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Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure (VGGT)

Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure (VGGT)

The VGGT are the internationally negotiated framework to improve land governance. Drafted by over 1000 stakeholders with different cultural backgrounds from all regions of the world, the VGGT were negotiated by Member States of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) and endorsed on 11 May 2012. According to the Land governance programme map and database of the Global Donor Working Group on Land, there are currently 253 active programmes worth 2.6 billion USD related to the VGGT.

Understanding the VGGT

Purpose, stakeholders, content and history of VGGT

The VGGT in practice

What does implementation mean?
Who can Implement?
How is implementation monitored?

  • VGGT Country Info
  • VGGT Endorsement
  • VGGT programmes

Country Information by VGGT section

Country-level information providing an overview of the status quo against the provisions of the VGGT.

   Featured country portfolios - edited with local partners and organised around the VGGT

   Other available country portfolios

High level endorsement of the VGGT

Map of high-level endorsement of the VGGT in international forums, by country

Land Book Indicators: 
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VGGT endorsement (TOTAL)

VGGT endorsement

This indicator reflects whether a given country officially endorsed the VGGT in at least one of following international forums:

Measurement unit: 
Index (0; 1=endorsed)

   Countries that have officially endorsed the VGGT as part of the 2012 Committee on World Food Security (CFS 2012), the 2014 Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA 2014) or the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture 2015 (GFFA 2015)

GDWGL - Land Governance Programme Map

According to the Land governance programme map and database, there are currently 254 active programmes worth 2.6 billion USD - most of which are related to the VGGT

Land Book Indicators: 
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Ongoing Projects - Funding

DP - Map of Donors (Land governance Programme Map)

Total funding (US $) for programmes still ongoing. Last updated on the 31st of January, 2019.

Measurement unit: 
US$ (Current)

Library

Experiences and Good Practices In The Use and Application of The Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security (VGGT) - Summary and Key Elements cover image

Experiences and Good Practices In The Use and Application of The Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security (VGGT) - Summary and Key Elements

Reports & Research
July 2016
Global
Land & Food Security
Land Stakeholders & Institutions
VGGT
land governance
sustainable development
food security
land rights
capacity development
development agencies

At its 42nd Plenary session in 2015, the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) decided to hold a global thematic event at the 43rd session in October 2016 to share experiences and take stock of the use and application of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security (VGGT), as a contribution to monitorin

Increase the use of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure among CSOs and Grassroots Organizations_South Africa

Policy Papers & Briefs
March 2018
South Africa
Land Stakeholders & Institutions
VGGT
land governance
sustainable development
food security
forest land
land rights
land tenure
tenure security

The Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security (VGGT) set out internationally-accepted principles and standards for responsible practices, providing a framework for governments, the private sector and civil society to use when developing policies and programmes for improving food security.

Voluntary Guide on the Responsible Governance of land fisheries and forests in the context of national food security

Voluntary guidelines on the responsible governance of tenure of land, fisheries and forests in the context of national food security (VGGT)

Reports & Research
December 2012
Africa
Algeria
Egypt
Libya
Morocco
Sudan
Tunisia
Burundi
Comoros
Djibouti
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Kenya
Madagascar
Malawi
Mauritius
Mozambique
Rwanda
Seychelles
Somalia
South Sudan
Tanzania
Uganda
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Angola
Cameroon
Central African Republic
Chad
Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Equatorial Guinea
Gabon
Sao Tome and Principe
Botswana
Lesotho
Namibia
South Africa
Eswatini
Benin
Burkina Faso
Cape Verde
Gambia
Ghana
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Ivory Coast
Liberia
Mali
Mauritania
Niger
Nigeria
Senegal
Sierra Leone
Togo
Americas
Antigua and Barbuda
Bahamas
Barbados
Cuba
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Grenada
Haiti
Jamaica
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Trinidad and Tobago
Belize
Costa Rica
El Salvador
Guatemala
Honduras
Mexico
Nicaragua
Panama
Argentina
Bolivia
Brazil
Chile
Colombia
Ecuador
Guyana
Paraguay
Peru
Suriname
Uruguay
Venezuela
Northern America
Canada
United States of America
Asia
Kazakhstan
Kyrgyzstan
Tajikistan
Turkmenistan
Uzbekistan
China
Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Japan
Mongolia
Republic of Korea
Brunei Darussalam
Cambodia
Indonesia
Laos
Malaysia
Myanmar
Philippines
Singapore
Thailand
Vietnam
Afghanistan
Bangladesh
Bhutan
India
Iran
Maldives
Nepal
Pakistan
Sri Lanka
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Bahrain
Cyprus
Georgia
Iraq
Israel
Jordan
Kuwait
Lebanon
Oman
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
Syrian Arab Republic
Turkey
United Arab Emirates
Yemen
Europe
Belarus
Bulgaria
Czech Republic
Hungary
Moldova
Poland
Russia
Slovakia
Ukraine
Denmark
Estonia
Faroe Islands
Finland
Iceland
Ireland
Latvia
Lithuania
Norway
Sweden
United Kingdom
Albania
Andorra
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Croatia
Greece
Holy See
Italy
North Macedonia
Malta
Montenegro
Portugal
San Marino
Serbia
Slovenia
Spain
Austria
Belgium
France
Germany
Liechtenstein
Luxembourg
Monaco
Netherlands
Switzerland
Oceania
Australia
New Zealand
Fiji
Papua New Guinea
Solomon Islands
Vanuatu
Kiribati
Marshall Islands
Micronesia
Nauru
Palau
Cook Islands
Niue
Samoa
Tokelau
Tonga
Tuvalu
Global
VGGT
land governance
land tenure

The VGGT represent the first inter-governmental consensus on the principles and accepted standards for the responsible governance of tenure for governments, international organisations, communities, and the private sector.

Assessing implementation of the Voluntary Tenure Guidelines and the AU Framework and Guidelines for Land Policy; A toolkit approach

Training Resources & Tools
November 2017
Global
Indigenous & Community Land Rights
Land Stakeholders & Institutions
VGGT
land governance
sustainable development
fisheries
forestry
agriculture
land rights
land tenure
women

ActionAid International has been working over the last few years with women and rural communities to challenge commercialization of land, which leads to loss of their rights to land.

Data

VGGT Logo

VGGT Expropriation, Compensation, Resettlement

This qualitative dataset shows how national laws measure up against the international standards on expropriation, compensation, and resettlement as established in Section 16 of the UN Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security (VGGTs). The UN Committee on World Food Security, a body consisting of 193 governments, endorsed the VGGTs in 2012.

The dataset contains indicators which ask yes or no questions about the legal provisions established in national laws.

FAO Gender and Land Rights Database

FAO - Land and Gender

Land is a crucial resource for poverty reduction, food security and rural development. However, men and women do not always enjoy the same rights to land. This dataset contains indicators from the FAO Gender & Land Rights Database.

VGGT endorsement

Indigenous & Community Land Rights
Land & Investments
Land Stakeholders & Institutions
VGGT
food security
land use
agriculture
Indigenous Peoples
local communities

The Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and F

Dataset provider: 
Leila Shamsaifar
Map of Donors (Land governance Programme Map)

DP - Map of Donors (Land governance Programme Map)

The original dataset (Land governance Programme Map & Database by Global Donor Platform For Rural Development) retains 821 projects in 144 countries with a total value of 2.6 billion dollars for active programmes and contains information the location, duration, funding and scope of each programme, as well as on the specific aspects of the Voluntary Guidelines it supports.

RRI - Forest Tenure Data

Forest Tenure
Indigenous & Community Land Rights
VGGT
environment
forest conservation
forest land
land use
forest management plans
land tenure
Indigenous Peoples

The quantitative dataset on forest tenure data by RRI currently covers 52 countries containing nearly 90% of the world’s forests.

Dataset provider: 
Rights and Resources Initiative

Events

Five years into the SDGs: are we on track to deliver the land targets?

16 July 2020

Location

Online
XX
Global
Indigenous & Community Land Rights
Land & Food Security
Land & Gender
COVID-19
VGGT
sustainable development
eviction
tenure insecurity
tenure security
women

Acknowledging the centrality of land issues to end hunger and achieve sustainable development, countries have agreed to meet ambitious land targets by 2030. Five years into the SDGs, persistent land insecurity, land evictions, threats to land rights defenders and other challenges show that the land promises are not being delivered.

Organizers: 
Land Portal Foundation
Landesa - Rural Development Institute
International Land Coalition
Webinar - Land Consolidation Legislation: FAO Legal Guide and Its Application at the Country Level

Webinar - Land Consolidation Legislation: FAO Legal Guide and Its Application at the Country Level

18 June 2020

Location

Online
XX
Europe
Global
Socio-Economic & Institutional Context
VGGT
cadastres
cadastral administration
parcels
land governance
land management
farmland
farming systems
agriculture
land consolidation
land tenure
farmers

Land consolidation is a well-proven land management instrument, which has traditionally been used for agricultural development with a main objective of reducing land fragmentation and increasing holding and farm sizes. Some European countries have a land consolidation tradition that goes back a hundred years or more. It is also widespread in particular in countries in Asia but also in Africa.

Organizers: 
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
International Federation of Surveyors (FIG)
Land Portal Foundation
Promotie_slide_FIG2020.jpg

Proceedings of the FIG 2020 Working Week: Smart surveyors for land and water management

10 May 2020 to 14 May 2020

Location

RAI Amsterdam
Europaplein 24
1078 GZ Amsterdam
Netherlands
See map: Google Maps
NL
Global
VGGT
land administration
cadastral administration
land cover mapping
land use mapping
agricultural land management
water management
surveyors

Due to the current COVID-19 situation, FIG Working Week 2020 has been cancelled. However, the programme, all abstracts and both peer review and regular papers have been published in the FIG 2020 Working Week website. There might be some online webinars/meetings, which will be informed in the event website.

Organizers: 
International Federation of Surveyors (FIG)
Kadaster International
Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation
Geo-Informatie Nederland

Latest news

COVID-19 and the SDGs: moving forward after the crisis

COVID-19 and the SDGs: moving forward after the crisis

22 April 2020
Global
Land Stakeholders & Institutions
COVID-19
VGGT
gender equity in access to land
land governance
development
sustainable development
environment
natural resources management
land rights
women

Many governments, businesses and local communities have made commitments towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) but COVID-19 may set some of these commitments back.

The gendered politics of land ownership

12 October 2019
Africa
Land & Gender
VGGT
gender equity in access to land
sustainable development
land use
land rights
land access
legal empowerment
women

One of the fundamental resources that is essential for the development and sustenance of people in Africa is land.
Land is very important because it forms the basis of agricultural production in the sub-region.

Full implementation of the SDGs land rights indicators needed to ensure a successful Agenda 2030

9 November 2017
Global
Indigenous & Community Land Rights
Land & Gender
VGGT
gender equity in access to land
sustainable development
land rights
land tenure
community land rights
continuum in land rights
customary land rights
indigenous peoples' land rights
land tenure systems
women

Recommendation for the Inter-Agency Expert Group on SDGs (IAEG-SDG) meeting (11-14 November 2017, Manama, Bahrain)

 

Blogs

Comparative analysis of the legal frameworks in the context of responsible land-based investments: Cambodia, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Myanmar and Viet Nam

24 May 2021
Authors: 
Louisa J.M. Jansen
Cambodia
Laos
Myanmar
Vietnam
Land Stakeholders & Institutions
VGGT
land governance
agricultural and rural legislation
land policies
agriculture
responsible investment
land-based financing
land rights
management rights
tenure security
government

The recognition of customary tenure systems and responsible land-based investments that safeguard legitimate tenure rights and right holders are the interconnected main themes for mainstreaming the principles and internationally recognized good practices of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security (VGGT) in Cambodia, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Myanmar and Viet Nam.

ABCs of land tenure: Multilingual resources for understanding key terms

24 May 2021
Authors: 
Louisa J.M. Jansen
Cambodia
Laos
Myanmar
Vietnam
Land Stakeholders & Institutions
VGGT
land administration
land governance
agricultural and rural legislation
land management
land investments
responsible investment
land tenure
land tenure systems
customary tenure
open data

To better understand key land tenure terms and their meaning, four bilingual glossaries have been prepared with the title "The ABC of land tenure - Key terms and their meaning with a focus on the Voluntary Guidelines and the Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security".

The advantages and implications of "soft law" instruments like the VGGT

24 May 2021
Authors: 
Louisa J.M. Jansen
Global
Forest Landscape Restoration
Land & Food Security
Land Stakeholders & Institutions
VGGT
land governance
forest law
climate change
fisheries
forestry
land use
land tenure
land tenure systems
government

Instruments like the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security (VGGT) are "voluntary", i.e., legally non-binding. These instruments are intended to have a direct influence on the governance of the tenure practice of states by providing an internationally recognized set of principles, and by simultaneously encouraging good practices.

Featured resources

Tools & Guides

Putting the Voluntary Guidelines into Practice: A Learning Guide for Civil Society Organizations cover image

Putting the Voluntary Guidelines into Practice: A Learning Guide for Civil Society Organizations

Manuals & Guidelines
December 2017
Global
Land Stakeholders & Institutions
VGGT
land governance
food security
tenure security
capacity development
Indigenous Peoples
development agencies
grassroots organizations
local communities
rural population
urban population
youth
women

This learning guide provides civil society organizations (CSOs) with a methodology and a set of materials to undertake training on the VGGT with civil society actors from the grassroots to the national level. Trainees will learn how to apply the VGGT to actual tenure governance challenges.

Respecting Land and Forest Rights: A Guide for Companies

Policy Papers & Briefs
August 2015
Global
Land & Investments
VGGT
land investments

This guide has been produced by the Interlaken Group, with steering support from the Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI). The Interlaken Group is a multi-stakeholder forum composed of representatives from companies, investors, international organizations, and civil society groups.

Safeguarding Human Rights in Land Related Investments cover image

Safeguarding Human Rights in Land Related Investments

Reports & Research
July 2017
Global
Land & Investments
VGGT
land governance
land policies
land reform
agricultural land management
land markets
land investments
land deals
displacement
dispossession
land conflicts
research

The Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of national Food Security (VGGt) represent a new international legal instrument, which was adopted unanimously in 2012 by the United nations Committee on World Food Security (CFS).

Organisations

CFS logo

FAO, Committee on World Food Security (CFS)

The Committee on World Food Security (CFS) was set up in 1974 as an intergovernmental body to serve as a forum for review and follow up of food security policies. In 2009 the Committee went through a reform process to ensure that the voices of other stakeholders were heard in the global debate on food security and nutrition. The vision of the reformed CFS is to be the most inclusive international and intergovernmental platform for all stakeholders to work together in a coordinated way to ensure food security and nutrition for all.

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) (FAO)

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and debate policy. FAO is also a source of knowledge and information.

Additional Resources & Multimedia

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