(music playing)
RICK GAYNOR, 
SENIOR DIRECTOR 
AND PRACTICE GROUP LEAD
FOR THE AGRICULTURAL
AND LAND PRACTICE GROUP,
MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORPORATION:
I'm Rick Gaynor.
I'm a Senior Director and Practice Group Lead
for the Agricultural and Land Practice Group
at the Millennium Challenge Corporation,
which is a U.S. government agency
that aims to reduce poverty
through economic growth around the world.
I'm here as part of
the U.S. government delegation,
negotiating the principles
of responsible agricultural investment.
Two years ago, 
I had the honor of leading 
the U.S. government delegation 
in the negotiation
of the Voluntary Guidelines 
on the Responsible Governance 
of Tenure to Land, Fisheries and Forests.  
It's a long title; basically the document
is referred to as the Voluntary Guidelines.
It was adopted unanimously by 100 countries.
And the adoption of the document
indicates that the international community
has recognized the importance
of land and property rights
to increasing
food security and nutrition.
Two years after the adoption
of the Voluntary Guidelines,
the Millennium Challenge Corporation,
the United States,
and other international
development partners
are supporting
the strengthening of land rights
and responsible governance
of land across the world.
In particular, for example,
we're helping strengthen the rights of women,
who, in many of the countries where we work,
produce 40% of the food,
but only own 10% of the land.
As an example, in Lesotho,
we helped the government adopt new laws
that recognize women,
the right of women, to own land.
As a result of that,
women are investing in land,
increasing agricultural productivity,
and increasing their livelihoods.
That's one example
of the way that the Voluntary Guidelines
are contributing to economic growth
and poverty alleviation around the world.
We hope that the principles
of responsible agricultural investment,
which we're negotiating now,
will similarly contribute to those goals.
