The power and impunity of the transnationals are stifling the voices of the world’s peoples
by La Vía Campesina
Power and impunity of transnational corporations stifles people's voices
[1]
Published on Friday, 10 July 2015 13:57
_The power and impunity of the transnationals are stifling the voices of
the world's peoples_
(Harare, 9th of July 2015) La Via Campesina strongly decries the fact
that _international policies and legislative processes_ which supposedly
are decided upon democratically and by the citizens are increasingly
_dominated by the interests of large multinational corporations_,with
the connivance of the governing classes [2][1]. Furthermore, while
existing structures allow the crimes committed by these same
transnationals to go unpunished, there is a growing incidence of
criminalisation of those who are struggling in defence of human rights.
At the international, regional, national, and local levels, it is more
and more apparent that_legislative frameworks are being designed,
interpreted, and implemented so as to respond to the interests of large
transnational companies _- to the detriment of the common good and
despite the resistance of social movements and organisations that are
seeking different paths. This situation is compounded by a lack of
transparency towards civil society.
For example, _the international trade agreements_, of which the TTIP,
the TPP, the CETA, the EPAs and the TISA are some current examples -
with their investment protection clauses, the deregulation of trade and
production, and the jettisoning of social, health, and safety standards
- respond to the requests of the transnational companies rather than to
the interests of the world's peoples.
_A permanent confusion is created in the roles_ of the entities
representing civil society and the public interest and the entities that
are defending private interests. The multinationals are treated as
though they were social actors, when in reality they do not represent
anyone other than the shareholders for whom they seek to gain profits.
Consequently there is a considerable reduction in the public space.
In addition, new mixed entities are created and accorded active support:
the round tables or platforms that are composed of multiple actors such
as governmental institutions, research bodies, donors, NGOs, and civil
society organisations. These new spaces provide no guarantees, and even
less support, for the autonomy of social movements; positions
necessarily become diluted and what is really happening in the field is
hidden. We can cite the example of the ILC (International Land
Coalition), an organisation that has received an increase in funding in
recent years and which, in an opportunistic manner, presents itself
alternatively as a research body, a donor, or a representative of civil
society. In fact, it calls for mitigating the negative effects of
landgrabbing, rather than insisting that landgrabbing be stopped.
As a social movement of peasants and farmers, farmworkers, landless
people, and indigenous peoples, we are confronting _a short-sighted and
ultra-capitalist vision of the world based on the paradigms of growth at
any cost_, the capacity of the market to control and resolve everything,
and the imposition of a Western development model. This model includes
the privatisation and commodification of common goods and of fundamental
rights such as the rights to water and food. It includes the denigration
of social movements and the cult of business as the only "useful" social
actor. The _quest for private profit_ is the dominating factor in
decision making and in its vision of the world. A patriarchal,
capitalist, individualistic and Western vision of well-being is being
actively promoted, bringing in its train uniformity in a global market.
In this way, the responsibility and the role of States are reduced and
seen as obsolete. There is a corresponding reduction in the capacity for
action and influence of grassroots actors.
_New markets_ are being established, supposedly in order to resolve the
problems that the market itself has created. A simple example of this
are the (REDD) carbon emissions markets, which, rather than reducing
carbon emissions, have led to speculation, the forced displacement of
communities, and more pollution. Techno-fixes such as GMOs and
fertilisers are being actively promoted, and there is a lack of analysis
of the powers and interests at play as well as a lack of a long-term
vision. Markets for social problems are created, for instance the social
register markets involving people who have been negatively affected by
dams. These show how even social problems end up by becoming markets. We
must also mention the public-private partnerships (PPPs) in which
companies replace states through obscure arrangements that only benefit
those same companies. By means of orchestrated land and seed laws, the
common goods managed by the communities, land, water, seeds, and our
territories, are turned into commodities under the dictate of land
titling programmes and patents on life. Thus people are dispossessed of
the very rights that guarantee the future of the planet and of humanity.
Initiatives claiming to contribute to "the fight against hunger in the
world", such as the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition (Nasan)
which is supported by the G8, and the Alliance for a Green Revolution in
Africa (AGRA), are taking place with the complicity of Western states
and through pressure on many countries. These initiatives are integrated
in an insidious manner into national and subregional agricultural
development programmes, in order to impose a Western model of
agriculture and the introduction of GMOs and products that are
prohibited in the countries concerned - and to monopolise their natural
resources such as land and water.
Due to pressure to maintain the status quo or to a fear of restricting
the profits of the few, there is a _continuous lack of structural and
sustainable solutions._
We are seeing an_ increase in the criminalisation_ of trade unionists,
environmentalists, and peasant farmers who are struggling for their
human rights or for the rights of Nature. In Honduras alone, hundreds of
women and men peasants have been put on trial for defending their
rights. In recent years, there has been a marked upsurge in incidents of
violence against environmentalists [3][2].
_We note the importance of opening up the international policy spaces
_to grassroots organisations, and of developing mechanisms, to be led by
these same social movements, for consultation, the provision of
transparency, and the dissemination of information. At this point, let
us mention the positive example of the Declaration of the Rights of
Peasants and people working in rural areas that is being drawn up by the
United Nations Human Rights Council [4][3].
We need new transparent,_ participatory, processes of democratisation_
that are open and clear to all, and that, instead of oppression, allow
the expression of the sovereignty of the peoples in the world of today.
We need _legally binding national, regional and international mechanisms
to put an end to the crimes against humanity perpetrated by
transnational companies._ In this sense, we welcome the initiative in
the United Nations Human Rights Council, which aims to adopt a binding
Treaty, and we support the Campaign to Dismantle Corporate Power [5][4].
We recognise that the role of States is to represent the interests of
their peoples. Therefore, the State has an obligation to oppose any
policy or international treaty that diminishes human rights and
undermines its own sovereignty. The sovereignty and responsibility of
States need to be strengthened and not undermined at the international
level.
_We in La Via Campesina have chosen food sovereignty as a utopia in
rebellion against this exploitative system. Day by day, we are building
our alternatives in solidarity and from the grassroots._
Contacts:
Marina Dos Santos (PT, ES): +55 21 981850558
Unai Aranguren (ES, PT, EN):+34 636 369361
Ndiakhate Fall (FR): +221 77 5508907
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[6][1] https://www.tni.org/en/briefing/state-power-2014#infographics
[7]
[8][2]
http://www.democracynow.org/2015/4/22/how_many_more_116_environmental_def...
[9]
[10][3] http://defendingpeasantrights.org/ [11]
[12][4] http://www.stopcorporateimpunity.org [13]/
Links:
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[1]
http://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/actions-and-events-mainmenu-26/stop-...
[2]
file:///C:/Users/nyoni/Downloads/position%20paperTNCsEN%20(1).doc#_ftn1
[3]
file:///C:/Users/nyoni/Downloads/position%20paperTNCsEN%20(1).doc#_ftn2
[4]
file:///C:/Users/nyoni/Downloads/position%20paperTNCsEN%20(1).doc#_ftn3
[5]
file:///C:/Users/nyoni/Downloads/position%20paperTNCsEN%20(1).doc#_ftn4
[6]
file:///C:/Users/nyoni/Downloads/position%20paperTNCsEN%20(1).doc#_ftnref1
[7] https://www.tni.org/en/briefing/state-power-2014#infographics
[8]
file:///C:/Users/nyoni/Downloads/position%20paperTNCsEN%20(1).doc#_ftnref2
[9]
http://www.democracynow.org/2015/4/22/how_many_more_116_environmental_def...
[10]
file:///C:/Users/nyoni/Downloads/position%20paperTNCsEN%20(1).doc#_ftnref3
[11] http://defendingpeasantrights.org/
[12]
file:///C:/Users/nyoni/Downloads/position%20paperTNCsEN%20(1).doc#_ftnref4
[13] http://www.stopcorporateimpunity.org
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