Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security

16/05/2012

Opinión

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Contents

Preface ......................................................................................................................... v

Part 1: Preliminary ............................................................................................................ 1

1. Objectives ............................................................................................................ 1

2. Nature and scope ................................................................................................. 1

Part 2: General matters ..................................................................................................... 3

3. Guiding principles of responsible tenure governance ......................................... 3

4. Rights and responsibilities related to tenure ....................................................... 5

5. Policy, legal and organizational frameworks related to tenure ........................... 7

6. Delivery of services ............................................................................................. 8

Part 3: Legal recognition and allocation of tenure rights and duties .......................... 11

7. Safeguards ......................................................................................................... 11

8. Public land, fisheries and forests ....................................................................... 12

9. Indigenous peoples and other communities with customary tenure systems .... 14

10. Informal tenure .................................................................................................. 16

Part 4: Transfers and other changes to tenure rights and duties ................................ 17

11. Markets .............................................................................................................. 17

12. Investments ....................................................................................................... 18

13. Land consolidation and other readjustment approaches .................................... 21

14. Restitution ......................................................................................................... 22

15. Redistributive reforms ....................................................................................... 22

16. Expropriation and compensation ....................................................................... 24

Part 5: Administration of tenure .................................................................................... 26

17. Records of tenure rights .................................................................................... 26

18. Valuation ........................................................................................................... 27

19. Taxation ............................................................................................................ 27

20. Regulated spatial planning ................................................................................ 28

21. Resolution of disputes over tenure rights .......................................................... 29

22. Transboundary matters ...................................................................................... 30

Part 6: Responses to climate change and emergencies ................................................. 31

23. Climate change .................................................................................................. 31

24. Natural disasters ................................................................................................ 31

25. Conflicts in respect to tenure of land, fisheries and forests ............................... 32

Part 7: Promotion, implementation, monitoring and evaluation................................. 34

Preface

The purpose of these Voluntary Guidelines is to serve as a reference and to provide guidance to improve the governance of tenure of land, fisheries and forests with the overarching goal of achieving food security for all and to support the progressive realization of the right to adequate food in the context of national food security.

These Guidelines are intended to contribute to the global and national efforts towards the eradication of hunger and poverty, based on the principles of sustainable development and with the recognition of the centrality of land to development, by promoting secure tenure rights and equitable access to land, fisheries and forests.

The eradication of hunger and poverty, and the sustainable use of the environment, depend in large measure on how people, communities and others gain access to land, fisheries and forests. The livelihoods of many, particularly the rural poor, are based on secure and equitable access to and control over these resources. They are the source of food and shelter; the basis for social, cultural and religious practices; and a central factor in economic growth.

It is important to note that responsible governance of tenure of land, fisheries and forests is inextricably linked with access to and management of other natural resources, such as water and mineral resources. While recognizing the existence of different models and systems of governance of these natural resources under national contexts, States may wish to take the governance of these associated natural resources into account in their implementation of these Guidelines, as appropriate.

How people, communities and others gain access to land, fisheries and forests is defined and regulated by societies through systems of tenure. These tenure systems determine who can use which resources, for how long, and under what conditions. The systems may be based on written policies and laws, as well as on unwritten customs and practices. Tenure systems increasingly face stress as the world’s growing population requires food security, and as environmental degradation and climate change reduce the availability of land, fisheries and forests. Inadequate and insecure tenure rights increase vulnerability, hunger and poverty, and can lead to conflict and environmental degradation when competing users fight for control of these resources.

The governance of tenure is a crucial element in determining if and how people, communities and others are able to acquire rights, and associated duties, to use and control land, fisheries and forests. Many tenure problems arise because of weak governance, and attempts to address tenure problems are affected by the quality of governance. Weak governance adversely affects social stability, sustainable use of the environment, investment and economic growth. People can be condemned to a life of hunger and poverty if they lose their tenure rights to their homes, land, fisheries and forests and their livelihoods because of corrupt tenure practices or if implementing agencies fail to protect their tenure rights. People may even lose their lives when weak tenure governance leads to violent conflict. Responsible governance of tenure conversely promotes sustainable social and economic development that can help eradicate poverty and food insecurity, and encourages responsible investment.

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https://www.alainet.org/es/node/158000