Via-info-en July 2024

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Peasant Struggles | June 24
by La Via Campesina 19 Jul '24

19 Jul '24

*|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|* Edition: June 2024 SUBSCRIBE [1] La Via Campesina's 'PEASANT STRUGGLES' brings to you a monthly synthesis of articles and videos from our website and multimedia library. Read, share and help us globalize the struggle! [2] La Via Campesina: Climate Catastrophes require urgent global attention and response! Enough of False Promises and False Solutions! ------------------------- In the face of this grave crisis, La Via Campesina has been calling on states and governments to adopt concrete and resilient alternatives for affected populations. It insists that the fight against climate change must have political will but also ensure that communities have control over their territories, not transnational corporations. It's urgent to change the system and transform food systems, identifying the responsible parties and their responsibilities, and implementing clear solutions such as the UN Declaration of Rights of Peasants (UNDROP), Peasant Agroecology and Food Sovereignty, which create dignified conditions, healthy nutrition, and regenerate life and nature. READ THE FULL STATEMENT [3] On June 25th, over 400 Kenyan officers arrived in Haiti as part of a neo-colonial strategy to undermine Haitian sovereignty. The deployment of Kenyan police forces in recent weeks has not prevented recent incidents of insecurity, such as the takeover of a police station in Port-au-Prince and attacks on food transporters on provincial roads, such as National Route 1 where gangs massacred civilians in the agricultural areas of Lower Artibonite, resulting in numerous casualties. READ THE REPORT [4]. Urgent Appeal to Save the Revolution and the Sudanese People [5] ------------------------- This war has resulted in an appalling humanitarian tragedy, costing the lives of over twenty thousand people, injuring another fifty thousand, and displacing over 8.5 million from their homes. In addition, the war has led to the almost total destruction of infrastructure, the looting of markets and farms, and the disruption of livelihoods, catastrophically worsening living conditions. Sri Lanka: Social movements decry large-scale land grab in Kilinochchi [6] ------------------------- The People's Alliance for the Right to Land, an umbrella network of social movements, civil society organizations, and land rights activists in Sri Lanka, has warned of a large-scale land grab in Kilinochchi district for mineral exploration purposes. Tokyo Cement Company's controversial project involves acquiring 3,000 acres of land for limestone excavation and cement factory construction. Neoliberalism and repression of social movements explain the rise of the far right in Europe [7] ------------------------- The far right has no answers to the multiple social crises facing rural areas in Europe. Everything they are proposing - which includes combating migration, limiting the rights of migrant workers, rolling back environmental measures, and so forth - will not improve the situation of people living in rural areas. UK: The Landworkers' Alliance's Top Five Demands for the New Government [8] ------------------------- As part of its efforts to put food and farming higher on the political agenda, the Landworkers' Alliance has set out its top five demands for the next government. Emphasizing the urgent need for sustainable practices and increased support for farmers, the Alliance's demands highlight critical issues impacting the sector. Uganda: Making a business case for agroecology and empowering small-scale farmers [9] ------------------------- Members of the Eastern and Southern Africa Small-scale Farmers' Forum (ESAFF) explain how the new Agroecology Business Hub (ABH) is helping tackle three key factors for small-scale food producers; Access to Credit, Linkages to Local Markets and Building Capacities. Another Blow to Kenyan Government as High Court Extends Ban on GMO to October 2024 [10] ------------------------- The statement by KPL also noted that the matter was significant because it touched on very critical issues affecting the Kenyan society; the right to quality and acceptable food, the right to health and not in the least, the economic & social rights of peasant farmers who produce over 80% of the food consumed locally in the country La Via Campesina mobilizes for the defense of Democracy in Bolivia! [11] ------------------------- We stand in solidarity with and join the resistance of our Cloc - Vía Campesina Bolivia Organizations. We call on all our organizations worldwide to remain vigilant against these destabilizing strategies in Bolivia and the region. Landless Women Building Free Territories: 40 Years of Struggle for Agrarian Reform in Brazil [12] ------------------------- To think about the MST's organizational process is to think about the meaning of women's protagonism. The MST's organicity is only the way it is due to the feminist outlook addressing topics of human existence, like education, health, child care, the fight against gender-based oppressions, building agroecology, food sovereignty. READ ALL ARTICLES FROM JUNE 2024 [13] FEATURED PODCASTS [14] For more news and updates from peasant movements worldwide, subscribe to our Monthly Newswrap Podcast. Tune in Now! [15] [14] Chengeto Sandra Muzira, a young peasant from the Zimbabwe Smallholder Organic Farmers Forum (ZIMSOFF) and a member of the International Coordination Committee of La Via Campesina, recently spoke on IFAD's Farms-Food-Future podcast. She highlighted the importance of sustainable land use in agroecological practices. Tune in Now! [16] FEATURED PUBLICATION [14] NYÉLÉNI NEWSLETTER: CHALLENGING THE FINANCING BEHIND GREEN AND BLUE GRABBING This edition of the newsletter explores some of the varied and bewildering array of new schemes that financialize oceans, soils, seaweed, and forests. DOWNLOAD NOW [17] You are an important part of the autonomy of our movement ------------------------- As a supporter who has contributed financial resources to La Via Campesina, and as an activist who joins us on the streets and in the fields, your support is always welcome and put to good use. You can renew your contribution to La Via Campesina by clicking on the Donate button on our home page [18] and following the link to our PayPal account. [19] [20] Facebook [20] [21] Twitter [21] [22] Instagram [22] [23] Spotify [23] [24] Vimeo [24] To unsubscribe from the distribution list, questions or comments, write to viacampesina(a)viacampesina.org Website: www.viacampesina.org TV: www.tv.viacampesina.org To subscribe to this newsletter - Click Here [1] Links: ------ [1] https://mail.viacampesina.org/lists/listinfo/Via-info-en [2] https://viacampesina.org/es/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/03/Banner-web-E… [3] https://viacampesina.org/en/la-via-campesina-climate-catastrophes-require-u… [4] https://viacampesina.org/en/ground-report-haiti-in-struggle-kenyan-troops-i… [5] https://viacampesina.org/en/urgent-appeal-to-save-the-revolution-and-the-su… [6] https://viacampesina.org/en/sri-lanka-social-movements-decry-large-scale-la… [7] https://viacampesina.org/en/eu-elections-neoliberalism-and-repression-of-so… [8] https://viacampesina.org/en/uk-the-landworkers-alliances-top-five-demands-f… [9] https://viacampesina.org/en/uganda-making-a-business-case-for-agroecology-a… [10] https://viacampesina.org/en/blow-to-government-as-kenyan-court-extends-ban-… [11] https://viacampesina.org/en/la-via-campesina-mobilizes-for-the-defense-of-d… [12] https://viacampesina.org/en/landless-women-building-free-territories-40-yea… [13] https://viacampesina.org/en/2024/06/ [14] https://open.spotify.com/episode/6scnxNpj9GKJwuDf7dnugn [15] https://open.spotify.com/episode/4GqEI4b1marCCVOtZPTp2f [16] https://viacampesina.org/en/peasant-agroecology-and-sustainable-land-use-pr… [17] https://nyeleni.org/DOWNLOADS/newsletters/Nyeleni_Newsletter_Num_56_EN.pdf [18] http://www.viacampesina.org/ [19] https://www.paypal.com/uk/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_flow&SESSION=IK5Hgl6MlPxD… [20] http://www.facebook.com/ViaCampesinaOFFICIAL [21] https://twitter.com/via_campesina [22] http://www.instagram.com/la_via_campesina_official [23] https://open.spotify.com/show/5FYiTT1dNlt8HgUHVUR3pv [24] https://vimeo.com/viacampesina

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La Via Campesina Urges UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) to support a Food Sovereignty-Based Global Trade Framework
by La Via Campesina 14 Jul '24

14 Jul '24

*|MC:SUBJECT|* *|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|* Afficher ce courriel dans votre navigateur <https://viacampesina.org/fr/kit-de-presse-8e-conference-internationale-de-l…> La Via Campesina Urges UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) to support a Food Sovereignty-Based Global Trade Framework 4 July 2024 *In an open letter* addressed to Ms. Rebeca Grynspan Mayufis, Secretary-General of UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), La Via Campesina extends regards for UNCTAD’s 60th anniversary, recalling its founding ideals for fair global trade. The letter points to current times, reveals failures in global trade governance, and urges UNCTAD to embrace new solutions promoting food sovereignty and social justice worldwide. Here is the full text of the letter: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ To: *Rebeca Grynspan Mayufis,* *Secretary-General,* *UN Trade and Development* Greetings, >From La Via Campesina, one of the world’s largest networks of small-scale food producers, comprising 180 peasant and indigenous peoples’ organizations in 81 countries, we convey our best regards and wishes for the 60th anniversary of the UN Trade and Development, UNCTAD. *We recall the noble intentions behind the creation of UNCTAD*: the drive for independence among many Southern countries and the aspiration to overhaul the world trade order inherited from colonization, aiming for trade that benefits people, particularly in the Global South. However, we find ourselves in extraordinary times that betray these intentions, and we hope that UNCTAD @ 60 is mindful of the realities confronting humanity today. Global geopolitics is shifting towards multipolarity, a consequence of the longstanding hegemonic foreign policy of Western superpowers and of the increasing power of transnational companies. This policy dictated global trade rules crafted to benefit and expand the economic interests of a small oligarchy, enabling them to firmly control the finite resources of countries around the world. This multipolar world emerges amidst recurring climate catastrophes, stemming from an extractivist model of industrialization initially devised in the Global North and systematically exported to the South. Structural adjustment programs, free trade agreements, and economic partnership frameworks perpetuate this model, exacerbating the loss of lives, livelihoods, and exacerbating global hunger and malnutrition. *We contend that globalization has failed to deliver on its promise of inclusivity and prosperity, both for people and the planet.* La Via Campesina emerged in 1993 as a response to globalization’s perceived cover for the neocolonization of our territories. We warned against the expansion of capital, commodification of resources, and the erosion of rural economies, advocating for cooperation over competition in international trade. Repeatedly, we sounded alarms against institutions like the World Trade Organization, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund, which promoted privatization, deregulation, and financialization of ecosystems. We cautioned against the commodification of seeds and crops, dismantling of public food programs, and the rise of factory farms and global agrifood transnational companies foreseeing the concentration of the global food chain and its catastrophic consequences. *Since 2023, protests have erupted in nearly 90 countries, led by marginalized groups disillusioned by the false promises of globalization.* Governments of the Global South, long deceived by these promises, are awakening to the reality of their resentment. The desire to integrate into the WTO, once seen as a solution, has proven illusory, as the trade order has consistently favored transnational corporations and Northern oligarchies. Even those Southern governments that have demonstrated the political will to implement public agricultural policies that promote better market regulation, price support and poverty reduction programmes are being insidiously trapped by the global financial institutions into huge external financial debts – limiting their ability to implement meaningful public policies. Extraordinary times demand extraordinary solutions, from the people. In 2016, we *cautioned <https://viacampesina.org/en/lvc-declaration-on-trade-markets-and-developmen…>* UNCTAD against neoliberalism’s “free trade paradigm” and “market-driven development” schemes, which consolidate corporate control over food systems. Since the early 1990s, UNCTAD shifted its activities from trying to build a fair international trade system to try to support Southern countries in WTO negotiations. Its premises was that WTO could be beneficial to Southern countries if they were able to get organized and get the best of it. La Via Campesina believes that this strategy has failed. *The WTO has continued to be the tool of Northern oligarchies in order to increase market access for transnational corporations. It has never been beneficial for the people, in particular in Southern countries. *We call on UNCTAD and all member countries to recognize this failure and to reconnect with its original mandate: creating a fair international trade framework towards people’s sovereignty and social justice. Today, as UNCTAD marks its 60th year, we remind you that true solutions must arise from those most affected by decades of neoliberal policies: peasants, small scale-farmers, agricultural workers, indigenous peoples, workers, rural and urban women, urban poor, in particular those in Southern countries *We call on UNCTAD to heed the voices from the ground clamoring for food sovereignty.* Food Sovereignty embodies the right of peoples to healthy, culturally appropriate food produced sustainably. It places the needs of small-scale food producers, distributors, and consumers at the forefront, rather than the interests of markets and corporations. *In 2022, La Via Campesina embarked on the creation of a global trade framework in collaboration with peasant and indigenous peoples’ organizations across 80 countries. This framework is grounded in the principles of Food Sovereignty, Internationalism, and Solidarity.* It aims to address the social and ecological crises gripping our world today. This framework empowers each country to determine its agricultural and food policies, safeguarding and nurturing local food systems through various regulatory measures such as minimum support prices, public stocks, and supply management. The goal is to stabilize agricultural prices over the costs of production and combat speculation. Moreover, it pledges to prevent any country from being forcibly excluded from international agricultural trade. It advocates for regulated international trade in agricultural inputs, aiming to reduce dependency on these inputs and transition towards peasant agroecology. This framework strives for international trade free from geopolitical pressures and prohibits practices like dumping and export subsidies for agricultural and food products. It upholds the highest standards of human rights, including the right to food, UNDROP, UNDRIP, and ILO regulations protecting workers’ rights. It defends the rights of agricultural workers, women, fisherfolk, pastoralists, indigenous peoples, migrant workers, and others in the food system. Additionally, it condemns the use of food as a weapon in international conflicts. *We invite UNCTAD and its member states to collaborate with us in building this framework.* We propose a participatory process within the UN, with active involvement from the Food and Agriculture Organization. Our goal is to create a society where hunger is eradicated, and social justice prevails. A delegation from La Via Campesina eagerly awaits the opportunity to discuss our proposals further. Together, we can pave the way for a future where no one goes hungry, and where equity and justice prevail. We anticipate your response. *La Via Campesina* *04 July 2024, Bagnolet* Twitter <http://www.twitter.com/viacampesinaFR> Facebook <http://www.facebook.com/ViaCampesinaOfficial> Website <http://www.viacampesina.org> Instagram <http://instagram.com/la_via_campesina_official> Pour se désinscrire de la liste de distribution, poser des questions ou faire des commentaires, écrivez à *viacampesina(a)viacampesina.org* <mailto:viacampesina@viacampesina.org> Site web : www.viacampesina.org Pour s'abonner à cette lettre d'information - Cliquez ici <https://mail.viacampesina.org/lists/listinfo/Via-info-fr>

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EMERGENCY: Declare Gaza a Famine-Stricken Area and End the Genocide NOW !
by La Via Campesina 09 Jul '24

09 Jul '24

*|MC:SUBJECT|* *|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|* Afficher ce courriel dans votre navigateur <https://viacampesina.org/fr/kit-de-presse-8e-conference-internationale-de-l…> EMERGENCY: Declare Gaza a Famine-Stricken Area and End the Genocide NOW ! 2 July 2024 Bagnolet: june 26 , 2024 Here below is the latest petition to declare Gaza Strip a FAMINE ZONE and to end the genocidal war waged by the Israeli occupation against the Palestinian people. Every action counts at this moment. We ask all our members, allies, and friends to read the petition and sign it. *We must act NOW. Read our declaration from La Via Campesina and sign the petition.* *La Via Campesina, the international peasant movement, representing over 200 million peasants, calls on all social movements, civil society organizations, human rights defenders and activists to support the appeal to the United Nations and the Palestinian Authority to immediately declare Gaza a famine-stricken area due to famine, <https://viacampesina.org/en/recognize-gaza-as-a-famine-zone-la-via-campesin…> environmental pollution, and the spread of diseases and the severe restriction of the humanitarian aid.* The United Nations and the Palestinian Authority must adopt this declaration and coordinate global and local efforts in partnership with Palestinian civil society to develop an immediate plan to address these impacts, elevate emergency relief levels for citizens in the sector, and push toward accountability and prosecution of the occupation for committing war crimes and crimes against humanity. The Israeli genocide in Gaza has been ongoing for more than eight months and has intensified in Rafah, home to over a million internally displaced people. The actions and policies imposed by the Israeli occupation on the people of Gaza are causing untold suffering from severe food shortages, a continuous decline in nutrition levels, widespread malnutrition among children, and increased mortality rates due to diseases caused by hunger and malnutrition, along with the difficulty of accessing medical and healthcare services. The environmental pollution resulting from the destruction of sewage systems, the inability of municipalities to remove waste, the presence of thousands of bodies under the rubble, and the weak humanitarian response and provision of necessary aid to those in need, has worsened the situation and suffering of the people of Gaza. *According to the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) Gaza Strip Targeted Analysis, May 31, 2024 report <https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf36bU49jjyXFVoCsU_Wjjh8FazVEKZyNM…>* *all three Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) thresholds for Famine (food consumption, acute malnutrition, and mortality) were likely met or surpassed in northern Gaza in April. This situation will persist through at least in July if there is not a fundamental change in how food assistance is distributed and accessed after entering Gaza.* While food aid and informal market supplies increased in March and April, it is unlikely that over 80 percent of the northern Gaza population averted catastrophic hunger. Amid severe hunger, disease, and inadequate nutrition treatment and prevention, it is possible that acute malnutrition and mortality levels were above the IPC thresholds in April. Many children have died from hunger-related causes and government decision makers should act urgently to mitigate loss of life. The situation in southern Gaza is critical too because of the ongoing Israeli military offensive in Rafah which is seriously disrupting food distribution channels and worsening access to food, bringing *the south into Emergency (IPC Phase 4) and Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5) between May and July*. The report asserts that food and nutrition assistance have been key to preventing Famine (IPC Phase 5) in the south to date, and it is possible a sustained, large-scale disruption of assistance would lead to Famine in the period beyond July. We, therefore, call on all organizations, movements, human rights defenders, and supporters to sign this petition <https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf36bU49jjyXFVoCsU_Wjjh8FazVEKZyNM…> to urge the United Nations and the Palestinian Authority to declare Gaza a famine-stricken area and take the necessary measures to protect its inhabitants. SIGN THE PETITION <https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf36bU49jjyXFVoCsU_Wjjh8FazVEKZyNM…> *Long live the struggles of the Palestinian people! * *La Via Campesina* This post is also available in Español <https://viacampesina.org/es/urgente-declarar-gaza-zona-afectada-por-la-hamb…> and Français <https://viacampesina.org/fr/urgent-declarez-gaza-comme-zone-de-famine-et-me…>. Twitter <http://www.twitter.com/viacampesinaFR> Facebook <http://www.facebook.com/ViaCampesinaOfficial> Website <http://www.viacampesina.org> Instagram <http://instagram.com/la_via_campesina_official> Pour se désinscrire de la liste de distribution, poser des questions ou faire des commentaires, écrivez à *viacampesina(a)viacampesina.org* <mailto:viacampesina@viacampesina.org> Site web : www.viacampesina.org Pour s'abonner à cette lettre d'information - Cliquez ici <https://mail.viacampesina.org/lists/listinfo/Via-info-fr>

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La Via Campesina mobilizes for the defense of Democracy in Bolivia!
by La Via Campesina 08 Jul '24

08 Jul '24

*|MC:SUBJECT|* *|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|* Afficher ce courriel dans votre navigateur <https://viacampesina.org/fr/kit-de-presse-8e-conference-internationale-de-l…> La Via Campesina mobilizes for the defense of Democracy in Bolivia! 28 June 2024 *Bagnolet, June 27, 2024*: In response to the failed coup attempt against the Plurinational State of Bolivia on June 26, La Vía Campesina and its member organizations worldwide call for the defense and stability of democracy, and respect for constitutional rights. Likewise, we repudiate military and imperialist actions that clearly interfere in political power, attacking the democratic values of a sovereign country and defying the will of its people. Such actions promote the destruction of the Plurinational State, which has a growing and stable economy based on a productive community social economic model. The Constitution of Bolivia cannot be trampled upon, nor the people’s mandate disobeyed, for the sake of transnational and imperialist economic interests! We stand in solidarity with and join the resistance of our Cloc – Vía Campesina Bolivia Organizations. We call on all our organizations worldwide to remain vigilant against these destabilizing strategies in Bolivia and the region. As social and peasant movements, we acknowledge the significant efforts of the Government of Bolivia, led by Luis Arce, in supporting various initiatives for peasant rights and social justice. As President Luis Arce stated, “We need the people to mobilize against the coup d’état. We cannot allow coup attempts to return. We salute the organizations for their mobilization for democracy. Long live Bolivia. Long live democracy!” Mobilize to defend democracy and oppose imperialism! This post is also available in Español <https://viacampesina.org/es/la-via-campesina-movilizada-por-la-defensa-de-l…> and Français <https://viacampesina.org/fr/la-via-campesina-mobilise-pour-la-defense-de-la…>. Facebook <https://viacampesina.org/#facebook>Twitter <https://viacampesina.org/#twitter>WhatsApp <https://viacampesina.org/#whatsapp>Telegram <https://viacampesina.org/#telegram> Twitter <http://www.twitter.com/viacampesinaFR> Facebook <http://www.facebook.com/ViaCampesinaOfficial> Website <http://www.viacampesina.org> Instagram <http://instagram.com/la_via_campesina_official> Pour se désinscrire de la liste de distribution, poser des questions ou faire des commentaires, écrivez à *viacampesina(a)viacampesina.org* <mailto:viacampesina@viacampesina.org> Site web : www.viacampesina.org Pour s'abonner à cette lettre d'information - Cliquez ici <https://mail.viacampesina.org/lists/listinfo/Via-info-fr>

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