Strengthening Access to Land, Fisheries and Forests
The Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security promote secure tenure rights and equitable access to land, fisheries and forests as a means of eradicating hunger and poverty, supporting sustainable development and enhancing the environment. The project was designed to contribute to existing development goals in the three target countries – Liberia, Mongolia and Sierra Leone, reinforcing land and tenure policy and improving governance of tenure. This is of particular benefit to landless people and small-scale farmers, in particular women who head rural households, often the poorest section of society.
What did the project do
The project targeted country-level implementation of the Guidelines in Mongolia, Liberia and Sierra Leone, while global know-how helped to produced three far-reaching Technical Guides. In each country, the technical assistance provided to governments in the area of tenure governance played a catalytic role in facilitating and informing national-level dialogue. The project supported three series of national workshops, which established the institutional setting of the Guidelines and the development of a roadmap for implementing tenure reforms. In Sierra Leone, activities went further, providing support for a full legal, policy and institutional assessment and the formulation of recommendations for the land, fisheries and forestry sectors.Impact
Awareness has been significantly raised in all three countries with regard to land rights and governance issues. The project’s success has been adapted in a country-specific way. In Sierra Leone, a dedicated institutional framework was established and is leading the way on the implementation of the Guidelines. In Mongolia, the Steering Committee and Platform are used as a foundation to include more stakeholders in the tenure governance discussion. In Liberia, a Steering Committee and Secretariat have been established. The multistakeholder fora in each country developed clear recommendations for policy and legal reforms within relevant sectors. This should lead to the implementation of better policies, laws and programmes that ensure sustainability and contribute to the eradication of hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition.Activities
- In each country, 80 to 100 stakeholders from the Government, civil society, academia and the private sector formed multistakeholder country fora or platforms and met on an annual basis.
- Five training workshops delivered Legal Framework Assessment, Land Administration, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Forestry and Right to Food, attracting 100 participants.
- Three Technical Guides on governance of tenure were developed and are available as a global public good.
- Ten-year implementation plan for Sierra Leone’s National Land Policy produced and capacities of national stakeholders strengthened through formation of civil society and farmers’ groups.
Project symbol: GCP/GLO/347/GER
Project title: Support for Country Level Implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests
Contact: FAO Office in Liberia / FAO Office in Mongolia / FAO Office in Sierra / Javier Molina Cruz (Budget Holder)
Download PDF: http://www.fao.org/3/BT836/bt836.pdf