This edition of the Land Tenure Journal features a selection of articles from Central and Eastern Europe to Francophone and Anglophone West Africa, through East Africa and back to Northern Europe. The focus of the topics spans land consolidation approaches in Europe, experiences of land colonization and an overview of tenure reforms in Burkina Faso, post-conflict land policy in Liberia, land reform in Malawi, and community commons in Norway.

Las inversiones en la agricultura han demostrado ser uno de los medios más eficaces para reducir la pobreza en las zonas rurales de los países en desarrollo. Obrar de conformidad con las Directrices voluntarias sobre la gobernanza responsable de la tenencia de la tierra, la pesca y los bosques en el contexto de la seguridad alimentaria nacional puede servir a los inversionistas para comprender y gestionar mejor los considerables riesgos financieros, jurídicos, operativos y de reputación que son inherentes a las inversiones en activos basados en la tierra.

This Information Brief provides concise and practical information on a crucial governance issue in view of implementing the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure (VGGT). It offers a right to food perspective on the governance of fisheries. In light of the endorsement of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security (VGGT), this Information Brief aims to provide concise and practical elements for a responsible governance of tenure.

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.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and its partners will hold consultations on various issues relating to the voluntary guidelines on responsible governance of tenure of land and other natural resources. The voluntary guidelines aim to provide practical guidance for State governance bodies, civil society and the private sector. The voluntary guidelines will provide a basis, which interested parties can use when developing their strategies and activities.

The Implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure in Sierra Leone has provided the opportunity to draw lessons and good practices in the country. These lessons are shared with other countries wishing to learn from successful experiences in the use of the Voluntary Guidelines to improve responsible governance of tenure.

The purpose of the forum was to foster a mutual understanding of the challenges faced by different groups in fisheries communities and to find common ground and options for empowering fishers and fisheries stakeholders. The 140 participants from 38 countries discussed the importance of tenure and rights for responsible resource management and equitable development in fisheries. Best practices and lessons learned were identified by forum participants based on their own experiences in a wide range of fisheries.

In this issue, we will be looking at work underway on the Voluntary Guidelines on responsible governance of tenure of land and other natural resources. We will also look at work done in Thailand and lessons learned by the German-financed Bioenergy and Food Security project.

FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), Germany, IFAD (International Fund for Agricultural Development), Finland, GTZ (Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit), UN-Habitat, World Bank and UNDP, and IPC (International NGO/CSO Planning Committee for Food Sovereignty), Food First International Action Network (FIAN), ILC (International Land Coalition), FIG (International Federation of Surveyors) and other development partners are working together with countries to prepare Voluntary Guidelines that will provide practical guidance to states, civil society, the private se

This document reports on the regional consultation for Southern America (including Mexico), held in Brasilia on 20 and 21 of May 2010 with the support of the Government of Brazil and preceded by a civil society meeting composed of organizations integrating the International NGO/CSO Planning Committee for Food Sovereignty (IPC), whose recommendations have been annexed at this document.

Land tenure working paper 3. This document reflects the policies, status and trends of governance in Eastern Europe and in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The study assesses the state of governance and evaluates the ability of countries to contribute to the elaboration of FAO’s Voluntary Guidelines on Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land and other Natural Resources.

FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), GTZ (Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit) 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.