The UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on collaboration in land policies and governance of tenure.
The MoU aims to enhance equitable access to and security of tenure of land, fisheries and forests in African countries.
27 June 2014: The UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on collaboration in land policies and governance of tenure. The MoU aims to enhance equitable access to and security of tenure of land, fisheries and forests in African countries.
The signing of the MoU, which constitutes a framework for collaboration between FAO and the UNECA, took place on 27 June in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, in parallel with the 23rd Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union Heads of State and Government. The objectives of the collaboration include increasing cooperation and synergies of actions in the areas of land policies, and governance of tenure of land, fisheries and forests. Through the promotion of comprehensive, inter-sectoral and effective land policies and governance of tenure, the organizations will seek to ensure security of tenure and equitable access to land, fisheries and forests, in particular for vulnerable and marginalized groups. The memorandum also provides for joint work on programmes, activities, partnerships and resource mobilization amongst the two organizations.
The MoU between the UNECA and FAO sets the foundation for supporting country-level implementation of the ‘African Union Declaration on Land Issues and Challenges in Africa,’ issued in 2009 in Sirte, Libya. In addition, the signatory organizations agree to support African Union member states and Regional Economic Communities (RECs) in developing, implementing, and monitoring sustainable and effective land policies in line with two guideline documents, namely: ‘Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security’, produced by FAO; and ‘Framework and Guidelines on Land Policy in Africa,’ developed by the Land Policy Initiative (LPI) and endorsed by the African Union Declaration on Land.
The LPI, hosted by UNECA, is a joint programme of the African Union Commission (AUC), the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the UNECA. [FAO News Article] [UNECA Press Release] [African Union Declaration on Land] [Publication: Framework and Guidelines on Land Policy in Africa] [Publication: Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure] [UNECA Land Policy Initiative]