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.

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

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

The document highlights four areas of the Voluntary Guidelines: human rights approach, diversity of existing land and natural resource tenure systems,  free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) principle of consultation and participation will apply human rights approach, diversity of existing land and natural resource tenure systems, women's land rights and corporate responsibility. These are of greatest interest and relevance to the policy priorities of ActionAid and the International Food Security Network (IFSN).

ABSTRACT

Due to the unquestionable importance and urgency in addressing the problem ofequitable and fair access to

land and other natural resources, an International policy framework is badly needed is required. In this sense,

ABSTRACT

Once the Guidelines on Tenure Governance are approved, CSOs must energically monitor States' actions to

respect, protect and fulfill tenure rights, through strong, independent, participatory and transparent monitoring

mechanisms, which ensure that the principles established in the Guidelines on Tenure Governance are being

effectively taken into consideration.

Adoption and implementation of the Guidelines on Tenure Governance can be enriched by the lessons learned

FAC Policy Brief 55by Blessings Chinsinga and Michael Chasukwa There is often a mismatch between the apparent benevolent intents and the practical manifestations of the large scale land deals. The empirical realities of the large-scale land deals call for critical scrutiny and interrogation of the underlying interests of the stakeholders involved to assess the extent to which they genuinely prioritize win-win scenarios. As the experiences of the Green Belt Initiative (GBI) in Malawi demonstrated, the smallholder farmer is almost always the loser.

Tackling the issue of land and resource tenure is one of the prerequisites for mechanisms such as REDD+ to have positive impacts not only on reducing emissions from the forestry sector but also in reducing poverty and achieving food security. These new guidelines by the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) outline principles and practices that governments can refer to when making laws and administering land, fisheries and forests rights.

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.

This month, we invite you to participate in the e-consultation on Voluntary Guidelines on Responsible governance of tenure of land and other natural resources. Following a lengthy regional consultation process, additional input is being requested prior to the drafting of the Zero Draft Guidelines. FAO Headquarters marked World Water Day 2011, examining the urgent need for safe water supplies for the world’s rapidly growing urban populations.

Land Tenure Working Paper 19. 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.