States adopt guidelines for secure tenure rights

A monumental agreement was reached during a special, thirty-eighth session of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) that will see governments protect their public's equitable access to land and other natural resources key to food production. The Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security underlines the role responsible governance of tenure plays in eradicating hunger and poverty while promoting sustainable development. While terming the agreement as a "historic breakthrough", the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Director-General, Jose Graziano da Silva further considers it a "starting point that will help improve the often dire situation of the hungry and poor." The Guidelines also address women's right to land and gender equality and emphasises the right for all to access systems of justice and transparent information. The document which was developed through CFS-led intergovernmental negotiations and multi-stakeholder consultation meetings and will serve as a framework to guide governments when developing their own legislation and administration procedures on natural resources. Read the Voluntary Guidelines here