1. STORIES FROM THE FIELD: USING THE VOLUNTARY GUIDELINES          Integration of the Voluntary Guidelines into Land Policy in Guatemala On 28 October 2014, in El Palmar, Quetzaltenango, the Government of Guatemala presented a new land policy, which will facilitate access to land by the rural poor and help resolve land disputes in the country. The new land policy (part of the overall Rural Development Policy “Política Nacional...

1. STORIES FROM THE FIELD: USING THE VOLUNTARY GUIDELINES           New video on women’s right to land A new video shows that even in countries where clear legal protections for women's ownership of land and property exist, local customs often continue to work against equality for female farmers. The findings illustrate that female property ownership is low throughout the Western Balkans, with rural areas performing particularly poorly. Gender teams...

National workshops in Liberia, China and Malawi Recent workshops in Liberia, China and Malawi on the Voluntary Guidelines follow those already held this year in Niger, Senegal and Sierra Leone. The detailed vacancy announcement is available here: Liberia 16-19 June, Monrovia hosted the first of a series of three national workshops with about 100 national and international participants, representing all stakeholder groups in Liberia. It was co-organized by the Liberia Land Commission and...

1. GETTING TOGETHER: EVENTS ON THE VOLUNTARY GUIDELINES  Coming up: The Voluntary Guidelines 2 years on - Where we are and where we are going On 14 May a meeting will be held at FAO headquarters in Rome to mark the second year since the CFS’s endorsement of the Voluntary Guidelines. A panel discussion will take place with representatives from governments, civil society and the private sector who will present their perspectives...

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...