At workshop in Douala: FAO, stakeholders launch project to improve responsible land governance.

During the workshop, stakeholders from the three targeted countries, as well as land tenure, regional and international partners, centered their discussions on transhumance as a major challenge for peace and security in the three border countries. 

The experts also shared good practices as regards to effective land tenure systems in the respective nations. 

It is worth noting that people whose land rights are not guaranteed or recognised may lose their livelihoods when they lose access to natural resources. 

FAO officials said their mission is to promote good governance of land tenure systems: public, private, communal, indigenous, customary and informal. 

The goal is to ensure food security for all and to promote the progressive realisation of the right to adequate food by ensuring the recognition and respect of the land rights of populations.  

Land tenure plays an essential role in the lives of billions of people and can have an impact on their livelihoods by restricting their access to natural resources. 

It determines who can use which natural resources, for how long and under what conditions, so access to land and natural resources can mean the difference between having food and going hungry.

In the concerned part of Central Africa, transhumance is particularly affected by recent changes, but also by crises in the governance and management of natural areas and resources in the Sudano-Sahelian zone. These problems affect biodiversity conservation and are a source of conflict. 

In his address at the workshop, Oumar Ndiaye, representative of the Coordinator of FAO Sub-regional Office for Central Africa, noted that: "Access to land and other productive natural resources is one of FAO's priorities in its efforts to combat hunger and poverty, and as such, achieve SDGs goals 1 and 2, which are at the heart of eradicating extreme hunger”. 

"This is why FAO supports countries and other partners in land governance," he said. 

While supporting efforts to eradicate hunger and poverty, FAO, he added, also seeks to ensure social stability, environmental protection and sustainable economic and social development. 

It is against this background that the project, “Improving land tenure governance and reducing conflicts related to cross-border transhumance in the Republic of Chad, the Republic of Cameroon and the Central African Republic”, was formulated. 

Constante Clarisse Kamgang, speaking on behalf of the Minister of State Property, Surveys and Land Tenure, underlined the importance of the project. 

"The importance of this project does not need to be underlined, because the challenges related to the central theme are numerous and critical, and more than in the past, they deserve action - yes, quick action, but concerted and effective action - for the maintenance of peace, food security, environmental protection and sustainable economic and social development," she said.

Building capacity of stakeholders 

The project, it was said, will focus on building the capacity of national and local stakeholders on the Voluntary Guidelines for the Responsible Governance of Land, Fisheries and Forests Tenure Systems in the Context of Food and Nutrition Security. 

The guidelines are the first comprehensive, global instrument on tenure and its administration to be prepared through intergovernmental negotiations. 

They are set out principles and internationally accepted standards of responsible practices for the use and control of land, fisheries and forests. 

They provide guidance for improving the policy, legal and organisational frameworks that regulate tenure rights; for enhancing the transparency and administration of tenure systems; and for strengthening the capacities and operations of public bodies, private sector enterprises, civil society organisations and people concerned with tenure and its governance. 

Again, the guidelines place the governance of tenure within the context of national food security, and are intended to contribute to the progressive realisation of the right to adequate food, poverty eradication, environmental protection and sustainable social and economic development.

This story was first published in The Guardian Post issue No:3164 ofWednesday July 10, 2024