Over the past year, USAID has led a global effort in the land and resource governance sector to improve donor coordination and support the Voluntary Guidelines for the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries, and Forests in the Context of National Food Security(Voluntary Guidelines). Working with the Global Donor Working Group on Land, a newly formed group of bi-lateral and multi-lateral donors and development agencies, USAID led a data collection and visualization project that gathered information on land and resource governance programs from around the globe. The result of this effort – a database of over 400 programs in more than 100 countries – will be launched publicly at the Global Donor Platform Annual General Assembly in January 2014.
USAID is making information on each of its projects publicly available now. Visit the new interactive map that displays where USAID is working and what USAID is working on with respect to land tenure and property rights. This includes USAID projects that focus exclusively on strengthening land tenure and property rights, as well as projects with a broader focus on other issues in which land tenure and property rights activities are included. This map also includes information on land and resource governance programs funded by the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), with whom USAID often works in a whole-of-government approach to strengthening land tenure and property rights.
In addition, the map incorporates information on how each USAID and MCC project supports the Voluntary Guidelines. According to Dr. Gregory Myers, USAID Division Chief, Land Tenure and Property Rights, “successful realization of the Voluntary Guidelines will require coordinated action by development agencies, civil society organizations and governments around the world. When the Global Donor Land Governance Program Database is publicly launched in January, it will provide stakeholders with a platform for information sharing and coordination in support of the Voluntary Guidelines, with profound consequences for millions of people. We are releasing our own program information now as a demonstration of the U.S. Government’s commitments to greater transparency and the Voluntary Guidelines.”
All too often our development efforts are hampered by a lack of coordination and knowledge sharing among relevant partners striving toward common goals. Better communication and coordination among donors and development agencies can help us avoid unnecessary duplication, share lessons learned, and amplify the impact of our work.
Launch the interactive map of USAID and MCC land tenure and property rights programs.