Find guidance on a wide range of topics to better protect land rights in the context of investments

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Resources for Due diligence

Responsible governance of tenure: a technical guide for investors

Tools and Guides
 

This document provides guidances on how businesses can respect legitimate tenure rights and human rights in their land-based investments. It

• translates principles of responsible land governance and tenure (see the VGGT) into practical mechanisms, processes and actions,

• gives examples of good practice – what has worked, where, why and how, and

• provides useful tools for activities such as the design of policy and reform processes, for the design of investment projects and for guiding interventions.

Safeguarding Human Rights Defenders: Practical Guidance for Investors

Tools and Guides
 

This publication provides institutional investors with practical guidance on how to prevent, mitigate, and address negative impacts on human rights defenders in investment portfolios.

Safeguarding land tenure rights in the context of agricultural investments: A technical guide for government authorities involved with the promotion, approval and monitoring of agricultural investments

Tools and Guides
 

This technical guide elaborates on specific aspects of the Voluntary Guidelines for the responsible Governance of Tenure (VGGT) relating to agricultural investments and provides detailed guidance to government authorities and others on actions they can take to help them to create an enabling environment for responsible and sustainable investments.

Social and Environmental Code of Practice (SECoP) for Responsible Commercial Agriculture in Ethiopia

Tools and Guides
 

The Social and Environmental Code of Practice (SECoP) for Responsible Commercial Agriculture is designed to help investors in ensuring that their investments are inclusive, sustainable, transparent, and respect human rights. While it focuses on Ethiopia, it will be a useful resource for investors and companies operating in other countries.

Stepping up: Protecting collective land rights through corporate due diliegence

Tools and Guides
 

This guide is intended to supplement other resources that provide broader overviews of human rights due diligence. It will be particularly helpful for downstream businesses or investors as they navigate how to identify, address, and track the impacts of their value chains on indigenous peoples. The guide will also be useful for policymakers as they design due diligence legislation.

Sustainable project financing: getting the basics right

Tools and Guides
 

This short briefing provides information for investors and lenders on the importance to develop a due diligence ‘risk framework’ to identify, mitigate and prevent the adverse impacts of their investment decisions. It provides links to additional resources on the topic.

Tenure rights in large-scale and artisanal mining: Implications of the Tenure Guidelines

Tools and Guides
 

In taking a comprehensive approach to issues of tenure, the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests (VGGT) offer an opportunity to promote systemic governance reform and respect for land and resource rights, while clarifying the different roles of States, businesses and social actors. The VGGT do not directly cover mineral resources but they clarify that States may wish to consider the governance of mineral resources in their efforts to implement the VGGT. They also provide guidance on tenure rights to land, fisheries and forests, which are often affected by mining operations. Yet, the VGGT’s relevance to the mining sector has often been overlooked.

This legal brief explores how implementing the VGGT could help address recurring challenges affecting the mining sector.

Vulnerable Groups Primer (Responsible Investment in Property and Land (RIPL) Guidebook Series)

Tools and Guides
 

This primer provides guidance for including and protecting vulnerable groups in the context of a land-based investment. It outlines the importance of identifying and engaging with vulnerable groups, who often have weak claims to land rights and are particularly susceptible to negative impacts from changes in land use. It provides

• an overview of who may qualify for inclusion in a vulnerable group and descriptions of specific vulnerable groups, and

• step-by-step guidance for governments, business, and communities..