During project design, it is important to gain government agreement on which parcels will be registered, including those in the informal sphere. Once the compact is signed, it is difficult to get further government commitments. In many compacts, MCC has not been able to register large groups of parcels. Often these parcels were in areas viewed as off limits by the government, including informal settlements, areas in flood zones or rights of way, parcels with differing owners and boundaries from official records due to informal transactions, or parcels in other types of conflict. Some of this can be alleviated by systematically registering parcels, including previously registered parcels, but the government is not always willing to do this. In Mongolia’s case, about 25% of parcels could not be registered for these reasons. Similarly, in Cabo Verde, the government ended up not moving forward with work in certain informal settlement areas. In Mozambique’s case, many parcels were left in differido (deferred status) awaiting government approvals. Alternatively, in Lesotho, parcels were able to be recognized as agreement was made with the Government of Lesotho prior to allow for registration using revised standards around issues such as rights of way. If MCC is aiming to get these parcels formally registered, engagement with the government during compact development, including any necessary discussions around urban planning, will be necessary.
Lesson Learned