FAO Voluntary Guidelines need redress

There is a critical need to affirm and safeguard the customary land and resource rights of Indigenous peoples – especially in the context of food security.  Yet, as currently drafted, the 2012 Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Guidelines could serve to seriously undermine the rights of Indigenous peoples globally and weaken the international human rights system.

CFSC added support to our Indigenous partners in a Joint Submission in response to the FAO’s Voluntary Guidelines on Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security. The proposed guidelines have serious problems and we add our voice to the need for evaluation and improvement. States cannot use international mechanisms to evade human rights responsibilities.