Voluntary Guidelines

Land Tenure Working Paper 10. FAO’s Land Tenure and Management Unit is working with partners to develop Voluntary Guidelines on Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land and other Natural Resources that can be adopted at the international level and implemented by countries. This discussion paper has been prepared to seek views and comments on the contents and the scope of the Voluntary Guidelines. It is intended to stimulate discussion at workshops and consultation meetings that involve international organizations, governments and civil society.

Land Tenure Working Paper 9. Based on international authoritative documents, this paper draws 14 principles to be taken into account when developing Voluntary Guidelines on Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land and other Natural Resources. The paper sees Voluntary Guidelines as human-rights based documents that provide a framework and a point of reference for national and international policies. Voluntary guidelines are addressed to a wide range of stakeholders and therefore they need to be derived from international agreements and credible examples of good practice if they are to command wide support.

Land Tenure Working Paper 8. This paper articulates the views and demands of marginalised groups regarding the tenure of land and other natural resources. It points out the importance of adopting human rights framework when developing Voluntary Guidelines. Such framework means addressing the unequal relationships of power and corruption within and behind prevailing land tenure structures. It makes the governance of tenure of land and other natural resources more accountable, transparent, democratic and participatory.

Land tenure working paper 7. This document points out common problems that exist in the governance of land tenure in central African countries. It underlines that corruption, a weak rule of law and misuse of power are the main challenges for good governance.

Land tenure working paper 6. This document assesses the state of governance of tenure of land and other natural resources in Western Africa. It compares national policies, legislations and practices with the main standards and criteria of good governance. The study identifies challenges of governance. It also recognises the good practices and the recent initiatives undertaken in favour of responsible governance of tenure of land.