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[Info EN] Newsletter #4 | Colombia Peace Agreement Monitor
by La Via Campesina 07 Jun '21

07 Jun '21

*|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|* This newsletter is the result of La Via Campesina's collective effort to make visible and accompany the implementation of the Peace Accords in Colombia. To subscribe click here [1] COLOMBIA: DESPITE STATE VIOLENCE, THE STRIKE CONTINUES Protests unleashed by President Duque's tributary reform have turned into a nationwide protest for historic injustices and the deepening economic crisis behind the pandemic. read the full press release [2] of La Vía Campesina. COLOMBIA: IS ACCESS TO LAND DEMOCRATIZED? Sub-point 1.1 of the Peace Agreement establishes mechanisms for access to land for the benefit of peasants without land or with insufficient land, mainly through land allocation processes and formalization of rights. READ MORE... [3] COLOMBIA: IMPACTS OF COVID-19 ON PEACE The crisis generated by the COVID-19 pandemic has had various impacts, amongst them, the increase in poverty numbers, the deepening of food insecurity, the deterioration of the security crisis and the limitations in the implementation of the Peace Agreement. READ MORE... [4] COLOMBIA: GLYPHOSATE AERIAL SPRAYING FORCES COMMUNITIES TO SEEK LEGAL ACTION The processes of voluntary eradication of illicit crops are supported, but marginally, compared to the force eradication operations prioritized by the government. READ MORE... [5] SOCIAL ORGANIZATIONS DENOUNCE LIMITATIONS ON PARTICIPATION IN TERRITORIAL FOCUSED DEVELOPMENT PLANS (PDET) IN COLOMBIA Territorial Focused Development Plans - PDET, in Spanish, are designed by the Agreement as participatory territorial planning instrument to implement as a priority the components of Integral Rural Reform - RRI. READ MORE... [6] COLOMBIA: ARMED CONFLICT REACTIVATED IN 2021 During the year 2020 acts of violence with great intensity are recorded, there has been an increase in the assassination of social leaders, massacres, and confrontations among armed groups. READ MORE... [7] RURAL INTEGRAL REFORM IS EXCRUCIATINGLY SLOW IN COLOMBIA The assessments of the implementation of the Peace Agreement made by different institutions and social organizations highlight the lack of political will for the materialization of what has been agreed and the constant failings on the part of the government regarding principally the Rural Integral Reform - RRI, in Spanish. READ MORE... [8] COLOMBIA: CALL FOR LIFE, DEMOCRACY AND PEACE! La Via Campesina stands in solidarity with the struggles and protests of the Colombian people in the NATIONAL STRIKE that began on April 28th and remains active even now. READ MORE... [9] COLOMBIA: END THE STATE-SANCTIONED VIOLENCE, INVESTIGATE THE CRIMES OF THE COLOMBIAN STATE! A month into the National Strike against the neoliberal reforms that seek to undermine rights, promote privatization and labor flexibilization. READ MORE... [10] SOLIDARITY WITH THE WORKING CLASS OF COLOMBIA We, the undersigned popular organisations of the peoples of the countryside, of the waters and of the forests, and other organisations of the whole world, lend our solidarity to the peasant, indigenous and Afro-descendant people who, allied to the working class of the cities, are demonstrating in Colombia to defend human rights as basic as the right to live in peace and dignity. READ MORE... [11] [12] Omar Moreno, life and peasant struggle [13] HYMN OF THE INDIGENOUS GUARD 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 HERE [14]. [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] To unsubscribe from the distribution list click here [1] For questions or comments, email LVCWEB(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/en/colombia-despite-state-violence-the-strike-cont… [3] https://viacampesina.org/en/colombia-is-access-to-land-democratized/ [4] https://viacampesina.org/en/colombia-impacts-of-covid-19-on-peace/ [5] https://viacampesina.org/en/colombia-glyphosate-aerial-spraying-forces-comm… [6] https://viacampesina.org/en/socia-l-organizations-denounce-limitations-on-p… [7] https://viacampesina.org/en/colombia-armed-conflict-reactivated-2021/ [8] https://viacampesina.org/en/rural-integral-reform-is-excruciatingly-slow-in… [9] https://viacampesina.org/en/colombia-call-for-life-democracy-and-peace/ [10] https://viacampesina.org/en/colombia-end-the-state-sanctioned-violence-inve… [11] https://viacampesina.org/en/solidarity-with-the-working-class-of-colombia/ [12] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhOgyaHgiJc [13] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwR6VgQ1mOE [14] https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/viacampesina [15] https://viacampesina.org/en/donations/ [16] https://www.facebook.com/viacampesinaOFFICIAL [17] http://www.twitter.com/via_campesina [18] https://www.instagram.com/la_via_campesina_official/ [19] https://viacampesina.org/

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[Info EN] 05 June, World Environment Day: Call for Mobilization | La Via Campesina
by La Via Campesina 02 Jun '21

02 Jun '21

05 JUNE, WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY: CALL FOR MOBILIZATION | LA VIA CAMPESINA 2 JUNE 2021 CAMPAIGN AGAINST AGROTOXICS [1], CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE [2], LAND, WATER AND TERRITORIES [3], TRANSNATIONAL COMPANIES AND AGRIBUSINESS [4] _THIS WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY, LA VIA CAMPESINA CALLS FOR ACTIONS TO PROTECT MOTHER EARTH AND DEMAND THE URGENT IMPLEMENTATION OF THE UN DECLARATION FOR THE RIGHTS OF PEASANTS AND OTHER PEOPLE WORKING IN RURAL AREAS._ LIFE OVER PROFITS – THIS PLANET IS OUR ONLY HOME! (Harare: June 2, 2021) By now it is evident that the capitalist system causes predatory actions against the environment, leading to severe damage to our planet. The extractive industrial model, together with increased militarization to keep imperialist hegemony, destroys our lands and rivers, forests and seas, reduces biodiversity, pillages our territories and criminalizes our struggles. The effects of this model are becoming more and more serious: violent storms, cyclones, droughts, heat waves, floods, migrations, over-consumption and food waste, as well as toxic foods that cause illness and kill across the world. Moreover, high-cost diseases (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome [SARS] such the current COVID-19 pandemic with over 3.3 million deathsso far) seem to be linked to contaminated food and livestock, and particularly affecting people with underlying health conditions such as malnutrition, obesity, and diabetes. We can affirm that industrial farming methods have led to untold environmental and social destruction globally as they oversimplify complex systems. This has nothing to do with feeding people, since the number of people affected by hunger and malnutrition continues to raise, but it's about accumulation of power and control by a few. Worldwide, we the peasant and indigenous communities of every nation feed 70% of the world's population while having access only to 25% of agricultural resources. Women and migrants represent more than 60% of laborers in agricultural production, yet they continue to suffer exploitation, racism, violence and a systematic violation of their human rights. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! We, peasants, indigenous peoples, women, migrants and rural communities want food sovereignty based peasant agroecology to reduce emissions and achieve social justice. The fight for food sovereignty is a social, political and ecological vision that brings together multiple groups within a single movement to challenge capital, build relationships with nature and defend systems of shared control over and access to the requirements of life. NO TO FALSE SOLUTIONS! We denounce and reject all the false solutions being put on the table to face the environmental and climate crisis by our governments working closely with transnational corporations (TNCs). Climate Smart agriculture, soil sequestration programs, Nature based solutions, payments for environmental services (PES), etc., allow capitalism to keep polluting to the detriment of the environment and our rights. These false solutions increase the risk of land grabbing the control of seed diversity by transnational corporations and the use of agrotoxics and expanded genetic manipulation. All this has led, among other things, to the emergence of superweeds and superbugs, putting the survival of life as we know it on a cliff's edge. TIME TO TRANSFORM! NO FUTURE WITHOUT FOOD SOVEREIGNTY! As La Via Campesina, we believe that action must be taken without delay for a complete turnaround, transforming our societies, changing the capitalist system that exploits, pollutes and uses up our commons, which are the heritage of peoples throughout the world. This urgent and much needed change must be implemented through a real social transformation that will only be possible if the rights of peasants, indigenous peoples, women, migrants and all those working in rural areas are fully respected. This means ending all forms of violence against all people and having access and democratically controlling land, water, territories and other common resources WE, THEREFORE, CALL OUR MEMBERS, ACTIVISTS AND ALLY MOVEMENTS AND ORGANIZATIONS, ON JUNE 5TH THE WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY, TO SUPPORT OUR ACTIONS TO PROTECT MOTHER EARTH AND OUR EFFORTS TO ENSURE THE FULL IMPLEMENTATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS DECLARATION ON THE RIGHTS OF PEASANTS AND OTHER PEOPLE WORKING IN RURAL AREAS (UNDROP) BY NATIONAL GOVERNMENTS. WE MUST ALSO URGENTLY UNITE AGAINST THE FORTHCOMING CORPORATE LED UN FOOD SYSTEM SUMMIT AS IT PROMOTES FALSE SOLUTIONS WHICH WILL NOT ONLY WORSEN THE CURRENT CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS BUT WILL ALSO CONSTITUTE A SERIOUS ATTACK TO OUR RIGHTS AS PEASANTS, INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES, WOMEN, MIGRANTS AND RURAL COMMUNITIES. LET'S ORGANIZE SOLIDARITY ACTIONS ON JUNE 5TH AT 12.00 MIDDAY #INDEFENSEOFTHEPLANET, INCLUDING PLANTING TREES. HASHTAG #InDefenseOfThePlanet #NoFuturewithoutFoodSovereignty DOWNLOAD AND READ THE INTERNATIONAL WEEK OF ANTI-IMPERIALIST STRUGGLE MANIFESTO IN DEFENSE OF THE PLANET IN ENGLISH [5], SPANISH [6], PORTUGUESE [7] GLOBALISE THE STRUGGLE, GLOBALISE HOPE Links: ------ [1] https://viacampesina.org/en/what-are-we-fighting-against/transnational-comp… [2] https://viacampesina.org/en/what-are-we-fighting-for/climate-change-and-agr… [3] https://viacampesina.org/en/what-are-we-fighting-for/agrarian-reform/ [4] https://viacampesina.org/en/what-are-we-fighting-against/transnational-comp… [5] https://viacampesina.org/en/en-5-june-manifesto-the-planet-before-profits-o… [6] https://viacampesina.org/en/es-manifiesto-5-de-junio-el-planeta-por-encima-… [7] https://viacampesina.org/en/pt-manifesto-5-de-junho-o-planeta-acima-do-lucr…

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[Info EN] Call for International Solidarity with Colombia & Palestine | La Via Campesina
by La Via Campesina 28 May '21

28 May '21

*|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|* La Via Campesina | Call for International Solidarity with Colombia & Palestine 28 MAY 2021, HARARE: A month into the National Strike against the neoliberal reforms that seek to undermine rights, promote privatization and labor flexibilization, La Via Campesina joins social organizations and movements to express our solidarity with the people of Colombia and demand an immediate halt of the brutal state and parastatal violence exerted on young people, women, farmers, workers and indigenous peoples who have been manifesting tirelessly in defense of their rights. Read the full statement [1] 23 MAY 2021, HARARE: La Via Campesina calls for a United Nations fact-finding mission to investigate human rights violations in occupied Palestine and for the entire movement and committed allies to join the Global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israeli apartheid in our beloved occupied Palestine! Apartheid is a crime! Read the full statement [2] www.viacampesina.org [3] To unsubscribe from the distribution list click here [4] Links: ------ [1] https://viacampesina.org/en/colombia-end-the-state-sanctioned-violence-inve… [2] https://viacampesina.org/en/solidarity-with-palestine-now/ [3] http://www.viacampesina.org [4] https://mail.viacampesina.org/lists/listinfo/Via-info-en

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[Info EN] La Via Campesina | April, 2021 | e-Newsletter
by La Via Campesina 26 May '21

26 May '21

*|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|* This edition of the newsletter is the result of a collective effort of organisations that are part of_ La Via Campesina's_ global movement. To subscribe to our monthly newsletter click here [1] CELEBRATION OF 25 YEARS OF FOOD SOVEREIGNTY AND THE MOVEMENT WE BUILT AROUND IT ------------------------- Today, as in 1996, food sovereignty remains as the most coherent solution for a systemic shift, it remains the most coherent proposal to guarantee access to local and nutritious food for all and to defend peasants' and people's rights. Peasants, indigenous communities, small scale fishers, pastoralists, waged workers need to be involved in the formulation of solutions, we need to be part of policy making processes. And we cannot allow that the dominant forces that are strongly working to reshape governance spaces turn the table. This is not a game! Life is at stake! So, it is indeed time to celebrate the 25 years of our joint struggle for food sovereignty, but much more, it is time to recharge our energies and to reaffirm our commitment, using the convictions, spaces and alliances we built since 1996, to strongly fight for a world based on solidarity, justice and dignity - especially considering our future generations. READ MORE [2] Fighting for food sovereignty also means fighting to have women farmers' work acknowledged as well as to reorganize domestic, care, and food preparation work. This international virtual gallery features photographs of the archives of La Via Campesina, Friends of the Earth, and the World March of Women [3]. The pictures show how women are fundamental for sowing the seeds of a political, peasant, grassroots, diverse struggle for a society with no fences and no toxic chemicals. Food Sovereignty is about deciding to change the world. It is not just about producing. It's the right to agrarian reform, to land, to water, the right to remain a peasant man or woman. READ MORE [4] 25 years ago, on April 17th 1996, a group of landless peasants were killed by military police in Brazil's state of Para. A look at the history of the day and why we stand with peasants worldwide. READ MORE [5] The word "agribusiness" brings to mind instant associations like "soybeans," "Brazil," or "the Mennonites." Why? When did this word first enter common parlance? READ MORE [6] Achieving food sovereignty is not a linear, uniform process: it looks different in each community and region. Just as communities and geographies vary across the country, so too do the struggles for food sovereignty. READ MORE [7] On April 28, South Korea constituted a 'UNDROP Forum' to implement and promote the UN Declaration on Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas (UNDROP) at the national level. The forum will be active for about eight months until the end of this year. READ MORE [8] In a letter to the European Commission and CAP legislators, European Coordination Via Campesina (ECVC) and civil society members demand that the EU policy must support and increase the number of small-scale farmers. READ MORE [9] In a letter addressed to the President of Sri Lanka, the Movement for Land and Agricultural Reform (MONLAR) has supported the government decision to ban the import of all agrochemicals with immediate effect. READ MORE [10] The Indonesian Peasants Student Movement (Gema Petani) held its First Conference in Jambi, attended by student delegations from 13 provinces covering eastern, central and western Indonesia. READ MORE [11] NEW PUBLICATION The Path of Peasant and Popular Feminism in La Via Campesina ------------------------- Edition: 2021 Download the PDF copy (32MB) [12] FEATURED VIDEO [13] "Formation" in La Via Campesina with a perspective of human emancipation has the historical task of contributing to forging collective political subjects, capable of mobilizing consciences, resources, and processes for the construction of an emancipatory political project and to transform the reality, the living conditions in the countryside and in the cities. "A movement in formation" that first premiered on 18 April 2021, explores this construction in the movement, with different voices and actors from all over the world, showing the different practices and methodologies but with the same objective, since to globalize the struggle and the hope is not just a slogan, it is our permanent task. 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 HERE [14]. [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] To unsubscribe from the distribution list click here [1] For questions or comments, email LVCWEB(a)VIACAMPESINA.ORG WEBSITE: www.viacampesina.org [20] TV: www.tv.viacampesina.org [21] To subscribe to this newsletter - Click Here [1] Links: ------ [1] https://mail.viacampesina.org/lists/listinfo/Via-info-en [2] https://viacampesina.org/en/celebration-of-25-years-of-food-sovereignty-and… [3] https://capiremov.org/en/multimedia/gallery/peasant-struggles-and-food-sove… [4] https://viacampesina.org/en/pancha-rodriguez-food-sovereignty-is-about-deci… [5] https://viacampesina.org/en/a-look-at-the-history-of-the-day-and-why-we-sta… [6] https://viacampesina.org/en/paraguay-the-struggle-for-food-sovereignty-is-t… [7] https://viacampesina.org/en/nfu-statement-on-the-international-day-of-peasa… [8] https://viacampesina.org/en/south-korea-undrop-forum-to-mainstream-peasants… [9] https://viacampesina.org/en/ecvc-sends-open-letter-to-the-institutions-for-… [10] https://viacampesina.org/en/srilanka-monlar-backs-government-decision-to-ba… [11] https://viacampesina.org/en/gema-petani-indonesia-peasant-youth-and-student… [12] https://cloud.viacampesina.org/s/srbBEf3YnYZGRYz [13] https://vimeo.com/534888854 [14] https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/viacampesina [15] https://viacampesina.org/en/donations/ [16] https://www.facebook.com/viacampesinaOFFICIAL [17] http://www.twitter.com/via_campesina [18] https://www.instagram.com/la_via_campesina_official/ [19] https://viacampesina.org/ [20] http://www.viacampesina.org [21] http://www.tv.viacampesina.org

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[Info EN] La Via Campesina: 2020 Annual Report
by La Via Campesina 12 May '21

12 May '21

LA VIA CAMPESINA: 2020 ANNUAL REPORT 3 MAY 2021 ANNUAL REPORTS [1], MEDIA AND PUBLICATIONS [2] [3] SUMMARY: This annual report [3] highlights the struggles and activities we had and the progress we made in 2020. The year was one of the most challenging years of the last half century. No one ever anticipated that by March, the world would face a pandemic that would bring life as we know it to a halt. The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic did that. The pandemic exposed two things: (1) the rotten core and the cracks in the global neoliberal economy and (2) the urgent need for radical policies to usher in change and bring relief, dignity, and equity to billions of people whose survival is hanging by a thin thread. With each crisis desperation has increased leading to unintended outcomes, for instance, the recent rise of the extreme right, fascism, and jingoistic-nationalism. Global inequality is at its peak. Empathy is at its lowest, and destructive economic, social, ecological, and environmental policies are more prevalent than ever. This pandemic is rooted in capitalism and strongly connected to the industrial agriculture model, and is one of the many recent outcomes of such destructive policies. As the turbulent 2020 drew to an end, many hoped that 2021 would be a better year. The surge in new infections in most countries do not show return to the "normalcy" of the pre-COVID times. Urgent actions are needed from the grassroots to the state level to transform and rebuild hundreds of millions of lives pushed to starvation and poverty by the COVID pandemic. The pandemic led us into a period where the understanding of the importance of local food production and the need for public health has increased. Food sovereignty as peoples' right to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced with ecologically sustainable methods is important. As La Via Campesina, we have adapted our communication strategy, shifted resources towards communication actions, and intensified our presence in social media. This strategy became more central as a possibility to reach out, "stay at home but not silent", and to mobilize on our agenda. It is key that a movement like LVC remains present in the public eye and in public opinion to mobilize for the right changes! The realization of peasants' rights and those of migrant and seasonal workers by promoting UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People working in the Rural Areas (UNDROP) remains a priority for the peasant movement. We will continue combating the criminalization and repression of peasant leaders, and explore different ideas of creating our own spaces of solidarity, while strengthening the existing solidarity networks.. DOWNLOAD PDF REPORT [3] PUBLICATION DATE: April 2021 AVAILABLE in Spanish [4] and French [5] -- Links: ------ [1] https://viacampesina.org/en/media-and-publications/annual-reports/ [2] https://viacampesina.org/en/media-and-publications/ [3] https://viacampesina.org/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/05/EN_Annual_Re… [4] https://viacampesina.org/es/la-via-campesina-informe-anual-2020/ [5] https://viacampesina.org/fr/la-via-campesina-rapport-annuel-2020/

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[Info EN] Colombia: Call for Life, Democracy and Peace!
by La Via Campesina 09 May '21

09 May '21

La Via Campesina stands in solidarity with the struggles and protests of the Colombian people in the NATIONAL STRIKE that began on April 28th and remains active even now. The protests unleashed against a proposed tax reform linked to the pandemic have become a national demonstration against the increase in poverty, unemployment, the failure to implement the Peace Accord and the worsening of the violence expressed in the increase of massacres, forced disappearances, displacements and the murder of 1,167 social leaders since the signing of the Accord. The Colombian people express their indignation at these historical injustices and once again share age-old demands of PEACE, LIFE, WORK and LAND; they protest against the mismanagement of the pandemic by the Government of Ivan Duque, which prioritized economic interests and disregarded the lives of humble Colombians. We express our solidarity with the Colombian people who are today exercising their legitimate right to protest. We stand in solidarity especially with the peasant, indigenous and Afro-descendant organisations that are mobilising from the territories most affected by violence in defense of life, land and territory. We ratify our repudiation of the violence exercised by the state and its security forces who criminalise people's movements, and against the state agents who illegally detain, rape, kill, and disappear. Today the state violence in Colombia is reflected in the murder of 37 demonstrators, 831 arbitrary detentions, 222 cases of physical violence, 22 victims of aggression in the eyes, 10 victims of sexual violence by the security forces and 86 people disappeared, all in the context of the National Strike. WE DEMAND FROM THE GOVERNMENT OF IVÁN DUQUE: * an immediate ceasefire against those who demonstrate; * guarantees for the exercise of the right to protest and social mobilisation; * the immediate release of those detained for political reasons; * the investigation and condemnation of murderers and rapists; * the construction of a process of a dialogue with the population; * the implementation of the Peace Accords. We call on the international community and human rights organisations to demand that the necessary measures be taken to stop the violence and advance in the construction of peace. We call on the organizations that are part of La Via Campesina, as well as allied organizations, to raise awareness on the situation, to express our rejection of the governmental actions and stand in solidarity, to strengthen our unity and struggle. LET'S GLOBALISE THE STRUGGLE AND GLOBALISE HOPE!

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[Info EN] #17April2021 - “A movement in formation” | Online Screening, this Sunday, 18 April 2021 - 12.00 CEST/ Harare
by La Via Campesina 17 Apr '21

17 Apr '21

“A MOVEMENT IN FORMATION” | ONLINE SCREENING, SUNDAY, 18 APRIL 2021 12 APRIL 2021 PUBLICATIONS [1], VIDEO [2], VIDEOS AND PODCASTS (WHAT IS LVC?) [3], WHAT IS LA VIA CAMPESINA? [4], WOMEN [5], YOUTH [6] We live in a historical age in which capitalism has exhausted all its possibilities. >From now on, more than ever, capitalism will only offer us more crises of conflict, war, migration, global warming, hunger, pandemics and death. In this context, formation in the La Via Campesina with a perspective of human emancipation is strategic. It has the historical task of contributing to forging collective political subjects, capable of mobilising consciences, resources, and processes for the construction of an emancipatory political project and to transform the reality, the living conditions in the countryside and in the cities. In La Via Campesina, the political-organisational formation processes become not only trenches of resistance and defence of peasant ways of life and agroecological production, but also seeds for the flourishing of new social, political and economic relations with Mother Earth. Formation as a comprehensive, systematic, broad, continuous and permanent process must be present at every step of the organisation. If the peoples of the countryside have the great task of producing healthy food, the Movement at the international level has the most beautiful, free and emancipatory work, to be part of the construction of transformations and sovereign, free societies. For this purpose, we built "A movement in formation" a new video of LVC that shows this construction in the movement, with different voices and actors from all over the world, showing the different practices and methodologies but with the same objective, because to Globalise the struggle and the Hope is not just a slogan, it is our permanent task. See it this Sunday, APRIL 18 VIA FACEBOOK. TIME: 12.00 CEST/ Harare https://www.facebook.com/viacampesinaOFFICIAL Links: ------ [1] https://viacampesina.org/en/media-and-publications/publications-publication… [2] https://viacampesina.org/en/video/ [3] https://viacampesina.org/en/who-are-we/what-is-la-via-campesina/videos-and-… [4] https://viacampesina.org/en/who-are-we/what-is-la-via-campesina/ [5] https://viacampesina.org/en/who-are-we/women/ [6] https://viacampesina.org/en/who-are-we/youth/

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[Info EN] Food Sovereignty and Solidarity: A Historic Moment to Advance Our Peasant Struggles
by La Via Campesina 15 Apr '21

15 Apr '21

FOOD SOVEREIGNTY AND SOLIDARITY: A HISTORIC MOMENT TO ADVANCE OUR PEASANT STRUGGLES 15 APRIL 2021 AGROECOLOGY AND PEASANTS'SEEDS [1], CAPITALISM AND FREE TRADE [2], FOOD SOVEREIGNTY [3], GLOBAL CAMPAIGN FOR AGRARIAN REFORM [4], INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY [5], TRANSNATIONAL COMPANIES AND AGRIBUSINESS [6] INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEASANTS' STRUGGLE: DECLARATION BY LA VIA CAMPESINA, HARARE, ZIMBABWE: 17 APRIL 2021 This April 17th, our international Day of Peasants' Struggle, is a moment to reflect on our vision of food sovereignty, and strengthen further our solidarity against the increased criminalization of our struggles, and killing of peasants, indigenous peoples, and those fighting for the rights of their communities, for dignity and equity globally. As we join our hands for solidarity demanding full respect for our rights and the end of impunity, criminalization, and killing, we are alert to the current difficult social and economic context facing many peasants and peoples globally. Firstly, the continuing COVID19 pandemic, a health crisis that started in 2020, has led to over two million deaths globally. Measures to mitigate and stop the spread of the pandemic have caused a profound social crisis with severe setbacks in workers' rights, unemployment, corruption, misery, hunger, and violence. This health crisis occurring in tandem with the prevailing climate crisis only worsens the social and economic condition of the masses. Secondly, the agribusiness and corporate lobbies increased their efforts to capture democratic global governance spaces. Citing the worsening hunger, some called on governments to lift the ban on the use of GMOs. While some big businesses, under the cover of the pandemic, worked with policymakers to relax laws that protect natural resources. We witnessed deliberate attempts to close civil society participation in global policymaking processes and UN spaces. Shifting Human Rights Council meetings and other events online meant limited participation from peasants and indigenous communities. Thirdly, the current realignment of the geopolitical forces and actors - exemplified by increased tensions between the economically advanced nations (United States/EU versus China and Russia; etc), the on-going heightened militarisation in tandem with repartition of global markets among these big nations, and the re-introduction of trade tariffs to fence off the foreign competition among allies (US vs. EU) are distress calls of a capitalist system in decay. The competition for sources of raw materials particularly rare minerals and the repartition of world markets is the inevitable cause of armed conflicts and devastating wars. This has worsened the migrant crisis in Africa, Middle East, Latin and North America, and Europe. THE MULTIPLE CRISES CONFRONTING THE WORLD ARE NOT NEW BUT A POLITICAL MOMENT TO ADVANCE THE FOOD SOVEREIGNTY AGENDA The food, climate, environmental, economic, democratic, and health crises that culminated with the Covid-19 pandemic show clearly to all humanity that a transformation of the current agricultural and food model is vital. Each crisis, be it COVID-19 pandemic or food shortages, has shown us the importance and resilience of the same local food systems which neoliberalism continues to erode and weaken. Since its birth in 1993, La Via Campesina has been developing and promoting food sovereignty as an alternative to the dominant capitalist relations of production, particularly in agriculture. Over the twenty-eight years, food sovereignty has gained more ground among social movements, civil society organizations, and others. Thus, for us, food sovereignty and peasant agroecology continue to triumph in each crisis as solutions to strengthen localized food systems critical in the fight against hunger and to cool the planet, preserve biodiversity, and respect peasants' and workers' rights. Moreover, food sovereignty promotes solidarity, a key aspect of humanity - rather than individualism as promoted by capitalism - that has strengthened our collective will to survive. People and not profits matter the most! Now is the time to transform and build a value-based society. UN DECLARATION ON PEASANTS' RIGHTS IS OUR MAIN POLITICAL TOOL TO STRENGTHEN THE GLOBAL PEASANT STRUGGLE We, La Via Campesina, believe that the time is ripe for governments to formulate and implement urgently the radical public policies to bring relief, dignity, and equity to billions of people whose survival is hanging by a thin thread. Without radical public policy changes, the desperation will increase, so are the unintended outcomes, for instance, the current rise of extreme right-wing, fascism, and other forms of regressive nationalism in different countries. Food sovereignty continues to offer the only coherent solution--a solution that benefits rural families as well as consumers, in our countries. After much work over the last 28 years generating proposals, accumulation of experience, and building of alliances, we have a historic opportunity to achieve good policies with the support of some progressive governments, UN Special rapporteur for the right to food, Committee on World Food Security (CFS)-Civil Society and Indigenous Peoples' Mechanism (CSM) processes, and using the UN declaration of the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas (UNDROP). UNDROP must be a tool for the worldwide promotion of urgently-needed agrarian reform programmes, as essential components of public policies that countries should implement in their respective territories for decent living and working conditions in rural areas. We will work with progressive governments and like-minded rural and urban movements, as well as with other organizations to monitor and ensure proper implementation of public policies. It's an opportunity that we cannot let pass us by. Even the current attempts by the World Economic Forum initiative to organize and hijack the UN Food System Summit should not hinder our progress. Only peasants and their active participation in shaping the food policies lead to lasting a solution - public policies based on food sovereignty. We must gird ourselves as peasants to fight and resist transnational corporations, agribusiness, large landowners, and imperialism. To take advantage of the political moment, to regain control over food La Via Campesina together with our allies, call upon governments to define and refine public policy proposals to achieve food sovereignty at all levels. This means the recovery of national productive capacity, _rooted in the peasant and family farm_ sector, through public sector budgets, guaranteed prices, credits, and other forms of support--including support for direct marketing between producers and consumers, and genuine land reform. _ _We call for genuine comprehensive agrarian reform programs to strengthen peasant and family agriculture, food and farming systems that respond to both urban and rural necessities and should reconstitute improved versions of research and technical assistance systems based this time on the principles of the "campesino to Campesino" (peasant to peasant) model. We, as peasants, also fight for health to be treated as a human right, especially in the global COVID-19 pandemic. As La Via Campesina, we demand the Right to public and free health care for all peoples as defined in Article 23 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Peasants (UNDROP), including the processes of prevention, vaccination, and long-term treatment. Vaccines should not be patented neither should they be left under the control and profit of large transnational corporations. If patented, it allows the market further to commodify life. All members of society must have access to information and be able to evaluate the treatments offered. We affirm that health care must begin with a healthy, sustainable diet that strengthens the immune system, as proposed by Food Sovereignty, a way of caring for the well-being of both people and the environment. THE TIME TO TRANSFORM IS NOW! It is unacceptable that in the 21st-century hundreds of millions are hungry when there is enough food for all; inequalities and human rights violations are worsening; criminalization, brutal repression, and authoritarianism are increasing globally. This April 17, we say: Struggle for dignity, for health, for public policies based on food sovereignty, and for protecting our communities and natural resources is not a crime but our right! The states must not criminalize our struggles nor violate our rights! Neither must we be killed by them! Their duty is to protect our rights. We, therefore, stand in solidarity with all the peoples struggling for their rights in all four corners of the world. With food sovereignty and solidarity, we can attain social justice and dignity for all! WE FEED THE WORLD AND BUILD FOOD SOVEREIGNTY! GLOBALIZE THE STRUGGLE, GLOBALIZE HOPE! #NoFutureWithoutFoodSovereignty #FoodSovereigntyNOW ------------------------------------------ For media enquiries, questions or comments write to lvcweb(a)viacampesina.org Links: ------ [1] https://viacampesina.org/en/what-are-we-fighting-for/biodiversity-and-genet… [2] https://viacampesina.org/en/what-are-we-fighting-against/capitalism-and-fre… [3] https://viacampesina.org/en/what-are-we-fighting-for/food-sovereignty-and-t… [4] https://viacampesina.org/en/what-are-we-fighting-for/agrarian-reform/global… [5] https://viacampesina.org/en/what-are-we-fighting-for/international-solidari… [6] https://viacampesina.org/en/what-are-we-fighting-against/transnational-comp…

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[Info EN] La Vía Campesina | e-Newsletter | #8March - Special Edition
by La Via Campesina 01 Apr '21

01 Apr '21

*|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|* La Vía Campesina | e-Newsletter | 8 March 2021 Donate [1] This edition of the newsletter is the result of a collective effort of organisations that are part of La Via Campesina around the world. To subscribe click here [2]. 08 MARCH: GLOBAL SOLIDARITY ACTIONS DEMAND EQUAL OWNERSHIP OF LAND, RECOGNITION OF WOMEN'S WORK AND A WORLD FREE OF VIOLENCE [3] Across the world, peasant and indigenous movements carried out solidarity actions to mark International Women's Day on (and during the week of) the 8th of March 2021. La Via Campesina had issued a clarion call to all its members worldwide by pointing out that to defeat the virus of patriarchy and capitalism, we need the vaccine of feminism and solidarity. Pastoralists, peasants, fisherfolks, agricultural workers, indigenous and landless people across member organisations responded positively to this call for solidarity this year. They organised peasant fairs showcasing diversities in food production and the work women and people of diverse identities do in the farms and inside rural social movements. Several solidarity actions that took place emphasised the urgent need for food sovereignty to positively address the crisis humanity is currently experiencing and transform our societies. PEASANTS ALSO EMPHASISED THAT THE UN DECLARATION ON PEASANTS' RIGHTS ADOPTED IN 2018 IS A CRUCIAL TOOL TO GUARANTEE RIGHTS AND GENDER JUSTICE IN RURAL AND URBAN COMMUNITIES. With colourful marches, sit-ins, food donations, forums, meetings, and even blood donations, they showed the importance of feminism in the struggle against patriarchy and capitalism. We share a summary of the actions carried out by our LVC member organisations in different territories around the world. Read More [4] FEATURED ARTICLES Peasant movements, workers and activists in Asia mobilise on International Women's Day. Here is a summary [5] of the many actions that took place around Asia in March. Gender-based violence in the rural sector, understood as physical, sexual and psychological violence against women, is a central area of work [6] for our member organisations since 2008. As capitalist countries rush to save their economies, they have left the workers who provide the basic necessities of human life to risk their lives on the front lines. Women make up the overwhelming majority of those who work in these industries. Read the statement [7]. On the 25th anniversary of the collective construction of Food Sovereignty, this is our tangible and sustainable way to face the different crises we live today. We need to end the systemic violence of capitalism and patriarchy, which today violate the rights of women, diversities, children, and the working class. Read La Via Campesina's call for mobilization [8]. In the most difficult moment of the pandemic, which is plaguing Brazil and which - so far - has killed more than 260 thousand people, women from more than 80 organizations in the popular field, came together to support and spread solidarity [9] in actions in the four corners of the country. Peasant Organisations in Spain - COAG and the Confederation of Rural Women (CERES) - demand that [10] the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and the Rural Development Plans (RDP) be drawn up with a gender perspective, as they marginalise the lands of peasant women and livestock breeders. This March 8, 2021, the peasant members of the Sindicato Labrego Galego, SLG, also supported the feminist strike [11]. One year after the last women's strike and for peasant women, in terms of equality, the situation continues to deteriorate. Srilanka: Women step up protest [12] against exploitative micro-finance firms in rural areas. According to activists in Srilanka, an estimate of 28 million people are caught in a debt trap and over 200 were forced to commit suicide. RECENT PUBLICATIONS NYÉLÉNI NEWSLETTER: FOOD SOVEREIGNTY IN A TIME OF PANDEMIC When the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on 30 January 2020, few imagined the scale of the devastation that the disease would wreak across the world, or for how long it would last. This edition of the Nyéléni newsletter presents excerpts from some of the documentation and research conducted by practitioners and advocates of food sovereignty. DOWNLOAD NOW [13]. VIDEOS [14] #LaViaCampesina - Song "Triste, loca o mala", by the group Francisco El Hombre [14]. The clip features more than 100 landless women from across Brazil in a show of strength and solidarity. 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 HERE [1]. [15] [16] Twitter [16] [17] Facebook [17] [18] Vimeo [18] To unsubscribe from the distribution list click here [2] For questions or comments, email LVCWEB(a)VIACAMPESINA.ORG WEBSITE: www.viacampesina.org [19] TV: www.tv.viacampesina.org [20] To subscribe to this newsletter - Click Here [2] Links: ------ [1] https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/viacampesina [2] https://mail.viacampesina.org/lists/listinfo/Via-info-en [3] https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=viacampesinaOFFICIAL&set=a.5… [4] https://viacampesina.org/en/08-march-global-solidarity-actions-demand-equal… [5] https://viacampesina.org/en/peasant-movements-workers-and-activists-in-asia… [6] https://viacampesina.org/en/cloc-via-campesina-gender-based-violence-in-the… [7] https://viacampesina.org/en/working-women-of-the-world-unite-against-imperi… [8] https://viacampesina.org/en/8m2021-against-the-virus-of-patriarchy-and-capi… [9] https://viacampesina.org/en/brazil-landless-women-mobilize-in-defense-of-li… [10] https://viacampesina.org/en/spain-peasant-women-find-it-more-difficult-to-a… [11] https://viacampesina.org/en/peasant-women-in-galicia-strike-against-inequal… [12] https://viacampesina.org/en/srilanka-women-step-up-protest-against-exploita… [13] http://www.nyeleni.org/ccount/click.php?id=155 [14] https://www.facebook.com/342562582480986/videos/471196630576619 [15] https://viacampesina.org/en/donations/ [16] https://twitter.com/via_campesina [17] https://www.facebook.com/viacampesinaOFFICIAL/ [18] https://vimeo.com/viacampesina [19] http://www.viacampesina.org [20] http://www.tv.viacampesina.org

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[Info EN] Twenty-Five Years of peasants’ struggles in bringing Food Sovereignty to reality
by La Via Campesina 29 Mar '21

29 Mar '21

Twenty-Five Years of peasants' struggles in bringing Food Sovereignty to reality CALL FOR MOBILISATION ------------------------- HARARE, MARCH 26, 2021: At the 1996 World Food Summit La Via Campesina put words to its vision to oppose the destructive capitalist industrial model that is causing hunger, inequality, and the climate crisis by defining "food sovereignty". Food sovereignty is the right of people to autonomously produce healthy, nutritious, climatically, and culturally appropriate food, using local resources and through agroecological means, primarily to address the local food needs of their communities. Food sovereignty is also necessary to guarantee food security. Since its launch 25 years ago in Rome, food sovereignty has had far-reaching implications on public policies, picked up by many organizations and institutions such as the United Nations bodies (Food and Agriculture Organisation, International Fund for Agricultural Development, Human Rights Council, etc.). Some governments such as Ecuador, Venezuela, Mali, Bolivia, Nepal, and Senegal, etc have included it in their policies and some in constitutions. The Adoption of UNDROP by the UN General Assembly in 2018 and FAO recognition of agroecology in 2015 are a testament to broader recognition and acceptance of Peoples' Food Sovereignty by some organisations, multilateral institutions and governments. Despite these successes, the corporates work tirelessly to stall and roll back further entrenchment of food sovereignty and agroecology in public policies in various UN bodies (Human Rights Council, Committee on World Food Security etc). The recent attempt, the UN Food System Summit, is a clear example that corporate capture is in overdrive, using the COVID-19 pandemic and the increased food insecurity to push for their profit-driven interests. On our side, we believe that on the contrary, the current COVID-19 pandemic has shown the importance and the resilience of local food systems that have kept many people from hunger and starvation. Thus, we continue to push for a radical transformation strategy towards a fair and decent food system for all, which recognizes peoples' needs, accords dignity and respects nature. This year, we celebrate 25 years of building food sovereignty. It is indeed an opportunity to give visibility to all successes and achievements. But more than that it is a moment to re-strengthen our collective efforts to obtain the realization of food sovereignty during the upcoming 25 years. As we mark 25 years of peasants' struggle for Food Sovereignty, let's make this anniversary a strong moment of solidarity and building together what we mean by food sovereignty and why we think it is more accurate and relevant than ever - showing all the dimensions of food sovereignty as an alternative to capitalistic food system. We, La Via Campesina, will make 2021 a year of festival of food sovereignty and more particularly on our International days of global actions and mobilisations: April 17 (International day of peasant struggles[1] [1]), October 16 (International day of action for food sovereignty of the people and against transnationals), November 25 (International day against violence against women), December 3 (Day of action against agrotoxics and for life). THIS #17APRIL2021, WE CALL ALL OUR MEMBERS, ALLIES AND FRIENDS TO HIGHLIGHT A DIMENSION OF FOOD SOVEREIGNTY THAT REFLECTS THE REALITY OF THE LOCAL CONTEXT. * Organize events to protect life and promote peasant seeds, peasants' rights, migrant workers' rights, local food, agroecology, public policies for food sovereignty etc. * Symbolic actions of solidarity, film screenings, public debates, open air community kitchen, farmers' markets and, food donation in the cities or in the communities, are some of the proposed actions. AROUND #17APRIL2021, WE CALL ESPECIALLY FOR CONCRETE ACTIONS OF SOLIDARITY WITH ALL OPPRESSED PEOPLES. The repression of peasant and citizen struggles has increased again. All over the world, the list of threatened, killed or imprisoned social movements' leaders is inexorably growing. We call on our members and allies to mobilize against this increased repression and criminalization. IN MEMORY OF THE PEOPLE OF THE LANDLESS WORKERS MOVEMENT KILLED ON APRIL 17, 1996 AND IN SOLIDARITY WITH ALL THOSE WHO ARE EXPERIENCING VIOLENT REPRESSION AND CRIMINALISATION OF THEIR STRUGGLES TODAY, WE WILL PROPOSE A GLOBAL CANDLE VIGIL SOLIDARITY ACTION AROUND APRIL 17. MORE DETAILS WILL BE GIVEN LATER. Let's show the world that solidarity is our strength. Send us your photos, statements, articles, videos, posters and mobilization actions to lvcweb(a)viacampesina.org we will link all these actions together to assemble and give life and visibility to this collective struggle for food sovereignty. CRIMES AND VIOLENCE AGAINST THOSE WHO FIGHT FOR FOOD SOVEREIGNTY MUST STOP! "WE FEED THE WORLD AND BUILD FOOD SOVEREIGNTY" #17APRIL2021 #FUTUREISFOODSOVEREIGNTY ------------------------- [1] [2] On April 17th, 1996, 19 peasants were killed when military police in the Amazonian State of Pará in Brazil attacked a large number of members of the Landless Workers Movement (MST) who were blockading a highway in order to demand agrarian reform. Two more people died from their injuries several days later, and hundreds of others were so seriously injured that they could not go on working in agriculture. La Via Campesina, which was then in the midst of holding its second international conference at Tlaxcala in Mexico, declared April 17th to be the International Day of Farmers' and Peasants' Struggle Links: ------ [1] https://viacampesina.org/en/twenty-five-years-of-peasants-struggles-in-brin… [2] https://viacampesina.org/en/twenty-five-years-of-peasants-struggles-in-brin…

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