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FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) and other development partners are working together with countries to prepare Voluntary Guidelines that will provide practical guidance to states, civil society, the private sector, donors and development specialists on the responsible governance of tenure. By setting out principles and internationally accepted standards for responsible practices, the Voluntary Guidelines will provide a framework and point of reference that stakeholders can use when developing their own policies and actions. Regional Consultations on the proposed Voluntary Guidelines are an important part of the process. They bring together regional representative, multidisciplinary groups to assess regional priorities and issues that should be considered when the Voluntary Guidelines are an important part of the process. They bring together regionally representative, multidisciplinary groups to assess regional priorities and issues that should be considered when the Voluntary Guidelines are drafted. The regional consultation for the Pacific Islands was hosted by the Government of Samoa, and was opened by Mr Taulealeausumai Laavasa Malua, Chief Executive Officer, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Samoa. The consultation was co-organized by the University of South Pacific, the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, and the FAO Subregional Office for the Pacific Islands. It was attended by 43 people, from 12 Pacific countries, who combined their broad range of expertise to identify the issues contained in the assessment for the Pacific Region. Participants were drawn from the public sector, civil society, private sector and academia, and came from Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. In addition, people from the Federated States of Micronesia, Niue and Papua New Guinea were invited but were unable to attend.
