Produced jointly by the secretariats of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), with contributions from multiple stakeholders, this technical guide addresses the integration of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries, and Forests in the Context of National Food Security (VGGT) within the implementation of the UNCCD and Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN), thus opening a new chapter in ongoing efforts to combat desertification, land degradation, and drought. 

The guide outlines the practical applications of the VGGT – an internationally recognized framework on the responsible governance of tenure – in the context of the design and implementation of LDN initiatives. It offers a flexible multi-pathway approach to support policy and decision-makers and relevant stakeholders in shaping a tailor-made response to commonly encountered land tenure challenges via a range of national plans, legal frameworks, strategies,and action programmes addressing land degradation.

This technical guide has been produced with the financial support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and the Ankara Initiative of the Republic of Türkiye.