1. Towards a culture of good governance: Implementing the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure
Marcela Villarreal, Ph.D.
Director of the Partnerships, Advocacy, Capacity Development and Tenure Division, FAO

2. Implementation of the VGGT is creating a new governance model that may well have strong spillover effects in areas beyond land, fisheries and forestry, as it helps build a culture where the formulation and implementation of policies is necessarily participatory, transparent and with clear accountabilities
VGGT: approved by Committee of Food Security in Implemented in over 60 countries

3. Committee on World Food Security
Allowed the development of a globally relevant negotiated document with a broad consensus and a strong sense of ownership among governments, civil society and private sector
Facilitated a dialogue among actors who deal with governance of tenure at national, regional and global levels
Provided the stage to establish or expand networks and partnerships across actors and regions at global and local levels

4. What is Good Governance?
Participation and voice: all women and men should have a voice in the decisions that will affect their lives
directly or indirectly through intermediate institutions that represent their intention
Transparency: all relevant information is open, available and accessible to all
Accountability: all decision makers are accountable
Rule of law: legal frameworks should be fair and enforced regardless of power, influence or wealth
This principle has its foundation in the equality of all persons, and presupposes the respect of freedom of association and speech, as well as the possibility for all to develop their capacities to participate in an active and meaningful way.
Participation and voice: all women and men should have a voice in the decisions that will affect their lives. REGARDLESS OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS OR ANY OTHER CHARACTERISTIC
Accountability to the public, whether they are in government, the private sector, civil society organizations or any part of society

5. Sierra Leone: National Land Policy
National Land Policy, November 2015
full set VGGT principles and refers to the VGGT in more than 90 paragraphs
Multi-stakeholder platform: >100 state/ non-state actors from land, fisheries and forests
national and local government representatives, traditional leaders, civil society organizations, the private sector, academia, international development actors
Institutional framework for action/ ownership /follow-up and implementation of Platform recommendations
Multi-stakeholder Technical Working Group
Steering Committee that liaises with the government
Inter-Ministerial Task Force: Ministries of : Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security; Fisheries and Marine Resources; Land, Country Planning and the Environment; Justice, and Local Government and Rural Development

6. Sierra Leone Inter-ministerial committee Capacity Development Results
First time in the country
Other areas nutrition and food security, benefitting from this approach
Capacity Development
Multi year programme
Results
Inclusion of gender-responsive tenure governance principles in framework to regulate investments at district level
Learning programme put in place for safeguarding land tenure rights in large agricultural investments across different government sectors

7. Senegal: Land Tenure Reform
Process of reform based on the VGGT principles and process
National multi-actor platform supported by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Equipment, FAO, the Initiative Prospective Agricole et Rurale (IPAR), and the National Council for Consultation and Rural Cooperation (CNCR)
Multi-stakeholder Steering Committee co-chaired by government and civil society
National Commission on Land Reform, Ministry of Fisheries and Maritime Economy, Ministry of Livestock and Animal Production, National Agency to Promote Investments and civil society organizations

8. Mongolia: Law on pastureland
Highly sensitive issue characterized by a high level of tension and conflict
Multi-stakeholder, multi-level, gender-sensitive process, with multi-stakeholder technical group coordinated by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and a local NGO
Partnerships among CSOs, private sector, academia, farmers organizations and government around food security and nutrition
VGGT-based framework for assessing forest tenure was developed and tested to evaluate forest tenure related policies, laws, institutions, and administration

9. Mongolia: Capacity development
Multi-year learning programme based on capacity needs assessment
Focus on conflict resolution
Critical mass from all actors formed
National capacity for developing cross-sectoral policy frameworks increased
Enhanced capacity to effectively address gender issues in tenure through “Governing land for women and men” programme

10. FAO e-learning programme on VGGTs
Introduction to the VGGT
Addressing conflicts over the tenure of natural
resources
Addressing corruption in the tenure of land,
fisheries and forestry
Addressing tenure issues in natural disasters
Governing land for women and men
Spatial planning in the context of responsible
tenure
How to monitor and promote policy changes
on governance of tenure
Respecting Free, Prior and Informed
Consent

11. Factors for successful implementation of VGGT
Political will from the Government at all levels and sectors: involving sectors as important as involving different actors
Institutional framework with clear mandates, roles and responsibilities to ensure effective follow-up and implementation of the recommendations made by the multi-stakeholder platform
An inclusive and consensus-building steering committee
Multi-stakeholder platform that guarantees voice to all relevant stakeholders at central as well as decentralized levels
Development of the capacities of all actors to participate effectively in the platform and to perform their roles and responsibilities
Strong accountability mechanisms for all actors engaged in the process, including the United Nations
Political will from the government in order to drive necessary policy and legal reforms as well as to include all relevant stakeholders

12. Challenges for VGGT successful implementation
Low private sector engagement in several countries, central to ensure responsible investments
Low participation of other key constituents such as indigenous peoples, youth, some marginalized groups
Ensuring equal gender participation
Actors have differing capacities, awareness and understanding
Lack of recognition of civil society actors by some governments
Decentralized participation: costly, strong coordination mechanisms necessary
Length of time to set up a multi-stakeholder platform
Length of time to set up a multi-stakeholder platform, although its results pay in time

13. Conclusions
Process itself contributes to create the basis of a culture change towards good governance
Recognition of the legitimacy of the voice of all stakeholders in policy decisions: basis of culture of respect and shared power
Create trust among stakeholders, especially in post-conflict situations. Co-chairing important
Capacity development: essential
The principle of inclusion and effective and meaningful participation rests on the assumption that all actors have the necessary capacities to participate equally
Gender
Enables real accountability

14. Conclusions
VGGT implementation process is contributing to enshrine principles of participation, transparency and accountability
With strong accountability system, soft law can act as binding law instrument

15. Thank you for your attention