La Via Campesina have published “The People’s Manual”, a partner guide to Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the context of National Food Security.
“The Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security are a new international instrument that can be used by peasant, fishing and pastoralist organisations, indigenous peoples, the landless, women and youth, and civil society as a whole, to assert their rights.
“This People’s Manual is a pedagogical and didactic guide, which aims to make it easier to understand the Guidelines and to provide a practical approach to people on how to use them in their struggles. It highlights the parts that offer answers to their needs and provides advice on mechanisms, strategies and actions that can be adopted to generate dialogue and to defend human rights and social justice in the processes, institutions and activities of governance of natural resources.” – Via Campesina
The guide is intended to support the Voluntary Guidelines, with practical case studies and examples of how to integrate the guidelines into the lives of peasants and indigenous people around the world. Case studies outline examples of how the guidelines could be used to empower communities and social movements, along with encouragement to readers to contextualise to their situation. It is a powerful document and a necessary contribution, giving purpose and clout to the FAO’s Voluntary Guidelines on the ground where is to most needed.