In 2009 the FAO launched an initiative to adopt Voluntary Guidelines for the Governance of Land and other Natural Resources Tenure (VG), which are expected to become a broad agreement jointly shared by governments, civil society and international organizations and approved by FAO member nations and other interested parties. 

Civil Society Organizations were expected to produce a document with their own views. The process to prepare the CSO Proposals was facilitated by an International Facilitating Team of the International Planning Committee for Food Sovereignty – IPC, made up of representatives of peoples’ organizations (farmers, indigenous peoples, nomadic pastoralists, fisherfolks, women, youth, urban people) and NGO with a long record of experience working on land and natural resources issues. This document was independently produced to inform the FAO drafting process with the views of civil society organizations and is now available. For more info please consult the final version of Civil Society Organizations' proposal to the FAO Guidelines on Responsible Governance of Land and Natural Resources Tenure. 

By IPC Working Group on Agrarian Reform and Territory

COFI is a subsidiary body of the FAO Council, was established by the FAO Conference at its Thirteenth Session in 1965. The Committee presently constitutes the only global inter-governmental forum where major international fisheries and aquaculture problems and issues are examined and recommendations addressed to governments, regional fishery bodies, NGOs, fishworkers, FAO and international community, periodically on a world-wide basis. COFI has also been used as a forum in which global agreements and non-binding instruments were negotiated. The 29th Session of COFI will take place between 31 January and 4 February 2011. The plenary Sessions will take place in the Plenary Hall (Building A 3rd floor) of the FAO Building. For more info, please visit COFI web site or FAO's Fisheries & Aquaculture Department.