EU membership has profound implications for all parts of a country’s economy, as well as for its relationships with the other countries in Europe and its internal political structures. Members of the EU must be democracies governed by the rule of law and which guarantee human rights. They must have functioning market economies able to withstand the competitive pressures that EU membership brings, and governmental structures capable of discharging the wide range of obligations imposed on EU Member States.

The damage caused by illegal activities and corrupt practices in the world’s forests is a problem of enormous proportions. In many parts of the world, forest exploitation is dominated by rampant illegal harvesting, large-scale violation of trade regulations both domestically and internationally, fraudulent practices abetted or condoned by government officials and other destructive activities in violation of applicable laws. This paper is concerned with one facet of this complex problem–how important is legislation in the fight against destructive and corrupt forestry practices?

Documento de trabajo sobre tenencia de la tierra 6. Este documento ofrece una evaluación del estado de la gobernanza de la tenencia de la tierra y recursos naturales en África occidental, comparando las políticas, legislaciones y prácticas nacionales con los principales criterios y normas de una buena gobernanza. El estudio identifica los desafíos a los que los Estados deben hacer frente aunque reconoce también las buenas prácticas e iniciativas emprendidas en materia de gobernanza de la tenencia de la tierra y recursos naturales.

Manuel pratique sur le droit à l’alimentation 6. Ce troisième manuel pratique dédié aux méthodes de contrôle pour droit à l'alimentation expose l’utilité d’un accès à une information adéquate pour la surveillance, la collecte d'informations, les moyens de communication et les bases de données nécessaires à la réalisation du suivi et à la diffusion de l'information. Le contenu de ce manuel est basé sur le guide « Méthodes de contrôle pour le droit à une alimentation adéquate (volume I et volume II) » de la FAO.

HIV and AIDS has exacerbated the vulnerability of orphaned children who are suffering in a vicious cycle of poverty, food insecurity, lack of access to education, and insecure livelihoods. Moreover, orphaned children are exposed to various forms of abuse by close family members, many of whom are their guardians. Movable and immovable properties that are left by their deceased parents are often confiscated by such guardians.

The impacts of natural disasters such as hurricanes, floods, earthquakes and tsunamis have been increasing steadily since the 1950’s, particularly for developing countries. According to a World Bank external evaluation report “natural disasters destroyed US$652 billion in property worldwide in the 1990s alone – an amount 15 times higher in real terms compared to the 1950s. Approximately 2.6 billion people were affected by natural disasters over the past ten years, compared to 1.6 billion in the previous decade.

There is much interest in using customary marine tenure (CMT) as a basis for community-based fisheries management (CBFM) in the Pacific Island Countries (PICs). The laws of PICs lend general support to the use of CMT or tradition in fisheries management. Still, only modest efforts in the use of CMT-based community fisheries management in the PICs are observed. Further legislative action can enhance CMT use in community fisheries management.

This report is the outcome of a study undertaken on men and women’s access to and control over land in seven districts of the Volta Region in Ghana. The study evolved out of a need for increased insight into gender differences in access to and control over land and the implications of insecure access to land for households within the Volta Region of Ghana. The objective of the study was to obtain an improved understanding of gender-specific constraints that exist in the Volta Region with regard to land tenure.

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.

L'égalité hommes-femmes constitue l’un des dix principes fondamentaux d’application des Directives volontaires pour une gouvernance responsable des régimes fonciers applicables aux terres, aux pêches et aux forêts dans le contexte de la sécurité alimentaire nationale. Ce guide vise à accompagner sa mise en oeuvre par la réalisation d’une gouvernance foncière responsable et équitable en matière de genre. Il est centré sur la façon de gouverner les régimes fonciers pour qu’ils apportent des réponses équitables aux besoins et priorités des femmes et des hommes.