The present paper is written as part of the overall Voluntary Guidelines consultation and development process and is a contribution to the subsequent preparation of the Gender Technical Guide. It contextualises and defines gender for the Voluntary Guidelines, discusses what governance of tenure means from a gender perspective and identifies and analyses key issues and themes. It then summarises recommendations relevant to gender before drawing some conclusions for the development process of the Voluntary Guidelines.

This brief produced for the Dialogue Initiative on Large-Scale Land Acquisitions and their Alternatives provides an overview of the  Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land and Other Natural Resources.

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.

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.

ANGOC’s latest Lok Niti journal, tackles current perspectives and initiatives on the “old” issues of poverty, food security and sustainable development.  It features an analysis from several Asian countries on the challenges faced by small food producers, the search for a framework for sustainable livelihoods and several briefers on the reformed FAO Committee on World Food Security, the High-level Task Force on the Global Food Security Crisis, the FAO Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Food Security Context, and the Zero draft

The majority of the world live in rural areas and are dependent on land and land based resources. The increasing pressure on land, particularly that used for food production, by countries and private investors poses a huge risks to millions of these rural communities. One of the major causes is weak and poor governance in land tenure systems, as most Governments have so far failed to provide adequate safeguards to protect poor people from eviction or dispossession leaving them without compensation and remedy. 

FAO and its partners have been preparing draft voluntary guidelines to provide practical guidance on responsible governance of tenure of land, fisheries and forests as a means of alleviating hunger and poverty, enhancing the environment, supporting national and local economic development, and reforming public administration. A process of widespread participation of stakeholders through a series of regional and thematic consultation meetings as well as an electronic consultation resulted in a First Draft of the Voluntary Guidelines.

The present paper is written as part of the overall VG consultation and development process

and is a contribution to the subsequent preparation of the Gender Technical Guide. The

present paper is based both on the outcomes of the VG consultation process to date and on

supporting research, consultation and literature review on gender and governance of tenure. It

contextualises and defines gender for the VG, discusses what governance of tenure means

from a gender perspective, and identifies and analyses key issues and themes.

The present study – looking at the land governance situation in Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) – 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.

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.

This publication is intended to assist with reading the Guidelines by highlighting some of the main points of paragraphs. However, it is not a substitute for the Guidelines.

This is a fact sheet presenting the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security