February 2013: The February newsletter for the Voluntary Guidelines on Tenure Governance Initiative from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) highlights a recent UN General Assembly Resolution on “Agriculture Development and Food Security,” which encourages countries to give consideration to implementing the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure. It also describes the attention given to the Guidelines at the 5th Berlin Agricultural Ministers’ Summit.

The newsletter announces the publication of the first tenure technical guide entitled “Governing Land for Women and Men.” The guide provides details on how to apply gender equality in tenure governance, and highlights how tenure can be governed in ways that address different gender needs and roles. It breaks the challenge into four modules on policy-making, legal-issues, institutions, technical issues and getting the message across. It describes a series of practices within each of these areas that are commonly used in gender related tenure interventions.

The newsletter also highlights the regional awareness raising workshops that have taken place in Yaounde, Cameroon and Kigali, Rwanda, and the role of the Secretariat in participating in international forums. Finally, the newsletter presents a video of a program in Mozambique that is helping rural women understand their rights and empowering them to take action.
[FAO February Newsletter] [Publication: Governance of Tenure Technical Guide 1: Governing Land for Women and Men Governing land for women and men: A technical guide to support the achievement of responsible gender-equitable governance of land tenure]