The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) said Tuesday it is close to approving a set of voluntary guidelines on responsible governance of tenure and access rights to forest resources.
The proposed guidelines, FAO said, come within the context of intensifying competition for land and other natural resources resulting from population growth, urbanization and large-scale purchases of farmland in the developing world by both overseas interests and domestic investors. The guidelines were developed over the past three years and involved governments as well as civil society organizations, nonprofits, farmers' associations and the private sector.
The guidelines, which carry underlying goals of ensuring equal rights for women and creating transparent record-keeping systems accessible to the poor, will be considered for final approval during a meeting of the Committee on World Food Security in Rome in mid-May. The guidelines also work to protect informal and traditional rights to forestland.
Once approved, the guidelines will serve as a reference for national authorities when passing laws and setting policy related to access and ownership rights for forestland, as well as fisheries. In 2006, the FAO has developed voluntary guidelines for responsible tree plantation management.
"Once approved, the guidelines will be voluntary, but because they have been drawn up in such a comprehensive and inclusive process, and because there is this shared perception that a framework like this is sorely needed, we all anticipate that they will set the bar for policymakers," said Yaya Olaniran, current chair of CFS. "In fact, we're already seeing governments moving to bring their policies and practices into alignment with the guidelines," he added.
