This Act establishes an office to be called the Public Trust Office and provides for the appointment of the Public Trustee. The Public Trustee shall be responsible for the management of the Public Trust Office. The Public Trustee may be appointed executor, administrator or trustee by trust instrument. The Act also defines the powers and duties of the Public Trustee in respect of land affected by a mortgage or security.

This page is meant to provide a quick overview of major reference to women's land rights in existing international instruments, as well as paragraphs related to women  - or more broadly gender - in the First Draft of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the context of National Food Security (VGs). The VGs are still under-negotiations under the auspices of the Committee of World Food Security, and are therefore still subject to change.

This Act aims at transferring to the national park estate certain river red gum State forest lands in the Riverina area; enabling the transfer to Aboriginal ownership and conservation of certain other State forest lands in the Riverina area; enabling forestry operations to continue on land in the Riverina area remaining as State forest; enabling the collection of firewood for non-commercial purposes to continue in areas reserved as national or regional parks; etc.

I invite you to read the last Dimitra newsletter from FAO, which includes several pages on women's land rights, with case studies from Niger, Mali and Madagascar. Below you can find an excerpt from the forward by Marcela Villarreal (Director, Gender, Equity and Rural Employment Division, FAO) and links to the three case studies.

Dear Sir/ Madam

Please see my blog published on website of Responding to Climate Change (RTCC);

Desertification action not possible until fair land management addressed

25 April 2012

By Tanveer Arif

These Rules, made under section 11 of the Commonage Act, concern commoners in the Savannah Sound area. The Rules require commoners to register with the Commissioner and specify conditions for registration as a commoner and the application for land by a commoner. The Rules also, among other things: regulate elections and meetings of commoners; provide rules regarding the setting of fire to land; provide for resolution of disputes between commoners in relating to the use of land by the Land Policy Committee; and secure free access to water resources by commoners.

These Rules, made under section 11 of the Commonage Act, concern commoners in the Harbour Island and Spanish Wells area. The commoners shall register with the Commissioner who may convene meetings of commoners.

These Rules, made under section 11 of the Commonage Act, concern commoners in the Mount Thompson and Ramsey area. The Rules require commoners to register with the Commissioner.

These Rules, made under section 11 of the Commonage Act, concern commoners in the Rock Sound area. The Rules require commoners to register with the Commissioner.

These Rules, made under section 11 of the Commonage Act, concern commoners in the Tarpum Bay district. The Rules: allow a commoner to take up abandoned land of another commoner for cultivation; set limits for the proximity of cultivation on land bordering land of another commoner; provide rules for the setting fire to fields and provide for arbitration in case of damage; place restrictions on the sale of land by commoners; require a commoner not to fell more land than he or she is able to cultivate within a year; and secure free access to water resources by commoners.

Last Friday 11 of May was an important day for millions of poor rural people and small scale farmers whose rights of access to natural resources were recognized for the first time ever.

In June 2011, the Oakland Institute (OI) released details of the largest land deal in Tanzania, which had been hidden away from public scrutiny prior to that and obscured from national debate and discussion.