Towards voluntary guidelines on responsible governance of tenure of land and other natural resources - Discussion paper

This discussion paper has been prepared by FAO’s Land Tenure and Management Unit to

seek views and comments on voluntary guidelines on responsible governance of tenure of

land and other natural resources. Weak governance of tenure results in the loss of life and

livelihoods; it deters investment and widespread economic growth and discourages the

sustainable use of natural resources. In contrast, responsible governance of tenure ensures

that relevant policies and rules lead to sustainable, beneficial results, and that related

services are delivered efficiently, effectively and equitably. Responsible governance is

not confined to statutory tenure (e.g. private and public ownership and other rights and

responsibilities) but it recognizes as well customary and common property tenures. It is

anticipated that voluntary guidelines will help countries to improve the governance of

tenure. FAO has been working on governance of tenure since 2005 with generous support

from the Government of Finland (see for example FAO Land Tenure Studies 9: “Good

governance in land tenure and administration”1.) The work of FAO and its partners,

including UN-Habitat, the World Bank, IFAD, individual countries, and civil society, has

shown that there is a growing and widespread interest in voluntary guidelines that can be

adopted at the international level and implemented by countries.