The FAO Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests

Abstract

In May 2012, the UN Committee on World Food Security (CFS) endorsed the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests. This article provides an overview on this new document. It puts the Guidelines in the context of the FAOs efforts to raise awareness on the importance of good governance of land and natural resource tenure, as emphasized in the 2006 final declaration of the International Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development (ICARRD), as well as of the discussions on responses to the current new wave of land grabbing. The main objective of the Voluntary Guidelines is to provide practical guidance to governments to improve governance of natural resources, recognizing that secure tenure rights and equitable access to land, fisheries, and forests are crucial to achieve food security and the progressive realization of the right to adequate food. The article argues that despite being “voluntary” the Guidelines explicitly refer to existing human rights...