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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 building
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

Data 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.

Data provider: 
Rights and Resources Initiative

Events

Cabbage plantation areas on the slope of mount Gede Pangrango Sukabumi, West Java, Indonesia. Photo by Ricky Martin/CIFOR

Applying the Voluntary Guidelines on the Governance of Tenure (VGGT) in responsible agribusiness investment and land governance: Learning from LEGEND and other responsible investment pilots

11 October 2017

Location

Lebanon Room
FAO Headquarters
Rome
Italy
See map: Google Maps
IT
Africa
Land Stakeholders & Institutions
Land, Climate Change & Environment
agricultural land management
investment funds
VGGT

DFID's Land: Enhancing Governance for Economic Development (LEGEND) programme is promoting learning and innovation through 7 CSO-private sector partnerships in diverse agri-regions in 5 African countries; USAID and others are supporting similar initiatives. This side event will share and discuss early insights from these pilots and explore what can be achieved through these approaches: 

Event

Realizing the VGGTs and SDGs: The role of data ecosystems, people-centered monitoring and impact evaluation in achieving global development goals

18 October 2018
Global
Indigenous & Community Land Rights
Land & Food Security
Land & Investments
VGGT
land governance
sustainable development
indigenous lands
land rights
land tenure
indigenous land rights
land tenure systems
indigenous tenure
tenure security
indigenous peoples
Organizers: 
Land Portal Foundation
Global Land Tool Network
International Land Coalition
The Millennium Challenge Corporation
Global Donor Platform for Rural Development
Overseas Development Institute
Global Land Alliance

In 2017, the fifth anniversary of the landmark Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure (VGGTs) highlighted successful integration of VGGT principles into national law and decision-making processes across several countries.

Event
LANDac Annual International Conference 2019 image

LANDac Annual International Conference 2019

4 July 2019 to 5 July 2019
Netherlands
Global
Indigenous & Community Land Rights
Land & Food Security
Land & Gender
Land & Investments
Land Conflicts
VGGT
gender equity in access to land
land governance
land investments
land deals
land rights
customary tenure
tenure security
capacity building
research
indigenous peoples
local communities
Organizers: 
LANDac

LAND GOVERNANCE IN TRANSITION: 

How to support transformations that work for people and nature?

 

Latest news

Visible or invisible? That's the question for land data

21 March 2019
Peru
Philippines
India
Global
Urban Tenure
VGGT
geographical information systems
land use mapping
slums
urban areas
eviction
informal settlements
indigenous land rights
tenure security
informal property
property rights
indigenous peoples

NEW DELHI - A push to formalise land claims, map settlements and digitise records is not always in the best interests of vulnerable communities, and may even lead to greater rights abuses, analysts warned on Friday.

VGGT: what potential to engage?

29 June 2018
Global
Indigenous & Community Land Rights
VGGT
land governance
land policies
land reform
forest land
community land rights

This rapid scoping of the Food and Agricultural Organisation Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure (VGGT) sought the views of different organisations, individuals and activists on the usefulness of the guidelines for promoting forest tenure reform in support of secure community land rights.

Sierra Leone implements voluntary guidelines

21 November 2017
Sierra Leone
Indigenous & Community Land Rights
Land Stakeholders & Institutions
VGGT
land administration
land governance
sustainable development
land tenure
tenure security

The mention of Sierra Leone invariably conjures images of the protracted civil war and the Ebola outbreak that afflicted this West African country.
However that is not all about Sierra Leone; there are a lot of positives the country can showcase which include good practices in land administration.

Blogs

Village in rural Malawi (©Lorenzo Cotula)

International Soft-Law Instruments and Global Resource Governance: Reflections on the Tenure Guidelines

22 October 2018
Authors: 
Mr. Lorenzo Cotula
Global
Land & Investments
VGGT
land governance
sustainable development
food security
land policies
agricultural land management
nature reserves
natural resources management
land investments
land tenure
customary land rights
land tenure systems
customary tenure
tenure security

Following last week’s meeting of the UN Committee on World Food Security (CFS), this piece reflects on a key CFS soft-law instrument. It is an edited extract from the article “International Soft-Law Instruments and Global Resource Governance: Reflections on the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure”, Law, Environment and Development Journal (2017) 13(2):115-133. The full article can be freely downloaded at http://www.lead-journal.org/content/17115.pdf.

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 building
indigenous peoples
development agencies
grassroots organizations
local communities
rural population
urban population
youth
women

This learning guide has been designed specifically to give civil society and grassroots organizations a deeper understanding of the Voluntary guidelines on the responsible governance of tenure of land, fisheries and forests in the context of national food security (VGGT) to enable the members of these organizations and their constituents to use the VGGT meaningfully and effectively to improve t

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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