HLP: Participatory surveying for tenure security

Context
Participatory Enumeration is a useful tool for collecting and processing data on HLP rights and tenure security in the context of informal settlements with significant community participation and leadership at the forefront of its approach. Conducting participatory enumeration activities could be particularly useful to CCCM actors operating in urban out-of-camp contexts to integrate informal areas into surrounding urbanized areas and contexts where there are efforts to integrate the camp into the host community after camp closure. This can also be useful for guidance on addressing HLP and tenure security in a broader urban land-use planning and management context. 

Conducting participatory enumeration data collection processes to identify and establish rights holders can be useful for addressing HLP threats from either within the community when residents of the same camp or settlements attempt to take over others’ land or dwelling, or outside the community when there are external threats of eviction. 

Summary 
In participatory enumeration data collection, the people being surveyed are either directly involved from inception, through design, management and implementation, to analysis and use of the data or participation occurs at specific points in the process. The role of individuals and organizations outside of the camp or settlement is to assist with technical skills and resources and provide support whenever needed.

From the perspective of residents of informal settlements, participatory enumeration provides transparency and builds trust between communities and practitioners addressing HLP and tenure security, quality of data is improved because communities understand and trust the process, and communities are empowered in their ownership of the process and ability to contest or correct inaccurate information about their settlements and ensure their security for the future. Participatory enumeration is beneficial to external organizations because participation from communities can make activities more sustainable and improved collaboration can result in longer-term multi-institutional partnerships between communities, support institutions, and municipal governments. Further, participatory enumerations can lead to broad-based coalition building that can counter power imbalances and ensure marginalized groups have decision-making power.

The document provides guidance on community mapping, a central activity in participatory enumeration processes, which can play a crucial role in CCCM due diligence processes for tenure security and verify external or governmental enumeration results. A generic set of steps for participatory enumerations are provided that can be adapted to different contexts or to meet the needs of CCCM actors. Further, the document outlines the various types of data that should be gathered for different contexts to complete the enumeration process.

Participatory enumeration can also be useful in key areas relevant to CCCM: strengthening negotiation positions on land tenure, numerations for relocation and resettlement, and enumerations after conflict. Case studies on the use of enumeration in the resettlement of residents are provided from the Philippines
and Somalia.

Guidance is also provided on using participatory enumeration for conducting a systemic collection of claims. Six key steps are detailed for collecting claims, including the assessment of conflict and gender issues, establishing field offices, holding community meetings, and resolving disputes. A case study for using these methods to create a land claims database from East Timor is provided. 

The document ends with an analysis of the implications of participatory enumerations for women’s land tenure rights11, including case studies for female leadership in participatory enumeration activities in Kenya and the Philippines, community empowerment, impact on conflict and dispute resolution over land rights, and the governmental, policy, and internal contextual importance for success and challenges to participatory enumeration.