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Concentration of land ownership, lack of access, insecurity of tenure and lack of efficiency and transparency in land administration services, are among the obstacles towards responsible governance of tenure of land and other natural resources in Latin America. These issues have been the subject of discussions and policy recommendations during many international forums, such as the International Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development (ICARRD) held in Porto Alegre, Brazil, in March 2006. In this regard, FAO, together with other development organizations, is preparing Voluntary Guidelines on Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land and other Natural Resources. The process towards the Voluntary Guidelines is carried out in collaboration with governments, civil society, private sector, and international organizations, and will be adopted by the FAO Member States. The Voluntary Guidelines are intended to provide practical guidance on responsible governance of tenure as a means of responding to global challenges of our time. These guidelines will be consistent with the wide range of international instruments, and will adopt a human rights-based approach. They will be a further elaboration of the Right to Food Guidelines and will be a follow up to the recommendations from ICARRD. The content of the Voluntary Guidelines will draw on multi-stakeholder regional consultation meetings, civil society consultations, private sector consultation and expert group meetings. Once drafted, the Voluntary Guidelines will be submitted for FAO member countries’ approval. Upon adoption of the Voluntary Guidelines, FAO and its partners will support their implementation through national action plans, through the Organization’s extensive partnership networks and through related project activities.
