The present volume is part of a series of Land Tenure Studies produced by FAO’s Land Tenure Service of the Rural Development Division. Land tenure plays a vital role in achieving sustainable rural development.

The purpose of this paper is to outline guidelines to be considered by EU donors in the design of their support for interventions in land policy and administration in developing countries. The focus in these Guidelines is on rural land, however much of the discussion will be of considerable relevance to urban areas and can contribute to a national land policy.

The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment projects that the intensification of freshwater scarcity in combination with continuous water extraction from delicate dryland ecosystems is likely to exacerbate desertification, thus leading to a downward spiral of ecological deterioration and a precarious depreciation of livelihoods in many developing regions.

Fragile states, posing a major challenge of our times, are increasingly becoming a focus of attention in international politics and development cooperation. But very often, the viewpoint of the people affected by fragile statehood is not sufficiently heard. Parts of the international community prioritize their own security policy interests, the motto being the «war on terrorism».

Gender issues are often ignored in projects that aim to improve land tenure and land administration. To support land administrators in governments and their counterparts in civil society, this guide shows where and why gender inclusion is important in projects.

Dear participants,

First, I would like to thank you all for your participation and willingness to share with us your experiences and ideas on how to disseminate the Voluntary Guidelines (VGs) and make them effective. Attached you will find the summary of the discussion which tries to capture the richness of your contributions.

Warm regards,

The International Development Law Organization

The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is one of the three conventions agreed at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. But from the very outset it has led a marginal existence, because industrialized countries feel far less concerned with desertification than developing countries.

This publication provides a summary of the current situation of forest tenure globally, drawing primarily on the forest tenure assessments carried out by FAO in rent years and informed by several other sources.

The main objective of this book is to demonstrate the potential that geoprocessing tools have for supporting rural extension and development. The focus is on the Global Positioning System (GPS), virtual globes, and simple geographic information systems (GIS).