The latest technical guide on the responsible governance of tenure from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) focuses on the legal dimensions of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure for Land, Fisheries and Forests at the national level.
Rachael Knight, Director of Namati’s Community Land Protection Program, was one of the main authors of the guide.
The guide addresses the legal value of the Voluntary Guidelines covering the governance of tenure of land, fisheries and forests by explaining the concept of legitimacy and reviewing the different stages of legislative processes, from legal assessment and law-making through implementation of legislation to settlement of disputes. The guide is aimed at legal professionals working with state institutions, civil society, development agencies and the private sector, as well as law societies, notaries, judges and all those who are interested in understanding the role of law in giving effect to the provisions of the Guidelines.
Namati’s various programs on land and natural resource rights – from community land protection, to negotiating fair land deals in Sierra Leone, to seeking land justice in Myanmar – are examples of how the Guidelines can be applied in practice through grassroots legal empowerment programs. The Guidelines are also an important advocacy tool for land rights activists working for greater government transparency and responsible governance of lands and natural resources.
Download the Guide from the FAO
Learn about the Voluntary Guidelines with the FAO’s free, e-learning materials.
