UNIDROIT | 24 September 2021
Launch of the Legal Guide on Agricultural Land Investment Contracts
On 24 September 2021, the Legal Guide on Agricultural Land Investment Contracts (ALIC Legal Guide) was launched at a hybrid event held in Rome and online, as a side-event to the 100th Session of the UNIDROIT Governing Council
Jointly produced by UNIDROIT and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the ALIC Legal Guide is the second international instrument adopted in the area of private law and agricultural development, following the successful Legal Guide on Contract Farming. The ALIC Legal Guide provides innovative guidance to improve agricultural land investment contracts by operationalising a number of international principles and standards for the promotion of responsible investment, such as the UN Guiding Principles on Human Rights, the CFS RAI Principles and the VGGT.
The ALIC Legal Guide may be used by a broad range of legal actors when developing contracts, domestic policies, regulatory frameworks, and corporate social responsibility programmes. It may also be used to support capacity development and to raise awareness among legitimate tenure right holders and local communities regarding their rights.
The launch event featured opening remarks by the Secretary-General of UNIDROIT, Professor Ignacio Tirado and the General Counsel of IFAD, Ms Katherine Meighan.
An overview of the preparation process was presented by the Chair of the ALIC Working Group, Mr José Antonio Moreno Rodriguez, followed by remarks on the structure of the ALIC Legal Guide and its relation to previously adopted instruments by UNIDROIT’s Deputy Secretary-General Professor Anna Veneziano and Legal Officer Ms Priscila Andrade.
A panel of experts and observers from the ALIC Working Group shared their reflections on how the Guide is an important legal tool for good practices in agricultural land investment operations. The launch event was concluded with remarks from UNIDROIT’s president, professor Maria Chiara Malaguti who presented plans for implementation of the ALIC Legal Guide.
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