Legal recognition and allocation of tenure rights

In this context, FAO supports countries in designing and implementing inclusive land policies and legal frameworks that explicitly aim to strengthen tenure security. This area of work covers the full policy cycle, from diagnosis to implementation, and includes:

• Support to the drafting, revision and operationalization of land policies, laws and regulations.
• Integration of VGGT principles and human rights standards into national and sub-national reforms.
• Facilitation of multi-stakeholder platforms to negotiate land policy choices and build social consensus.

Support is also provided to promote safeguards, principles and standards that strengthen inclusive and gender-sensitive land policies and reforms, including Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), in line with Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests (VGGT) principles and human rights standards.

Since 2013, FAO has supported over 42 multi-stakeholder land platforms in 15 countries, accompanying land reforms from policy design to implementation (including Benin, Niger, Chad, Cameroon, Madagascar, Sierra Leone, Colombia).

FAO's support to multi-stakeholder platforms

FAO has successfully assisted countries in implementing article 26.2 of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests (VGGT) encouraging states to set up multi-stakeholder platforms and frameworks at local, national and regional levels or use such existing platforms and frameworks to collaborate on the implementation of the Guidelines for improved governance of tenure of land, fisheries and forests.

FAO currently supports 30 multi-stakeholder platforms (MSPs) in 16 countries, promoting participatory decision-making on both governance of tenure and natural resource management. FAO-supported MSPs are intrinsically inclusive, based on buy-in from government authorities and other key partners.

MSPs on tenure governance can:

• Facilitate and promote policy and legal reforms
  Wide ranging consensus fosters policy and legal frameworks producing lasting outcomes at all levels, encouraging continuity.
• Create an inclusive space to discuss tenure issues
  The open atmosphere in an MSP promotes relationships based on trust, mutual respect and communication.
• Promote buy-in for responsible governance of tenure
  Involving stakeholders from government agencies increases the likelihood of approval of initiatives.
• Support tenure processes based on ownership
  Promoting national stakeholder ownership will encourage engagement and support for reform initiatives.
• Contribute to improved governance of tenure
  Create a space for national stakeholders to develop mechanisms and indicators for monitoring of land tenure processes.
• Strengthen capacities of national and local stakeholders
  The MSP is a learning space for members to increase knowledge, learn new tools and share experiences on how to improve governance of tenure.

Key document

MSPs Stories

Related links