The Role of Land Tenure in Disaster Risk Management

in FAOFAO Land Tenure Group

Adriana.Herrera@fao.org

Presentation

The dynamics and impacts of natural disasters in land tenure

The institutional framework in FAO´s work on land tenure

The approach and activities that FAO is presently undertaking on land tenure and natural disasters

The dynamics and impacts of natural disasters in land tenure

Natural disasters frequency and severity has been increasing steadily in the past decades.

Severity of impacts is linked to the relation between peoples vulnerability and resilience.

Vulnerability to natural disasters is increased by poverty, bad nutrition, poor access and tenure insecurity of land and natural resources, weak governance.

Impacts of natural disasters on people´s livelihoods

Through the disruption of land access and tenure security:

loss of access to their houses or land for production;

destruction of land tenure records: land titles, cadastre maps, land registry records, identity cards, and insurance claims;

destruction of physical evidence of property boundaries or death of the people with the memory to recognise them;

emergence or exacerbation of conflict;

land rights conflicts in resettlement areas.

Addressing land tenure access and security is fundamental to reduce vulnerability of peoples livelihoods to natural disasters

The institutional framework in FAO´s work on land tenure

Based in the FAO Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction for Food and Nutrition Security

PILLAR 1: Enable the Environment. Institutional strengthening & good governance for DRR in agricultural sectors.

PILLAR 2: Watch to Safeguard. Information and early warning systems on

food & nutrition security and trans-boundary threats.

PILLAR 3: Prepare to Respond. Preparedness for effective response & recovery in agriculture, livestock, fisheries & forestry.

PILLAR 4: Build Resilience. Mitigation, prevention and building resilience with technologies, approaches & practices across all agricultural sectors

Based in the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015

Aim at the integration of disaster risk and prevention

into sustainable development policies, planning and programming,

the strengthening of institutions, and the incorporation of risk reduction into

emergency preparedness, response and recovery programmes

Approach and activities on land tenure and natural disasters

Approach:

Strong collaboration with the Inter-Agency Standing Committee to create awareness, tools and approaches for the incorporation of land tenure issues into mitigation, preparedness and disaster response programmes

ActivitiesFAO, UN-HABITAT and the IASC Early Recovery Cluster decided to produce material jointly to:

analyse the linkages between vulnerability on land tenure and DRM;

promote awareness on the importance of land tenure for nationals and internationals working on DRM;

elaborate training tools to support the work of decision making people dealing with land tenure matters in DRM in natural disaster affected countries.

Outputs

1. Addressing land tenure issues following natural disasters. National Briefs

2. Addressing land tenure in countries prone to natural disasters: Philippines, Indonesia, Honduras, Madagascar, Bangladesh and Ecuador

3. Land and Natural Disasters. Guidance for Practitioners

4. Assessing and Responding to Land Tenure Issues in Disaster Risk Management: Training Manual

Next ChallengesUndertake wider initiatives to: create awareness especially at national decision-making level; train nationals and internationals working in land tenure and DRM programmes,

legal frameworks and institutions;

encourage the exchange of experiences between countries addressing land tenure and DRM;

develop within existing DRM national programmes tools and approaches to incorporate land tenure issues;

support innovative initiatives to improve mechanisms for better access and security

on land and other natural resources rights;

address governance of tenure to allow for a responsible and without corruption approach to tenure in DRM.

Governance of Tenure

Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security (VGs).

They address the main issues responsible governance on tenure needs to address in DRM.

They are under negotiation in a process led by the UN Committee on World Food Security (CFS), housed in FAO, with a view to their finalization and endorsement during the 37th Session of CFS in October 17-21 2011.

THANK YOU