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The global community continues to focus on Voluntary Guidelines for Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests, otherwise known as the VGs. A two day meeting, held in Rome July 18 and 19, attended by more than forty participants from UN member countries, multilateral and bilateral organizations, and civil society focused on developing strategies for implementation of the Guidelines.
Two implementation tracks are being discussed. In one track, bilateral and multilateral institutions intend to directly implement some aspects of the VGs through their development assistance programs. For example, USAID might work to help member countries address policy and legal reform challenges. The second track under consideration would be structured around a facility, possibly located at UN FAO, to provide competitive grants to member countries and/or civil society organizations to implement the Guidelines. Funding options for the proposed facility are under discussion. The FAO Secretariat will develop a concept paper for the facility in September, which will be circulated for comment through an e-consultation process, and presented to a wider audience in Rome in October. Consult FAO’s land tenure web site for further details.
USAID recently published a story on the Voluntary Guidelines in the July/August issue of FrontLines magazine. The article highlights the potential impact this international soft law instrument could have on economic growth in developing countries—a primary reason countries and organizations are mobilizing for implementation.
