This technical guide is a product of the fruitful collaboration between FAO and UINL (MoU signed in 2016) which led to illustrate that the preventive administration of justice and notaries, as independent public legal officers, can play a key role in achieving the VGGT recommendations. By exercising their function responsibly and implementing best practices, practitioners in the preventive administration of justice can make a considerable contribution to improving the living conditions of citizens worldwide, to achieving sustainable livelihoods, housing security, rural development and environmental protection for the benefit of all citizens. The guide advocates for responsible governance of tenure through the use of the VGGT. It identifies challenges and showcases good practices. Preventive justice is analyzed to assess its contribution to the responsible governance of tenure. VGGT are used as an inspiration for the practice of preventive justice. All stakeholders are finally invited to cooperate and engage in advocacy.

This catalogue aims to improve the dissemination and outreach of FAO’s knowledge products and overall publishing programme. By providing information on its key publications in every area of FAO’s work, and catering to a range of audiences, it thereby contributes to all organizational outcomes. From statistical analysis to specialized manuals to children’s books, FAO publications cater to a diverse range of audiences. This catalogue presents a selection of FAO’s main publications, produced in 2023 or earlier, ranging from its global reports and general interest publications to numerous specialized titles. In addition to the major themes of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, it also includes thematic sections on climate change, economic and social development, and food safety and nutrition.

This catalogue on combating desertifcation and drought inlcudes the FAO resources - publications, posters, videos - related to FAO's work on promoting sustainable land management and restoration of degraded lands and impoverished soils, especially in drylands, and on advocating for a proactive action for drought preparedness. It will be presented at UNCCD COP15 which will take place in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, from 9 to 20 May 2022.

In line with the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure (VGGT), public and private investments globally are increasingly recognising responsible land governance as a determinant for the success and sustainability of their achievements. Investment managers understand that preventing and mitigating tenure related issues is a necessary step to achieve their objectives. While a wide range of tools, community-based participatory approaches, and technologies are available to help clarify, protect and secure tenure rights, navigating this landscape requires expertise which is often not available to investment projects. This guide provides readers with a basic understanding of the functional linkages between land tenure and land-based investments. It illustrates the process of protecting and securing legitimate tenure rights through recordation, describes how to use fit-for-purpose technology to strengthen / support the process, identifies choices in selecting the appropriate technology based on objectives and context, and provides clear criteria to inform the choice.

This tool is intended to help countries evaluate their forest tenure systems, particularly those that facilitate participation of non-state actors in forestry, including co-management regimes, community forestry, smallholder forestry, large holder forestry, or company concessions granted on State lands. It uses the internationally endorsed Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests (VGGT) as its basis. Forest tenure review may be conducted in the context of policy or legal reform, to inform Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) policy formulation, to improve understanding of a specific tenure system that is under-performing, or to strengthen performance of the various participatory forestry arrangements in country. The assessment tool can provide a very comprehensive understanding of tenure and governance related drivers of deforestation and forest degradation, and ways to address them.

Part Two. HUMAN RIGHTS

Increased global demand for land posits the need for well-designed country-level land policies to protect long-held rights, facilitate land access and address any constraints that land policy may pose for broader growth. While the implementation of land reforms can be a lengthy process, the need to swiftly identify key land policy challenges and devise responses that allow the monitoring of progress, in a way that minimizes conflicts and supports broader development goals, is clear. The Land Governance Assessment Framework (LGAF) makes a substantive contribution to the land sector by providing a quick and innovative tool to monitor land governance at the country level. The LGAF offers a comprehensive diagnostic tool that covers five main areas for policy intervention: Legal and institutional framework; Land use planning, management and taxation; Management of public land; Public provision of land information; and Dispute resolution and conflict management. The LGAF assesses these areas through a set of detailed indicators that are rated on a scale of pre-coded statements (from lack of good governance to good practice). While land governance can be highly technical in nature and tends to be addressed in a partial and sporadic manner, the LGAF posits a tool for a comprehensive assessment, taking into account the broad range of issues that land governance encompasses, while enabling those unfamiliar with land to grasp its full complexity. The LGAF will make it possible for policymakers to make sense of the technical levels of the land sector, benchmark governance, identify areas that require further attention and monitor progress. It is intended to assist countries in prioritizing reforms in the land sector by providing a holistic diagnostic review that can inform policy dialogue in a clear and targeted manner. In addition to presenting the LGAF tool, this book includes detailed case studies on its implementation in five selected countries: Peru, the Kyrgyz Republic, Ethiopia, Indonesia and Tanzania.