Land Investment and "Land Grabbing": the need for a legal framework

1. The problem of land grabbing. — 2. The three sources of law governing investments in land. — 3. The international law. — 3.1. Permanent sovereignty over natural resources: UN Resolution 1803/ 1962, UN Resolution 3281/ 1974. — 3.2. Natural resources and indigenous people: UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People. — 3.3. Property Right as a fundamental human right. — 3.4. Principles for Responsible Agricultural Investment. — 3.5. FAO Voluntary Guidelines on the responsible governance of tenure of land, fisheries and forests in the context of national food security. — 4. The domestic law: its role in the regulation of property rights for land investments.— 4.1. The African situation. — 4.2. The relevance of land registration systems. — 5. Investment contracts. — 5.1. Legal instruments to regulate land contracts: the role of UNIDROIT and UNCITRAL. — 6. Final remarks.