Via-info-en March 2024

via-info-en@viacampesina.org

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April 17, 2024 – International Day of Peasant Struggles
by La Via Campesina 25 Mar '24

25 Mar '24

*|MC:SUBJECT|* *|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|* */April 17, 2024 – International Day of Peasant Struggles/* On April 17, we mark the International Day of Peasant Struggles, our annual action day that brings us together to commemorate the Eldorado do Carajás massacre* in 1996 and to honor the resistance of peasants worldwide who persist in their struggle for social justice and dignity. Following our 8th international conference <https://viacampesina.org/en/viiith-international-conference-la-via-campesin…> last December, we, peasants, youth, women, men, and diversities, migrants, rural and landless workers, fisherfolk, and indigenous peoples, stand with renewed hope and strength, heightened awareness, unwavering commitment, organized unity, and determination to confront the multifaceted crises. We continue an unwavering fight against genocides, wars, violations of people’s sovereignty, evictions of peasant families, the criminalization and persecution of peasants and their leaders, as well as extractivism and violations of peasants’ rights. United, we safeguard our mother earth against the grip of agribusiness multinationals, neocolonialists, fascists, and repressive military forces. This devastation involves various actors in the shadows, notably neoliberal institutions such as the WTO, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund. Their interference in national agricultural policies, related to trade, and social protections, is evident. Free trade agreements (FTAs) and other economic partnership frameworks imposing neoliberal conditions linked to loans and financial assistance programs, or measures favoring the interests of corporations, jeopardize the livelihoods of peasants, agricultural workers, and migrants. Yet, it is the peasants who provide sustenance to 70% of the global population with healthy and quality food. *Poster:* /Inspired by the Andean cosmovision, our poster this year reflects the interconnectedness of all elements of nature, with humanity as an integral part. It illustrates how Mother Earth supports peasants and their struggles, defending their existence and rights. According to this vision, we can also be an offering of the earth, even as part of a collective movement like the peasantry. Portrayed as a unifying force, Mother Earth sustains us, alongside its natural expressions, with mountains symbolizing our ancestors and collective memory./ *Enough with the genocide, evictions and violence!* Today, the world witnesses multiple crises affecting every aspect of life on Earth. The capitalist system now reveals its true destructive nature, driving peasants in Asia and other parts of the world to suicide due to unpayable debts. It corrupts governments in the interest of a few elites, violating nature and ecological balance, thereby compromising the future of humanity. This system generates genocides, not only through militarism but also by denying access to food, using starvation as a weapon of war, as currently seen in Gaza. It also takes the form of slow genocide, as experienced by the Haitian population with anti-peasant policies and gangsterization orchestrated to facilitate a new foreign intervention, allowing the seizure of peasant lands and the looting of commons. Neocolonialism is inherent in this system, extending to countries like Niger, where EU sanctions affect the right to food of the populations. Political and armed conflicts provoked in Libya, Syria, and Sudan have led to massive population displacements, infrastructure destruction, and difficulties in accessing agricultural lands. In countries such as Guatemala, Argentina, Paraguay, and Turkey, multinational corporations impose their profits over the fundamental rights of peasant families, leading to their eviction and the exploitation of Mother Earth. This capitalist logic undermines peasant struggles for peasant rights, food sovereignty, sustainable and diversified agroecological production methods, family farms, biodiversity preservation, and peace, with social justice serving as peasant solutions to the food and climate crisis**. It crushes diversity in all its gender and ethnic forms and ignores local and ancestral agricultural knowledge, masking its true intentions behind development solutions that serve only the economic interests of a minority. Those who control and commodify our commons hinder youth peasants from accessing land and break the autonomy of peasants and peoples, pushing them toward agrarian conflicts, poverty, starvation, and agriculture without peasants. *Build Solidarity, Unite for Food Sovereignty!* 2024 started with massive protests of peasant farmers in Europe, Asia, and other parts of the world against destructive agricultural policies. These demonstrations are not limited to seeking fair prices and a dignified life for peasants but also express the need for a society oriented toward a future where peasant agroecology prevails over agribusiness methods and where social justice and the dignity of everyone are ensured. It is imperative to guarantee that no one is forced to leave their land, family, and culture to seek a better life elsewhere while sacrificing their lives to feed their families. Our peasant struggles, deeply rooted in the principles of food sovereignty, aim to establish an inclusive system that promotes rural economies and sustains the livelihoods of peasants, while cultivating hope to mitigate tragedies such as suicide, family breakdowns, and forced migration in rural areas. Recognizing food sovereignty, popular agrarian reform and peasant agroecology as genuine solutions to global crises, La Via Campesina fervently advocates for the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas (UNDROP) <https://viacampesina.org/en/undrop-illustrations/>, a vital international instrument addressing the multifaceted crises faced by peasants. Furthermore, we advocate for the establishment of a new international trade framework based on cooperation and food sovereignty <https://viacampesina.org/en/free-trade-agreements-failed-trade-agreements-a…> to challenge the neoliberal trade system perpetuating hunger. Simultaneously, we are preparing for the Nyéléni World Forum in 2025, which will convene the international movement for food sovereignty to confront the challenges of hunger and poverty by advancing the development and fortification of local economies. On April 17, we will occupy the streets and all spaces where peasant struggles are left to forcefully reaffirm our peasant path and strengthen food sovereignty in our territories. We strongly urge all members, allies, and supporters of La Via Campesina to mobilize now and throughout April, united in a single solidarity voice to support the struggles of peasants against global crises. *Build Solidarity! Enough with the genocide, evictions and violence! * #17April #PeasantStruggles #FoodSovereigntyNow #PeasantRightsNow ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Here are the actions we can take together:* 1. Download our communication kit <https://comms.viacampesina.org/s/dRRbpYzRkkwGKYH> to disseminate the official materials, including our poster of April 17. Translate it into your local languages <https://www.canva.com/design/DAFdZvOBCLQ/ix4MZ5DZYE-Y0EjRNokmtQ/edit?utm_co…>, and engage in solidarity actions in support of peasant struggles in your country and everywhere in the world. 2. Organize activities, webinars, and workshops focused on the rights and struggles of peasants, including access to land, fair pricing, the promotion of peasant agroecology and seeds, as well as the defense of people’s sovereignty, among others. 3. Write declarations, articles, and create impactful audiovisual material to amplify the voices of peasant struggles and promote food sovereignty. You can then share your contributions with us at the following address: communications(a)viacampesina.org 4. We aim to map global actions. Don’t forget to tag us in your social media publications by identifying La Via Campesina on: Facebook: @viacampesinaOFFICIAL <https://www.facebook.com/viacampesinaOFFICIAL/> Instagram: @la_via_campesina_official <https://www.instagram.com/la_via_campesina_official/>, Twitter: @via_campesina <https://twitter.com/via_campesina> 5. You can use these hashtags to associate your social media contributions with the global campaign for Peasant Struggles: *Main:* #17April #PeasantStruggles#FoodSovereigntyNow #PeasantsRightsNow; *Complementary:* #IncomeForFarmers#CeaseFire #StopGazaStarvation #HaitianSolutionForHaiti 6. Get involved in all actions and protests against the genocide in Gaza, foreign interference in Haiti, economic sanctions in Niger, evictions of peasants, impunity for human rights violations, free trade agreements, rural indebtedness, false solutions to the food and climate crisis, measures favoring multinational interests over people’s sovereignty, and other peasant struggles in your territories. 7. Share your activities on our global map of actions <https://padlet.com/lvcweb/17april-international-day-of-peasant-s-struggles-…> ------------- * Twenty-eight years after the tragic massacre of landless peasants by Brazilian military police, impunity persists for crimes committed against rural communities. Although two agents were convicted in 2012, no other police or political officials have been held accountable. Autopsies revealed executions and serious injuries, leaving 69 wounded and a total of 21 dead. ** The challenges facing women and the impact of the climate crisis are exacerbating the difficulties faced by farmers. The United Nations (UN) has stated that by 2030, around one in four women will face food insecurity. Source : https://news.un.org/es/story/2023/09/1523922

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Webinar Live from Haiti : No more foreign interventions! 16/03
by La Via Campesina 13 Mar '24

13 Mar '24

*|MC:SUBJECT|* *|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|* *Webinar > Live from Haiti: No more foreign interventions!* *With: Peasant organizations, members of La Via Campesina in Haiti* Peasant organization representatives and anti-colonial activists worldwide will bring us up to speed on Haiti’s recent developments, as the nation grapples with a multifaceted crisis. Our discussion will delve into the geopolitical implications of potential foreign intervention, examining the significant roles of countries like Kenya, the Dominican Republic, and the United States. We’ll scrutinize colonialist interests and the rising violence amid the Haitian government’s inaction in response to growing insecurity in Port-au-Prince and other gang-affected areas. Moreover, we’ll spotlight internal resistance efforts by Haitian organizations and the global peasant movement. Hosting organizations advocating solidarity with Haiti, we’ll stress the importance of respecting a Haitian-led solution for the country. *WHEN? *Saturday, March 16, at 9 am (Haiti), 10 am (Brazil), 2 pm (CET), 4 pm (Kenya), 8 pm (Indonesia), 10 pm (Korea) *WHERE?* Via Zoom: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89378217137 *REGISTRATION* (on the form): https://ee.kobotoolbox.org/B6gqYwQK *#StopNeocolonialism* *#HaitianSolutionForHaiti* *Globalize the struggle, globalize hope!* Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/viacampesinaOFFICIAL> Twitter <http://www.twitter.com/via_campesina> Link <https://www.instagram.com/la_via_campesina_official/> Website <https://viacampesina.org/> To unsubscribe from the distribution list click here <https://mail.viacampesina.org/lists/listinfo/Via-info-es> For questions or comments, email *lvcweb(a)viacampesina.org* <mailto:lvcweb@viacampesina.org?subject=Newsletter%20Comments%3A%20> *Website:* www.viacampesina.org *TV:* www.tv.viacampesina.org To subscribe to this newsletter - Click Here <https://mail.viacampesina.org/lists/listinfo/Via-info-es>

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06 Mar '24

*|MC:SUBJECT|* *|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|* CALL FOR AN ALTERNATIVE TRADE SYSTEM LA VIA CAMPESINA | MARCH 2024 It is time to build an alternative to the current global trade regime. Join us in the effort! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) of the World Trade Organization (WTO) has concluded with no meaningful outcome. The WTO and the current system of global trade must come to an urgent halt. And an alternative must emerge. *La Via Campesina is calling all our members, allied social movements, civil society organizations, and friends in academia and policy spaces – including those in governments – to join us in this effort of building a framework that can help build a fair system of trade, rooted in principles of food sovereignty and social justice. * *Sign up to the idea of building an alternative. Add your details here <https://ee.kobotoolbox.org/cYxoVChl>* HIGHLIGHTS - THE WEEK OF MOBILIZATION AGAINST THE WTO Free Trade Agreements are Failed Trade Agreements. An alternative is now urgent and necessary. Read the full statement. <https://viacampesina.org/en/free-trade-agreements-failed-trade-agreements-a…> *Farmers’ protests in Europe and the deadend of neoliberalism* We have reached this point after decades of neoliberal agricultural policies and free trade agreements. Production costs have risen steadily in recent years, while prices paid to farmers have stagnated or even fallen. *Read More* <https://viacampesina.org/en/farmers-protests-in-europe-and-the-deadend-of-n…> *ECVC puts forth concrete suggestions to guarantee fair prices* ECVC firmly believes that the EU Unfair Trade Practice (UTP) directive (implemented in Spain) offers several pragmatic steps to guarantee fair prices for farmers’ products. *Read More* <https://viacampesina.org/en/europe-ecvc-puts-forth-concrete-suggestions-to-…> *‘Quit WTO Day’: Indian peasant unions agitate against the World Trade Organization* Reportedly, on the 26th February, farmers staged protests against the World Trade Organization at over 400 district centers across India. They handed over petitions to the officials of the State urging the Indian government to protect domestic support programs and food stockholding programs at the 13th Ministerial Meeting of the WTO in Abu Dhabi. *Read More* <https://viacampesina.org/en/quit-wto-day-indian-peasant-unions-agitate-agai…> *WTO is unfit for purpose in an era of multiple crises; It is time for an Alternative: Asian Civil Society* Members of La Via Campesina in Asia have joined a host of other civil society organizations and social movements to call out the World Trade Organisation (WTO), which is meeting in Abu Dhabi from 26-29 February 2024. The way forward for the South is a path outside of the WTO. An alternative is now more urgent than ever. *Read More* <https://viacampesina.org/en/wto-is-unfit-for-purpose-in-era-of-multiple-cri…> *Korean Peasants: Free trade is over! Stop the WTO ministerial conference destroying agriculture!* Free trade has already ended. The unequal world order created by free trade has also ended. The WTO ministerial conference, trapped in past glory, should be immediately halted. The Western world is pressuring developing countries to abolish domestic subsidies for agriculture, claiming they distort trade. *Read More* <https://viacampesina.org/en/korean-peasants-free-trade-is-over-stop-the-wto…> *Chile: ANAMURI denounces the WTO Ministerial, reiterates the call for an alternative trade framework* ANAMURI strongly opposes the character of Free Trade Agreements which, following WTO rules, endanger the Food Sovereignty of the world’s peoples, undermining the autonomy and self-sufficiency of national and local economies with adverse effects on the living conditions and wages of all workers, including migrants and especially women who daily struggle for the right to food. *Read More* <https://viacampesina.org/en/chile-anamuri-denounces-the-wto-ministerial-rei…> *Debt Crisis and Free Trade Agreements endanger Kenya’s food sovereignty: Kenyan Peasants League* The Kenyan Peasants’ League,underscores this link by referencing the several Free Trade Agreements, which now permit cheap imports of pesticides, eggs and sugar. *Read More* <https://viacampesina.org/en/debt-crisis-and-free-trade-agreements-endanger-…> *Indonesia: SPI Urges Government to Exclude Agriculture from WTO Discussions* The importation of 3 million tons of rice in 2024 led to a decrease in rice prices at the local farmer level across various regions. This policy is aligned with WTO principles, prioritizing free trade over domestic producers. *Read More* <https://viacampesina.org/en/indonesia-spi-urges-government-to-exclude-agric…> READ ALL ARTCILES CONNECTED TO MC13 <https://viacampesina.org/en/tag/mc13/> /As protests against the EU-Mercosur trade agreements grow louder, we are republishing the La Via Campesina statement based on a proposal from the Latin American Coordination of Rural Organizations (CLOC-Vía Campesina) and the European Coordination Via Campesina (ECVC)/: Read the full statement. <https://viacampesina.org/en/eu-mercosur-trade-deal-a-threat-to-peasant-righ…> RECENT VIDEOS <https://vimeo.com/917155210> As thousands of farmers protest across Europe against low prices and cheap imports Morgan Ody, a farmer and coordinator of La Via Campesina, joins CNN's Amara Walker to discuss what the protesters want from the European Union. <https://vimeo.com/917166048> Hundreds of tractors in Bilbao (Spain) also flooded the streets of the city, joining European and worldwide mobilizations. In a mobilization not seen for many years, the Basque peasantry denounced the abuses of free trade agreements on their production and demanded the relocation of food systems in favor of the people. <https://vimeo.com/909991854> On Thursday, February 1, 2024, European peasant farmers staged a blockade in Brussels against the EU-Mercosur agreement, demanding fair prices for peasant farmers and meaningful state support towards agroecological transition. Here is the video report. Twitter <http://www.twitter.com/via_campesina> Facebook <http://www.facebook.com/ViaCampesinaOfficial> Website <http://www.viacampesina.org> Instagram <http://instagram.com/la_via_campesina_official> To unsubscribe from the distribution list, questions or comments, write to *communications(a)viacampesina.org* <mailto:communications@viacampesina.org> *Website:* www.viacampesina.org *TV:* www.tv.viacampesina.org To subscribe to this newsletter - Click Here <https://mail.viacampesina.org/lists/listinfo/Via-info-en>

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