The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, FAO, says securing tenure right is fundamental to its commitment to ending extreme poverty and promoting prosperity across Liberia.
The FAO statement was made at the National Dialogue on the Voluntary Guidelines for the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Forest and Fisheries “VGGT, held in Monrovia.
In Liberia, the National Dialogue was organized and co-convened by the Multi Actor Platform on Land Governance and Responsible Agricultural Investment (MAP Liberia Platform), Liberia Land Authority (LLA), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Ministry of Agriculture– key VGGT facilitators in Liberia.
Speaking at the ceremony, FAO Liberia’s Assistant Representative for Programs described the organization of the dialogue as very timely, when recognition of tenure rights and equitable access to land, fisheries and forests is central to the eradication of hunger and poverty, and the sustenance of peace in Liberia.
Mr. Octavius Quarbo, deputizing for the FAO Representative in Liberia, asserted that the 2018 Land Rights Act sets the legal foundation for the recognizing customary land rights, thus putting communities at the center of land and forest governance; adding that the effort is a global consensus that seeks to encourage countries to recognize the need to protect “legitimate” as well as “legal” tenure rights.
The dialogue in Liberia brought together all constituencies, including representatives of rural communities, women, and youth; and provided an opportunity for reflection and re-focusing of national-level roadmaps for land reform, oriented around the key vocabulary and principles of the VGGT.
The dialogue marked the 10th anniversary of the VGGT held under the theme: “Taking stock, raising awareness and commitment for the further implementation of the guidelines and improvement of the governance of land forests and fisheries resources.”
The VGGT, the FAO Assistant Program Representative maintained, is fully consistent with the format of other FAO Voluntary Instruments that set out principles for Responsible Practices and is key for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Pro-Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development (PAPD). “A consensual guideline like the VGGT contributes to improving the governance of tenure of land, fisheries and forests with the goal of achieving food security for all.”
Through its umbrella Program Supporting Responsible Investments in Agriculture and Food Systems, FAO is providing support to responsible investment and application of the Committee on World Food Security Responsible Agricultural Investment (CFS-RAI) Principles by engaging relevant actors including small-scale producers and their organizations, policy makers, civil society organizations, academia and the private sector to raise awareness about the 10 principles among them. This is why the VGGT aligns with the RAI specifically Principle 5, Respect tenure of land, fisheries and forest and access to water.
As a way of supporting the implementation of the VGGT in Liberia, Mr. Quarbo stated FAO has worked with the Civil Society Organizations, Land Rights Working Group, in order to reach a wide range of CSO actors to strengthen their understanding of the VGGT to effectively engage in the institutional framework for tenure policies.
FAO, with funding from the German Government, implemented three projects in Liberia on VGGT and findings of the end-of- project evaluation, show the interventions which supported country level implementation of the VGGT, delivered learning programs, and facilitated strategic support for the long term implementation of the VGGT, mainly contributing to the passage.
