In times of multiple crises, such as conflicts, the Covid-19 pandemic, climate change, and rising global food prices, the pressure on land resources continues to grow. Safeguarding fair and equal access to land remains essential to food security and food systems transformation. The 10th anniversary of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security (VGGT) provides an opportunity to take stock, evaluate and discuss the potential of the VGGT as a tool to improve both, land governance and food security worldwide.  

Co-organized by Welthungerhilfe, German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA) / Land Matrix Initiative (LMI), and International Land Coalition (ILC) and with contributions by TMG Research and Working Group on Peace and Development (FriEnt), the event will reflect on the impact of the Guidelines over the past 10 years and identify effective approaches and opportunities to improve their utilization in times of multiple crises. Based on the experiences of different actors from civil society, research, and politics worldwide, approaches to support the implementation will be discussed such as multi-actor partnerships or data for accountability. In addition, the VGGT debate will be connected to further discourses on food systems transformation, conflict resolution, and human rights-based tools to reflect their relevancy in the current context.  

The results of the exchange will be translated into a set of concrete recommendations that will feed into an in-person political panel taking place on the 30th of November in Berlin and moreover inform a more effective way forward for the implementation of the VGGT in the context of multiple crises and food security.  

More information can be found on this page.