FAO’s Committee on Agriculture will discuss the importance of water tenure
The Committee on Agriculture (COAG) is one of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations' (FAO) Governing Bodies. It provides overall policy and regulatory guidance on issues relating to agriculture, livestock, food safety, nutrition, rural development and natural resource management.
The 28th Session of COAG will take place from 18 to 22 July 2022. As FAO’s main technical advisory committee on agriculture, COAG is responsible for reviewing major agricultural and nutritional problems and proposing concerted action by FAO’s Member Nations.
This year, the Committee is invited to recognize the importance of water tenure for the responsible governance of natural resources, and to encourage members to actively engage in a “Global Dialogue on Water Tenure”. The discussion will tentatively take place on Monday, 18 June, at 17.00 h CEST.
With more than 733 million people currently living in areas of high or critical water stress, and a projected 30 percent increase in global water demand by 2050, the question of allocation of water resources has never been more important. Increasing water demand, coupled with the impacts of climate change, poses a significant challenge for all countries in the context of food security. To overcome such challenges, it is time to address water tenure and responsible water governance.
The responsible governance of water tenure can be an important vehicle for achieving this balance. A Global Dialogue on Water Tenure can be an important step towards an agreement on voluntary guidelines defining principles for responsible governance of water tenure through an inclusive and consultative process that includes relevant stakeholders. This proposed Global dialogue is supported by technical guidelines which could assist Members in the development and implementation of policies for a responsible governance of water tenure in the context of achieving food security.
FAO and its partners have spearheaded initiatives that show that a water tenure approach offers a unique perspective to understand the complexity of water rights and allocation systems. With this knowledge, partners can build actionable and context-specific avenues to improve the governance of water tenure, and increase equity and security for water users.
>>> Please have a look at the discussion paper on the COAG website.
>>> Follow the webcast here
>>> Learn more about Water Tenure in the dedicated section