Manila, Philippines – “It is in implementing the new Voluntary Guidelines for the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests where the real challenge lies since it is non-binding for governments.”
This was stressed by Fr. Francis Lucas, Chairperson Emeritus of the Asian NGO Coalition for Agrarian Reform and Rural Development (ANGOC) last June 10, 2013 at the Brown Bag session of the Asian Development Bank.
ANGOC helped organize the Bank staff’s learning session, together with the ADB Agriculture, Rural Development and Food Security Community of Practice and the Food and Agriculture Organization, around the Voluntary Guidelines on Governance of Tenure (VGGT) and how they can lead to more responsible land investments for smallholders in Asia.
“We emphasize the importance of these discussions for better tenure reform because while land reform laws are in place across Asia, their execution has been poor and governments have been ambivalent towards fulfilling them. Instead, land is increasingly being allocated for special economic zones, agribusiness ventures, and capital and labor-intensive extractive industries like mining and similar commercial undertakings,” emphasized Fr. Lucas.
ANGOC linked ADB with Dr. Paul Munro-Faure from the FAO Climate, Energy and Tenure Division, to give an orientation to Bank staff on the VGGT. Dr. Faure is part of the FAO team actively promoting the implementation of the Guidelines especially in countries where the legal framework for governance of resource tenure remains weak.
On May 11, 2012, 98 countries in the World Committee on Food Security officially endorsed the VGGT in Rome.
The Guidelines are intended to provide a framework for responsible tenure governance that supports food security, poverty alleviation, sustainable resource use and environmental protection. They set out principles and internationally-accepted practices that may guide the preparation and implementation of policies and laws related to tenure governance.
Meanwhile, ANGOC Chair Antonio Quizon pointed to the commodification of land and resources that is fueling the rush for the world’s farmlands.
“As globalization demands more and more resources, land has emerged as a key source of conflict. The hunger of global capital must be fed by commodifying everything – land and water, plants and genes, and even clean air in the form of ‘carbon emission quotas’,” emphasized Quizon.
To address this, Quizon says it is critical to have four Rs: credible Research and data, better Regulation like the adoption of the VGGT, as well as Retribution and Resistance of affected communities when necessary. #
Contact: Maricel A. Tolentino, ANGOC, (63-2) 3510581/ +639178191089/ celalmo@gmail.com
