September 2014: The September edition of the ‘Voluntary Guidelines on Tenure Governance Initiative Newsletter’ includes examples on the use of the Guidelines from Albania, the Western Balkans and the Philippines. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) initiative also reports on relevant events, other guidelines and publications.

The newsletter features a video on women’s ownership of land and property in the Western Balkans. Launched at a UN General Assembly (UNGA) side event by FAO and the World Bank, on 23 September in New York, US, the video shows how female property ownership is low, especially in rural areas. Another example is given from the Philippines where the Guidelines were used as a reference in the evaluation of 11 major laws.

In a third case, FAO, the World Bank and a group of stakeholders tested the use of unmanned aereal systems (UAS), or drones, for producing spatial data for development projects. The results and analysis of the tests, conducted in Albania, are presented in a paper titled ‘Drones for Peace.’ The newsletter also extends an invitation to civil society and community groups to test ‘Open Tenure,’ which is an open source software for collecting details on tenure rights.

On events, the newsletter announces the first Land Policy in Africa conference, organized by the Land Policy Initiative from 11-14 November in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

On other relevant guidelines, the newsletter reports that the final draft of the ‘Principles for Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems,’ resulting from negotiations held in May and August, will be forwarded to the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) for endorsement during its 41st Session, held from 13-18 October in Rome, Italy. In relation to the Principles, the newsletter highlights the report ‘Understanding the Agricultural Investment Chains: Lessons to Improve Governance,’ which aims to promote the implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines in relation to agricultural investments.

The newsletter also announces a call for articles on tenure for the FAO Land Tenure Journal, with a 14 November deadline. [Publication: Voluntary Guidelines on Tenure Governance Initiative Newsletter – September 2014] [FAO Voluntary Guidelines on Tenure Website] [IISD RS Stories on the Voluntary Guidelines on Tenure]