A recent article from IRIN news discusses land and conflict, as well as some potential opportunities for land reform, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). According to the article, “land disputes are key drivers of conflict in eastern DRC, and they hinder development across the region.

Why are the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests important?

In early December 2012, the Government of the Central African Republic officially launched a land tenure reform process. This process commenced with a multi-stakeholder workshop where two inter-ministerial committees were launched by the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister indicated the government’s intent to lead a public consultation process that results in the formulation of a consolidated vision for land governance, taking into consideration international principals such as the Voluntary Guidelines for the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests.

ABSTRACTED FROM THE OBJECTIVES SECTION: These Voluntary Guidelines seek to improve governance of tenure of land*, fisheries and forests. They seek to do so for the benefit of all, with an emphasis on vulnerable and marginalized people, with the goals of food security and progressive realization of the right to adequate food, poverty eradication, sustainable livelihoods, social stability, housing security, rural development, environmental protection and sustainable social and economic development.

The VGGT represent the first inter-governmental consensus on the principles and accepted standards for the responsible governance of tenure for governments, international organisations, communities, and the private sector. Their aim is to promote secure tenure rights and equitable access to land, fisheries and forests as a means of eradicating hunger and poverty, supporting sustainable development and enhancing the environment.The Guidelines serve as a reference and set out principles and internationally accepted standards for practices for the responsible governance of tenure.

he guidelines are the first comprehensive, global instrument on tenure and its administration to be prepared through intergovernmental negotiations.

The guidelines set out principles and internationally accepted standards of responsible practices for the use and control of land, fisheries and forests. They provide guidance for improving the policy, legal and organizational frameworks that regulate tenure rights; for

This study is intended to contribute to the effective implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines by exploring ways of monitoring the governance of tenure of land, fisheries and forests and providing a civil society perspective on monitoring in the context of the Guidelines. It provides an overview of existing and commonly used monitoring systems and practices in relation with tenure of land, fisheries and forests by civil society organisations and institutions. In order to do so, it will propose a schematic categorization of monitoring in the context of land, fisheries and forests.

The guidelines are the first comprehensive, global instrument on tenure and its administration to be prepared through intergovernmental negotiations.

The guidelines set out principles and internationally accepted standards of responsible practices for the use and control of land, fisheries and forests. They provide guidance for improving the policy, legal and organizational frameworks that regulate tenure rights; for

This guide provides an overview of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security. It describes the nature, purpose, contents and intended audience of the Guidelines. The guide explains what is meant by tenure and describes how improving the governance of tenure can serve to eradicate hunger and poverty and lead to the sustainable use of natural resources.

FAO published its Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure (VGGT) of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security in 2012. The purpose of these guidelines is to serve as reference and to provide guidance to improve the governance of tenure of land, fisheries and forest with the overarching goal of achieving food security for all and to support the progressive realization of the right to adequate food in the context of national food security.

The primary goal of the "Voluntary Guidelines for the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests within the Scope of National Food Security" is to achieve food security for all and to support the progressive realization of the right to adequate food within the scope of national food security.

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.