Governance of tenure newsletter
UN General Assembly
UN General Assembly encourages countries to give due consideration to implementing the Guidelines
On 20 December 2013 the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Second Committee resolution on Agriculture Development, Food Security and Nutrition which:
Encourages countries to give due consideration to the dissemination, promotion and implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security.
This resolution was proposed by the Second Committee and is contained as a draft in its report, which is available here: لعربية | 中文 | English | français | русский | español
In adopting the resolution, the UN General Assembly reaffirms its earlier support for the Guidelines given in the resolution on "Agricultural Development and Food Security", which was adopted on 21 December 2012.
New publication online
Respecting free, prior and informed consent
This Technical Guide sets out practical actions to respect and protect free, prior and informed consent. It shows how Government agencies, civil society organizations, land users and private investors can comply with their responsibilities in relation to this.
Global Awareness-raising Campaign Completed
Since December 2012, 11 regional workshops have been held around the world to raise awareness of the Guidelines. Some 640 people from 140 countries have taken part, with representatives from a wide range of sectors, including governments, civil society organizations, private sector, academia and international institutions. Together, participants explored ways to integrate the Guidelines in their home countries as well as discuss priority governance of tenure issues at the regional level.
Overall, participant feedback has been very positive. “These Guidelines showcase a people-centred approach to tenure, putting a human face on the issue,” said a workshop participant from the meeting held in Guyana. A participant from the meeting in Colombia stated that “the value of the Guidelines is not only in their content but also what they can initiate.”
The regional workshops were held in Cameroon and Rwanda (Africa region); Fiji and Thailand (Asia and the Pacific region); Bulgaria and Ukraine (Europe and Central Asia region); Colombia and Guyana (Latin America and the Caribbean region); and Jordon, Morocco and United Arab Emirates (Near East region).
Voices on the Guidelines
UN Radio recently spoke to Paul Munro-Faure, FAO's Deputy Director in the Climate, Energy and Tenure Division, about how the Guidelines can help improve food security and gender equality and how security of access and rights to land can lead to more sustainable land use and increased investments.
Developing enabling tenure conditions for REDD+
A new policy brief identifies areas of work that should be considered in order to create enabling tenure conditions for REDD+ implementation. It provides recommendations, reviews experiences and describes approaches for addressing tenure issues related to REDD+.
Policy brief: Developing enabling tenure conditions for REDD+
Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure
The Voluntary Guidelines are now available in an eBook edition, and can be downloaded from the web. 
Governing land for women and men” is now available in Spanish as well as in English
This Technical Guide includes case studies, examples, checklists and suggested monitoring indicators to improve gender equity in the processes, institutions and activities of land tenure governance.
Governance of Tenure Technical Guide No. 1 EN | SP