Les Directives pour la Gouvernance Responsable des régimes fonciers à la croisée des chemins

The document is a declaration by social movements and civil society organizations criticizing the trend of adapting the UN's Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure (VGGT) into business-centric tools. The authors argue that guides produced by entities like USAID, the G7 New Alliance, and the Interlaken Group transform a human rights framework into a corporate social responsibility (CSR) tool, effectively legitimizing land grabbing. They contend that these guides erroneously treat states and corporations as equal stakeholders and dangerously suggest that private investors can manage land rights recognition and conflict resolution—tasks that are the sole legitimate mandate of the state. The statement calls for states to implement the VGGT based on human rights obligations, for the FAO to provide technical support for state regulation of businesses, and for the adoption of a legally binding international instrument on multinational corporations and human rights.

• Operational guides developed by USAID, the G7 New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition in Africa, and the Interlaken Group shift the focus of the VGGT from human rights to the management of commercial risks for private investors.
• The 'multi-stakeholder' approach used in these guides incorrectly equates the roles of states and corporations, ignoring that states have a public mandate and accountability to the people, while corporations represent private interests.
• The guides create a conflict of interest by suggesting that private investors can lead the identification and recognition of legitimate land rights and manage conflict resolution, which are essential state duties.
• The promotion of 'partnerships' between corporations and communities is viewed as a strategy to integrate local populations into corporate value chains, often leading to dependency rather than genuine food security.
• The authors demand that states implement the VGGT by adopting laws that cap large-scale land transactions, require free, prior and informed consent (FPIC), and ensure independent impact assessments.
• There is an urgent call for the UN Human Rights Council to adopt a legally binding international instrument to hold multinational corporations accountable for human rights violations.

APA

Friends of the Earth International (2015). Les Directives pour la Gouvernance Responsable des régimes fonciers à la croisée des chemins. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/2015-TG-Statement_final_FR_151216.pdf

Chicago

Friends of the Earth International. Les Directives pour la Gouvernance Responsable des régimes fonciers à la croisée des chemins. 2015. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/2015-TG-Statement_final_FR_151216.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Friends of the Earth International |title=Les Directives pour la Gouvernance Responsable des régimes fonciers à la croisée des chemins |date=10 December 2015 |url=https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/2015-TG-Statement_final_FR_151216.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{friendsoftheearthinternational2015les, author = {{Friends of the Earth International}}, title = {{Les Directives pour la Gouvernance Responsable des régimes fonciers à la croisée des chemins}}, publisher = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2015}, month = dec, url = {https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/2015-TG-Statement_final_FR_151216.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }