FIAN SEMINAR LAND GRABBING IN UGANDA, AMSTERDAM, December 7, 2011

1. Civil society’s institutional battle: FAO Voluntary Guidelines on Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of Food Security FIAN SEMINAR LAND GRABBING IN UGANDA, AMSTERDAM, December 7, 2011

2. Civil society’s institutional battle • FAO initiative Voluntary Guidelines on Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and forests • Why and How CSO engaged in the process • Where are we now

3. Voluntary Guidelines FAO is preparing Voluntary Guidelines to enhance responsible governance of tenure of land and other natural resources. In setting out principles and internationally accepted standards, the Voluntary Guidelines intend to provide practical guidance to states, civil society and private sector on responsible governance of tenure. The guidelines will constitute a framework for policies, legislation and programmes. Being voluntary, they will not establish legally binding obligations nor replace existing national or international laws, treaties or agreements.

4. CFS The Committee for World Food Security (CFS) is the United Nations’ forum for reviewing and following up on policies concerning world food security. It also examines issues which affect the world food situation.  In the 35th Session the members of CFS have agreed on a wide-ranging reform that aims to make CFS the foremost inclusive international and intergovernmental platform dealing with food security and nutrition

5. CSM The essential role of the Civil Society Mechanism (CSM) is to facilitate the participation of CSOs in the work of the CFS, including input to negotiation and decision-making. The CSM will also provide a space for dialogue between a wide range of civil society actors where different positions can be expressed and debated.

6. CSO in the process of the Voluntary Guidelines Why to engage in this process • to continue the multi-constituency dialogue started in ICARRD, Porto Alegre, Brazil in 2006 and the Forum for Food Sovereignty in Selingue, Mali in 2008 • to develop a systematic and comprehensive interpretation of existing international human rights and environmental law provisions protecting the rights to land and natural resources of all rural constituencies. • to contribute to a more democratic global governance of food and agriculture based on the UN system, participation of social movements and other civil society organizations.

7. CSO in the process of the Voluntary Guidelines • “Civil Society Organizations’ Proposals the FAO Guidelines on Responsible Governance of Land and Natural Resources Tenure” • Document based on the inputs from the 4 civil society consultations + e-consultation • Document has its own live and forms the basis for CSO position through the process, no matter the final outcome

8. Where are we now? Waiting for a 3th round of negotiations Important achievements regarding land grabbing: • Human Rights as overarching principles • Right to Food and Food Security as main objectives • Recognition of Customary and Informal Tenure • Protection of defenders of land / human rights • Regulated spatial planning • To bring the voice of the most affected by land grabbing to the CFS: Dakar Appeal 2011 to stop landgrabbing • In general, CFS tackles the land question, forgotten for long time

9. Useful links • http://www.fao.org/cfs/cfs-home/land-tenure/en/ • http://cso4cfs.org/civil-society-mechanism/ • http://www.fian.org/