Conflict and post-conflict land administration – the case of Kosovo

Abstract

Land and its administration are always negatively affected during conflicts and in post-conflict periods. If land and its administration are neglected or not properly addressed after the end of a conflict, they can be a cause for a renewed armed conflict and an obstacle in the rebuilding of a post-conflict society. This paper aims at identifying interventions in land administration that occur in conflicts and post-conflict contexts and relate them to the characteristics of post-conflict societies. A case study is conducted in Kosovo, where with the support of the international community developments in the land administration sector were evident. A strong relation is recognised between interventions in land administration and the characteristics of post-conflict societies. In this regard, it is revealed that strengthening the institutions in the land sector, which obviously occurred in the case of Kosovo, had a positive impact on the institutional weaknesses of a post-conflict society. In addition, interventions in housing and property rights and land administration are identified as elements that contributed to solving the prevailing social and economic problems. Addressing specific land issues in the peace agreement document and the availability of a land dispute resolution mechanism supported settling disputes over land and reduced conflict tensions; these interventions supported the overall security situation. This paper concludes that interventions in land administration indeed facilitated the rebuilding of post-conflict Kosovo.