July 2012: With the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) noting examples globally where unequal access to land explains the uneven distribution of economic and social capital, the organization has developed guidelines that help local stakeholders, particularly women, define and discuss the territories in which they live and interact.

The guidelines are based on a collection of tools, previously developed by the FAO and other partners, that aim to promote participatory decision-making, consensus building and social dialogue among actors, as well as tools that focus on understanding roles, responsibilities and relations to gender roles. The guidelines seek to ensure that users can help apply gender equality for participatory dialogues and negotiations, and to help users become more aware of power asymmetries at the local level. The tool focuses on four phases related to gender sensitive territorial diagnosis; dialogue and gender sensitive protocols; negotiations process and consensus building; and external monitoring and evaluation. It also provides tools and guidance on participation and choosing appropriate facilitators. [Publication: Improving Gender Equality in Territorial Issues (IGETI) Integrated Guidelines]