Communication for Land Governance in Guatemala

FAO is working in close collaboration with the Grupo Promotor de Tierras Comunales - an inter-institutional group of institutional and civil society organisation (CSO) actors advocating for communal land rights - to assist the government in implementing the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure and, in particular, to use participatory ComDev methods and tools to:

1. Inform local communities about the legal framework, concrete options, and steps to follow to claim communal tenure rights and the related benefits;
2. Document and share successful experiences and lesson learned from other communities in Guatemala; and
3. Facilitate capacity development, social dialogue, local consultations, and concerted action using participatory communication methods and materials.

As part of the development of the Guidelines, ten regional, one private sector, and four civil society consultation meetings were organised between September 2009 and November 2010. These meetings brought together almost 1,000 people from over 130 countries, including Guatemala. The participants represented government institutions, civil society, private sector, academia, and United Nations (UN) agencies. Each consultation meeting resulted in an assessment identifying issues and actions to be included in the Guidelines in the context of governance of tenure.

As part of this process, in Guatemala, FAO facilitated a series of consultations with local specialists and technicians to identify major issues, knowledge gaps, and information needs, and to select relevant and illustrative cases that would help to develop the core content of the ComDev materials. In partnership with the Centro de Comunicación para el Desarrollo (CECODE), FAO produced short documentaries involving local indigenous and farming communities that successfully manage communal land or have achieved their legal recognition, as well as one instructional video composed of 5 thematic units. The multimedia module includes a participants' brochure and a methodological guide meant to orient facilitators in organising and conducting participatory processes using the audiovisual materials to facilitate discussion and action planning in local communities. In addition, radio programmes produced in partnership with the Federación Guatemalteca de Escuelas Radiofonicas (FGER) are being broadcasted in Maya languages across the country. The materials produced as part of the Module for Communication and Capacity Development on Communal Land are available online as follows:

• Videos
• Radio programmes
• Facilitator's Guide [PDF]
• Card

In a related activity, in June 2016 in Guatemala City, FAO and the Faculty of Agriculture of the University of San Carlos (FAUSAC) trained 40 representatives of rural and forestry institutions, producer groups, civil society, and indigenous peoples organisations from across the country on the use of ComDev methods and materials in order to support local processes of responsible governance of communal land (Click here to read more about the experience in Spanish). The group of trained facilitators formulated a Communication and Capacity Development Plan and identified priority communities to work with using the Module to raise awareness, promote knowledge sharing among local communities, and generate local discussion and action plans for improved governance and recognition of communal land.

Natural Resource Management, Rights

Over 1.5 million hectares, 15% of the national territory of Guatemala, is owned collectively, often under traditional or customary tenure systems. Communal lands are mostly found in forest areas populated by farming communities and Indigenous Peoples. Due to uncertain tenure rights over their land, these communities are vulnerable to claims by external actors and are often involved in conflicts with neighbours or private companies. At the same time, they suffer from limited access to services, incentives, and development opportunities in general.

Officially endorsed by the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) in May 2012, the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure promote responsible governance of tenure of land, fisheries, and forests, with respect to all forms of tenure: public, private, communal, indigenous, customary, and informal. Their overarching goals are to achieve food security for all and support the progressive realisation of the right to adequate food in the context of national food security. While supporting efforts towards the eradication of hunger and poverty, the Guidelines are also intended to contribute to achieving sustainable livelihoods, social stability, housing security, rural development, environmental protection, and sustainable social and economic development. The Guidelines are meant to benefit all people in all countries, although there is an emphasis on vulnerable and marginalised people. The Guidelines serve as a reference and set out principles and internationally accepted standards for practices for the responsible governance of tenure. They provide a framework that States can use when developing their own strategies, policies, legislation, programmes, and activities. They allow governments, civil society, the private sector, and citizens to judge whether their proposed actions and the actions of others constitute acceptable practices. Click here to watch a YouTube video exploring the Guidelines.