Land Tenure Working Paper 16 Governance of Land Tenure Eastern Europe and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) looks at the land governance situation in the region. It has been prepared to provide a base for discussion for the regional consultation meetings on the FAO Voluntary Guidelines on Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land and other Natural Resources. The objective of the study is to evaluate the current land governance situation in the region and to identify main achievements as well as remaining challenges.

Recent years have witnessed a renewed interest in agricultural investment. In many cases, this new momentum has translated into large-scale acquisitions of farmland in lower- and middle-income countries. Partly as a result of sustained media attention, these acquisitions have triggered lively if polarised debates about “land grabbing”. Less attention has been paid, however, to alternative ways of structuring agricultural investments that do not involve large-scale land acquisitions.

For many centuries, the people of the Near East and North Africa (NENA) Region were able to cope, and even flourish, under conditions of water scarcity. However, with decades of relentless high rate of population growth, rapid urbanization, and uncharacteristically excessive consumption patterns, the region is now facing unprecedented levels of pressure on its natural resources.

Document de travail sur les régimes fonciers 17. Cet article identifie et analyse des questions relatives à la gouvernance des terres et apporte des exemples de bonne gouvernance de la sous-région des Caraïbes. Cette étude a été conduite en vue de l’initiative de la FAO sur les Directives Volontaires sur la gouvernance responsable de la tenure des terres et des autres ressources naturelles. Disponible en anglais

FAO and its development partners are working together with countries to prepare Voluntary Guidelines that will provide practical guidance to states, the private sector, civil society, academia, donors and development specialists on the responsible governance of tenure. By setting out principles and internationally accepted standards for responsible practice and associated technical guidance, the Voluntary Guidelines will provide a framework and point of reference that stakeholders can use when developing their own policies and actions.

In this issue, we will be introducing the new Land tenure e-journal, which has just launched its first issue. This e-journal is dedicated to land-related issues, including land tenure. We will also learn about the recently issued report, the State of the World’s plant genetic resources for food and agriculture and we will introduce you to the new web site gearing up for the 2012 event marking the twentieth anniversary of the Earth Summit - FAO@Rio+20.

FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) and other development partners are working together with countries to prepare Voluntary Guidelines that will provide practical guidance to states, civil society, the private sector, donors and development specialists on the responsible governance of tenure. By setting out principles and internationally accepted standards for responsible practices, the Voluntary Guidelines will provide a framework and point of reference that stakeholders can use when developing their own policies and actions.

Land Tenure Working Paper 18. Presents the main themes that characterize the governance in land tenure and analyses the aspects related to the evolution of agricultural policy issues in various Central American countries. It also offers some examples and lessons learned from new models of land administration and land access mechanisms that Central American governments and International Cooperation have fostered over the past fifteen years in the Region. Available in Spanish

Настоящее исследование по вопросам управления землепользованием в странах Восточной Европы и Содружества Независимых Государств (СНГ) было подготовлено в качестве основания для обсуждения в ходе региональных консультационных совещаний в рамках разработки Добровольных руководящих принципов ответственного управления режимом владения землей и другими природными ресурсами ФАО. Региональное совещание для Восточной Европы состоялось в Бухаресте 22 24 марта 2010 года. Региональное совещание для стран СНГ будет проведено позже в этом году.

En este número del Boletín del Departamento de Gestión de RecursosNaturales y Medio Ambiente nos complace anunciar que las Naciones Unidas han declarado el año 2012 Año Internacional de la Energía Sostenible para Todos. Esta celebración representa una oportunidad de concentrar la atención mundial en los desafíos a que deben hacer frente tanto los países desarrollados como los países en desarrollo a la hora de abordar el acceso a la energía y los problemas relacionados con el uso eficiente de las fuentes energéticas sostenibles.

Documento de trabajo sobre la tenencia de la tierra 19. Este documento se enmarca dentro de la consulta global de las Directrices Voluntarias y su proceso de desarrollo y es una aportación para la preparación posterior de la Guía Técnica de Género. En él se contextualiza y se define el concepto de género en las Directrices Voluntarias, se trata el significado de gobernanza de tenencia desde la perspectiva de género y se identifican y analizan los temas y aspectos claves.