiatives. While peacebuilding has been extensively analysed and critiqued, the UN's role in addressing and ameliorating housing, land, and property rights challenges has not. This volume seeks to fill the void by examining the UN's experience grappling with the immense and inevitable housing, land, and property rights crises that emerge in all countries during and after conflict. Through analysis of UN peace missions in Burundi, Cambodia, Iraq, Kosovo, Rwanda, Sudan and elsewhere, this volume provides a unique array of perspectives on what the UN has done right, what it has done wrong, and what it should do in the future. Cover......Page 1 Half-title......Page 3 Series-title......Page 4 Title......Page 5 Copyright......Page 6 Contents......Page 9 Contributors......Page 11 Acknowledgments......Page 17 Foreword......Page 19 PART I INTRODUCTION......Page 21 1 United Nations Peace Operations and Housing, Land, and Property Rights in Post-Conflict Settings: From Neglect to Tentative Embrace......Page 23 The Ubiquity of HLP Issues in Conflict and Post-Conflict Environments......Page 25 PART II CASE STUDIES......Page 37 Introduction......Page 39 The Role of UNTAC in Historical Perspective......Page 42 Land and Conflict in Cambodia......Page 48 The Pre–Khmer Rouge Period......Page 50 The Khmer Rouge and the People’s Republic of Kampuchea (PRK) Periods (1975–1989)......Page 53 The State of Cambodia (SOC) Period (1990–1991)......Page 57 The UNTAC Period and Beyond......Page 61 Lessons from the UNTAC Approach to HLP Rights......Page 69 Retrospective Remedies......Page 71 Prospective Respect for HLP Rights......Page 76 Conclusions......Page 79 Introduction......Page 81 Historical Background and Developments......Page 85 The NATO Intervention and Its Aftermath......Page 87 International HLP Assistance......Page 90 Establishment of the HPD and HPCC......Page 91 Claims Resolution......Page 92 The Provision of Overall Direction on Property Rights......Page 93 The Jurisdiction of the HPCC......Page 94 The Legal Framework......Page 96 Successful Implementation of Mandate......Page 97 An Accessible, Free Claims Procedure with an Extensive Outreach Campaign......Page 98 The Adoption of Procedures That Facilitated Rapid Decision Making but at the Same Time Ensured Fair Procedures......Page 101 Broad Decision-Making Powers......Page 106 Effective Implementation of Final and Binding Decisions......Page 107 Dealing with the Illegal Occupation of Property......Page 109 The Issue of Compensation Where Restoration of Property Rights Was no Longer Feasible......Page 111 1. Policies on Addressing HLP Issues and Concerns Should Be Included in Peace Settlements and Agreements......Page 113 2. Comprehensive Policies on Addressing HLP Issues and Concerns Should Be a Key Component of Peace Operations and Be Institutionalized Within the UN System......Page 114 3. Institutional Models and Procedures......Page 116 5. Effective Remedies and the Implementation of Final and Binding Decisions......Page 118 6. Funding......Page 119 8. Coordination and Follow-Up Among the Major Stakeholders and Entities......Page 120 Conclusion......Page 121 4 Balancing Rights and Norms: Property Programming in East Timor, the Solomon Islands, and Bougainville......Page 123 Decolonization and Invasion......Page 126 The Militia Violence of 1999......Page 128 The Nature of the Intervention......Page 129 The Right to Housing......Page 131 Restitution: The Right to Return to One’s Home......Page 132 Nondiscrimination......Page 133 Geography, Economics, and Demographics......Page 134 The Nature of the Intervention......Page 137 The Right to Housing......Page 141 Restitution: The Right to Return to One’s Home......Page 142 Access......Page 143 The Nature of the Conflict......Page 144 Geography, Economics, and Demographics......Page 145 The Nature of the Intervention......Page 148 The Right to Housing......Page 151 The Right to Security of Tenure......Page 152 Opportunity to Access Natural Resources......Page 153 Overall Conclusions and Recommendations......Page 154 Introduction......Page 156 The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan......Page 157 Land Disputes in Afghanistan......Page 160 Historical Context......Page 162 Current Challenges......Page 165 Housing, Land, and Property Rights in Afghanistan......Page 168 Land and Power......Page 170 Land and Justice......Page 173 Housing, Land, and Property Restitution Laws......Page 177 Afghan Customary Law......Page 181 HLP Rights and Legislative Reform......Page 187 Land Grabs, Forced Evictions, and Restitution......Page 192 Conclusions: Send Money, Guns, and Lawyers......Page 197 Introduction......Page 199 An Overview of Recent Conflicts in the Great Lakes Region......Page 200 Housing, Land, and Property Questions in Burundi......Page 206 The Impacts of Population Displacement......Page 208 The Arusha Peace Agreement......Page 209 Peacekeeping in Burundi Post-Arusha......Page 211 Government Responses to the Return of Refugees and Settlement of IDPs – CNRS......Page 214 Civil Society Responses to HLP challenges......Page 216 Impacts of Non-Governmental Efforts......Page 217 The Arusha Peace Agreement......Page 218 Implementation of the Arusha Agreement and the Establishment of UNAMIR......Page 219 After the Genocide......Page 220 Refugee Return......Page 222 Government Approaches to the Restitution of Housing, Land, and Property Rights......Page 224 The Present Day: Refugee Repatriation and Human Rights Monitoring......Page 228 Peacekeeping in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)......Page 229 MONUC’s Mandate......Page 230 Land and Local Peace Processes......Page 232 Conclusions......Page 237 Background......Page 240 A Brief History of the Property Restitution and Compensation Process in Iraq......Page 245 Analysis of the Property Restitution and Compensation Process......Page 252 Institutional Structures......Page 253 Claims Period......Page 257 Types of Claims......Page 258 Procedural Issues......Page 261 Shari’a Law......Page 262 Transitional Provisions......Page 263 Applicable Practical Principles......Page 264 Application of the Process......Page 269 Summary and Lessons Learned......Page 275 Introduction......Page 280 Sudan – An Environment Conducive to Displacement and Confrontation......Page 283 A Need for Access to Land and Natural Resources for Livelihoods and Economic Development......Page 284 Hostile Ecological Environment, Adapted Livelihoods, and an Imperative for Mobility......Page 285 Conflict Catalysts......Page 286 The North–South Conflict......Page 287 Tractors of Absentee Landlords in Blue Nile State......Page 289 Toward the Comprehensive Peace Agreement......Page 290 Pre-CPA Perceptions on Return......Page 293 Post-CPA Situation......Page 294 The CPA Implementation Process......Page 296 Land Commissions......Page 297 United Nations Advanced Mission in Sudan – UNAMIS......Page 299 United Nations Mission in Sudan – UNMIS......Page 300 Joint Assessment Mission – JAM......Page 303 FAO – UNHCR Land and Property Studies......Page 304 Improved Land Dispute Resolution Through Different Mechanisms......Page 306 Participatory Land Use Management as Part of the Conflict Transformation Process in Rural Areas......Page 307 UNDP......Page 308 The Action Response of the United Nations and Other Relevant International Actors with Respect to Identified HLP Needs......Page 309 The FAO-UNHCR Response......Page 310 The UNDP-UN Habitat Response......Page 311 Impact of Activities on the HLP Rights Situation......Page 313 Awareness Raising and Information Dissemination......Page 314 Development of Policy, Legal and Institutional Tools, Including Procedures......Page 315 Protection of Rights......Page 317 The Nature of the Interventions......Page 318 Approach......Page 319 UN Planning Process......Page 320 Reflection on a More Consistent and Effective UN Approach to HLP Issues in Post-Conflict Environments......Page 321 Protecting Rights......Page 325 Conclusions......Page 328 Introduction......Page 330 The Negative Consequences......Page 333 The Positive and ‘‘Mixed’’ Consequences......Page 335 Making Sense of It All......Page 337 From ‘‘UN Inflation’’ to ‘‘UN Gentrification’’?......Page 340 UN Peace Operations and the Prospects of Housing, Land, and Property Restitution......Page 341 Conclusions and Recommendations......Page 343 PART III CONCLUSIONS......Page 347 10 Possible Components of a Unified Global Policy on Housing, Land, and Property Rights in UN Peace Operations......Page 349 Recommendation 1. Include HLP Rights Issues Directly Within Peace Agreements, Security Council Resolutions, and Other Policy Documents Defining the Post-Conflict Normative and Institutional Frameworks......Page 351 Recommendation 2. Include HLP Rights Competencies Within the Organizational and Administrative Structures of Future Peace Operations......Page 352 Recommendation 5. Determine the Applicable HLP Legal and Policy Framework During the Planning Process......Page 353 Recommendation 6. Establish an HLP Rights Expert Standby Network......Page 354 Recommendation 8. Reverse HLP Rights Violations to the Maximum Possible Extent......Page 355 A Proposed UN HLP Policy and Institutional Framework......Page 356 The Housing, Land, and Property Rights Directorate......Page 357 Policy Department......Page 359 Legal Department......Page 362 Housing Department......Page 366 Construction Department......Page 370 Land Department......Page 371 Claims Department......Page 372 Conclusions......Page 374 Index......Page 377 United Nations peace operations and housing, land, and property rights in post-conflict settings : from neglect to tentative embrace / Scott Leckie Stability, justice, and rights in the wake of the Cold War : the housing, land, and property rights legacy of the UN Transitional Authority in Cambodia / Rhodri C. Williams The response of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo to address property rights challenges / Margaret Cordial and Knut Rosandhaug Balancing rights and norms : property programming in East Timor, the Solomon Islands, and Bougainville / Daniel Fitzpatrick and Rebecca Monson Housing, land, and property restitution rights in Afghanistan / Conor Foley Peacekeeping and HLP rights in the Great Lakes region of Africa : Burundi, Rwanda, and DR Congo / Chris Huggins The trouble with Iraq : lessons from the field on the development of a property restitution system in "post"-conflict circumstances / Nigel Thomson Sudan's comprehensive peace agreement : an opportunity for coherently addressing housing, land, and property issues? / Paul De Wit and Jeffrey Hatcher The impacts of UN peace operations on local housing markets / Mayra Gómez Possible components of a unified global policy on housing, land, and property rights in UN peace operations / Scott Leckie. "For more than sixty years, the blue helmets of United Nations Peacekeeping missions around the world have come to symbolize both the promise and the fragility of the UN. Beset with unresolved conflicts and underfunding, and invariably burdened with sentiments of overexpectation, more times than not UN missions to keep the peace have made a difference. In recent years, frequent allegations of corruption, fraud, and abuse have tarnished the image of the UN as not only overly ineffectual, but as something to be skeptical of, rather than the obvious place to turn for help in resolving contentious challenges that affect many nations." "While the ups and downs of UN operations have been analyzed and critiqued, one policy sphere has largely been ignored: the track record of the UN following conflict in the area of housing, land, and property rights. This volume seeks to fill this void by examining the UN's experience in grappling with the immense and inevitable housing, land, and property rights crises that emerge in all countries during and after conflict."--Jacket UN peace operations and housing, land and property rights in post-conflict settings : from neglect to delicate embrace / Scott Leckie Cambodia / Rhodri C. Williams Kosovo / Margaret Cordial and Knut Rosandhaug East Timor, Bougainville, Solomon Islands and Aceh / Daniel Fizpatrick and Rebecca Monson Afghanistan / Conor Foley Rwanda, Burundi and DR Congo / Chris Huggins Iraq / Nigel Thomson Sudan / Paul de Wit and Jeffrey Hatcher Local housing market impacts of UN peace operations : inevitabilities and consequences / Mayra Gomez Possible components of a unified global policy on housing, land and property rights in post-conflict settings / Scott Leckie. This book provides the first overview of how United Nations peace operations have addressed the housing, land, and property rights challenges that face all countries emerging from conflict. Through analysis of UN peace missions in various locations, this volume provides a unique array of perspectives on what the UN has done right and what it should do in the future.