This joint FAO-World Bank publication aims to draw attention to the negative impacts of weak governance in land administration and to point out the manifold benefits of good governance in the protection of property rights and the development of efficient land and property markets. It provides positive examples of good practices from around the world, as well as an overview of principles and key questions to be applied in any country for the evaluation of governance in land administration.

Overall it was found that institutional capacity for strengthening forest tenure for forest dependent communities exists, but significant gaps were identified in all countries and all types of organizations. All three countries need to strengthen dialogue and cooperation between the different actors to identify measures and activities that will have direct livelihood improvement benefits and increase the income of forest dependent communities.

This paper examines the existing and potential connections between rural people and forests in the Kyrgyz Republic, with the aim of developing an improved understanding of the role and potential role of the forestry sector in poverty reduction.1 While the paper focuses on Kyrgyzstan, the wider aim is to show, building on some of the experiences of Kyrgyzstan, how the connections between forests and poverty reduction might be explored in West and Central Asia more generally.

Land Reform, Land Settlement and Cooperatives continues to play an important role in land tenure and rural development studies and more specifically as part of FAO’s programmes since its first publication in 1963. In the last decade, the issues of good governance, new institutional structures and methodological approaches offering a wider perspective have become important elements of the debate. The articles in this volume of Land Reform, Land Settlement and Cooperatives reflect this in a variety of ways.

Le Plan Maroc Vert du Gouvernement du Maroc souligne le rôle important del’agriculture et définit des stratégies visant à promouvoir le développement de ce secteur en y attirant des investissements nationaux et internationaux et en organisant les acteurs privés en chaînes de valeur concurrentielles et rentables. Malgré ces efforts, cependant, de grands défis restent à relever. L’un des principaux concerne la disponibilité de services financiers pour les acteurs ruraux de l’agriculture.

A humanidade tem sido testemunha e participante nas múltiplas mudanças pelas quais a agricultura passou no decorrer dos séculos. Desde os primórdios desta antiga prática, o cultivo tem sido a espinha dorsal do desenvolvimento econômico de muitas sociedades e a principal fonte de preservação e evolução da vida. Nas civilizações pré-históricas e agrárias mais antigas, a agricultura não somente era uma fonte de alimento e de matérias-primas, mas também representava uma fonte de expressão da ordem inata da natureza.

هذه الخطوط التوجيهية هي أول صكّ عالمي شامل خاص بالحيازات وإدارتها يُعدّ من خلال مفاوضات حكومية دولية. وتضع هذه الخطوط التوجيهية مبادئ ومعايير مقبولة دولياً للممارسات المسؤولة لاستخدام الأراضي ومصايد الأسماك والغابات وللتحكّم بها. وهي تعطي توجيهات لتحسين الأطر القانونية والتنظيمية والمتصلة بالسياسات التي تنظّم حقوق الحيازة ولزيادة شفافية نظم الحيازة وإدارتها ولتعزيز القدرات والإجراءات التي تتخذها الأجهزة العامة ومؤسسات القطاع الخاص ومنظمات المجتمع المدني وجميع المعنيين بالحيازات وإدارتها.

Le présent document examine les problèmes auxquels se heurtent les pays lorsqu'il s'agit d'aménager des stocks de poisson qui se déplacent entre leurs ZEE et celles de pays adjacents ou vers la haute mer. Les mesures à prendre dependent du type de déplacement.

اتعد المبادئ التوجيهية بمثابة مرجع يحتذى به وتحدد المبادئ والمعايير المقبولة دوليا لممارسات الحوكمة المسؤولة للحيازة. وتوفر إطارا تستطيع البلدان الاستفادة منه عند صياغة استراتيجياتها وسياساتها وتشريعاتها وبرامجها وأنشطتها. وتسمح المبادئ التوجيهية للحكومات والمجتمع المدني والقطاع الخاص والمواطنين بالحكم على ما إذا كانت إجراءاتها المقترحة والإجراءات التي يتخذها الآخرون تمثل ممارسات مقبولة من عدمه.

The State of the World’s Forests (SOFO) 2016 “Forests and Agriculture – Land Use Challenges and Opportunities” examines the competing demands for land for forests and agriculture; and the relationship between forest cover changes and food security. In particular, forests and food security highlight the possibility to meet food security objectives while maintaining or increasing existing forests.

In this issue of the NR Newsletter, we welcome 2012 as the UN-declared International Year of Energy for All, an opportunity to concentrate global attention on the challenges facing both developed and developing countries when addressing access to and efficient use of sustainable energy sources. We also take a look at an interesting land tenure project that aims to bring advanced technology land registration systems to developing countries, through low-cost open-source software.

Esta guía presenta una visión de conjunto de las Directrices voluntarias sobre la gobernanza responsable de la tenencia de la tierra, la pesca y los bosques en el contexto de la seguridad alimentaria nacional. La guía describe la naturaleza, propósito, contenido y destinatarios deseados de las Directrices; explica qué se entiende por tenencia, e indica de qué manera el mejoramiento de la gobernanza de la tenencia puede servir para reducir el hambre y la pobreza y conducir al uso sostenible de los recursos naturales.