Since the Bosnia and Herzegovina joined FAO in 1993, the Organization has played an active role in the implementation of national agricultural and rural development plans. Technical assistance has focused on policy advice, capacity building and – more specifically – the inclusion of family farms in high-quality food value chains. A major feature of current cooperation concerns the country’s preparation for accession to the European Union.

This thematic issue on land tenure and disaster risk management (DRM) stems from the recent work done at FAO on normative aspects of land tenure governance that address natural disasters through the DRM framework. The Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security provide, among other issues, guidance on improving tenure governance and strengthening tenure security of vulnerable people in line with the DRM framework.

This training manual is for people working in natural disaster risk management and response as well as for people who work in the land tenure sector. In a self-training format this publication aims to provide an overview of the major land tenure issues that may arise following a natural disaster which need to be considered and included in the decision-making processes associated with the whole disaster risk management phases.

Este manual de capacitación está destinado a personas que trabajan tanto en la gestión de riesgos y respuesta a los desastres naturales, como aquéllas que trabajan en el sector de la tenencia de la tierra. Mediante un formato de auto-capacitación, esta publicación tiene como objetivo brindar una visión general de los aspectos más importantes de la tenencia de la tierra que pueden surgir después de un desastre natural y que necesitan ser considerados e incluidos en los procesos de toma de decisiones asociados con las diferentes fases del manejo de riesgos en los desastres naturales.

This double issue of Unasylva aims to tease out the complex interrelationship between forests, trees and disasters, and to examine the ways in which forests and trees can best be managed both to resist shocks and to protect from shocks. Forests and trees can act as natural buffers against disasters and shocks. They have a powerful role to play in protecting against disasters and in reducing their impact. Indeed, the long-term perspective implicit in sustainable forest management is also a valuable approach to planning for disaster risk reduction.

One of the impacts of climate change is an increase in the incidence, severity and unpredictability of natural disasters. This course explains how livelihoods and tenure rights are affected by natural disasters, and illustrates how responsible governance of tenure of land, fisheries and forests can support a disaster management process through improved prevention, mitigation, preparedness, emergency response, and recovery and reconstruction.

Meeting symbol/code: APRC 00 3

This FAO Legal Paper looks at and evaluates the present land-related laws and policies in operation in Sierra Leone and makes recommendations to align them with the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security (VGGT). The analysis was supported by two assessment tools, which consist of a series of questions related to land tenure generally and gender issues specifically in Sierra Leone.

The present paper is a non-academic and thus, hopefully, unpretentious, attempt at reviewing the literature on the the role of local institutions and their interaction in disaster risk mitigation (DRM). What will be found on the following pages is a non-exhaustive compendium of strengths and limitations of local institutions involved in DRM and some suggestions for tapping the former and tackling the latter.

Ce manuel de formation est destiné tant aux personnes qui travaillent dans la gestion des risques naturels et la réponse aux catastrophes qu’aux personnes qui travaillent dans le domaine de la gestion foncière. En utilisant un format d'auto-formation, cette publication vise à fournir un aperçu des aspects les plus importants liés aux régimes fonciers qui peuvent survenir après une catastrophe naturelle et qui doivent être considérés et inclus dans les processus décisionnels associés aux différentes phases de la prévention et la gestion des risques naturels.

Meeting symbol/code: SIDS 99 Inf.5

The FAO Country Programming Framework (CPF) for the Pacific Sub-Region is a five year strategic program framework covering the period 2013-2017. It details outcomes and outputs in four priority result areas to which FAO assistance will be focused to address the development challenges and national priorities in thirteen Pacific Island Countries and one Territory, namely Cook Islands, Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.