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La Via Campesina Web-Dialogue | 10 September | 13h00 (Harare time)
by La Via Campesina 07 Sep '20

07 Sep '20

*|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|* "Globalize Solidarity, Localize Agriculture" _La Via Campesina Web-Dialogue_ 13h00 - 15h30 (Harare time) 10 September 2020 REGISTER [1] On 10 September 2020, La Via Campesina will once again mark the International Day of Action against WTO and FTAs. On this day, in memory of Lee Kyung Hae's sacrifice, we intend to hold a web-dialogue between peasant leaders and activists from Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas. They will elaborate and argue why agriculture must remain out of all Free Trade Negotiations that take place both inside and outside the WTO. The dialogue titled "GLOBALIZE SOLIDARITY, LOCALIZE AGRICULTURE" will focus on people's alternative that emerges from centuries of peasant experiences and evidence. Speakers: - Jeongyeol Kim, La Via Campesina Asia - Shalmali Guttal, Focus on the Global South - S Kannaiyyan, La Via Campesina Asia - Festil Pierre Doudou, La Via Campesina Americas - David Otieno, La Via Campesina Africa - Million Belay, Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa - Vincent Dauby, European Coordination Vía Campesina Moderated by: Peter Rosset, ECOSUR REGISTER [1] Links: ------ [1] https://bit.ly/LVC-Trade-Webinar-2020

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La Via Campesina e-newsletter June - July 2020
by La Via Campesina 24 Aug '20

24 Aug '20

La Via Campesina | e-newsletter | June - July 2020 Donate [1] This edition of the newsletter is the result of a collective effort of organisations, which are part of_ La Via Campesina_ movement worldwide. To subscribe click here [2] LA VIA CAMPESINA #TIMETOTRANSFORM SOW THE SEEDS OF STRUGGLE AND RESISTANCE, AND CULTIVATE OUR RIGHTS! – #TIMETOTRANSFORM The world is currently living through a different and intense context and historical moment, with a much-accelerated change in the balance of forces and the political struggle. Taking into account the peculiarity of each country or territory, as the working-class and peasants in the countryside, we face two great enemies of the people; (i) A visible enemy like Covid-19 ... Read more ... [3] #THE WINDS OF CHANGE ARE BLOWING HARDER: COVID-19 UPDATE ON PEASANTS, RURAL WORKERS AND OTHER MARGINALIZED GROUPS! _Within the framework of our strategy of formation/training, information and political analysis in defense of Food Sovereignty and Peasant Agriculture, with the slogan "Sow the seeds of struggle and resistance, and cultivate our rights!", we share a second report on the COVID-19 and the situation of the peasantry._ It has been five months since most countries imposed lockdown measures, including travel restrictions both within and across borders, to control the spread of COVID-19 pushing millions of hungry people over the edge. During this period, tens of millions of people have contracted COVID-19, and over half a million people succumbed to death. ... Indeed, COVID-19 has shown that we can no longer return to business as usual, that we have to change how we live and interact as a society. It is time to transform. Read more ... [4] FEATURED ARTICLES LA VIA CAMPESINA CONDEMNS THE COLONIALIST ANNEXATION PLAN IN PALESTINE (Harare, July 2, 2020) Steadfast in our solidarity with all those who struggle for Food Sovereignty and the full realization of peasants' rights, La Via Campesina expresses our unwavering support for the Palestinian people and peasant movement united against U.S.-backed Israeli attempts to annex the vital lands, waters, and territories of occupied Palestine's Area C. Read more ... [5] SIGN THE CALL FOR GERMAN EU COUNCIL PRESIDENCY TO STOP THE EU-MERCOSUR AGREEMENT Negotiations between the EU and Mercosur countries (Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay), underway for over 20 years, culminated in a political agreement in June last year. The European Commission has since been preparing the EU-Mercosur Free Trade Agreement for signature. But the agreement is highly controversial. Read more ... [6] MST'S INTERNATIONALIST BRIGADES AND THE FIGHT AGAINST COVID-19 AND FOR LIFE IN AFRICA AND LATIN AMERICA The world is currently undergoing a serious health crisis and is possibly facing the biggest social and economic crisis of the 21st century. While scientists strive to find ways to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic, hypotheses about the origin are being made. The fact is that there is a high probability that the virus that caused this pandemic may have originated from the environmental crisis we are also facing and the actions of the capital, especially in agriculture. Read more ... [7] INDIA: KRRS FARMERS PROTEST IN DIFFERENT DISTRICTS ACROSS KARNATAKA AGAINST AMENDMENTS TO LAND LAW Since the time Karnataka government announced that it would bring amendments to the Karnataka Land Reforms Act-1961, thousands of farmers organized under the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha, and Hasiru Sene (KRRS) are protesting [8] against the government's move throughout the state. Read more ... [9] SAY THEIR NAMES! ANTI-RACISM STATEMENT; HONORING OUR BLACK FARMWORKER SAY THEIR NAMES! George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and all the others, whose lives have been lost senselessly, needlessly and tragically because of an ever-pervasive and inherent racism that infects our country....like a pandemic. Read more ... [10] UNION LEADER PROTEST THE TREATMENT OF MIGRANT WORKERS On Tuesday, June 16, the USB unionist Aboubakar Soumahoro chained himself near Villa Pamphilj, in Rome, where the "General State of the Economy" are underway , a series of meetings organised by the government between the government itself, international institutions, trade unions and trade associations. Read more ... [11] NEPAL: NOW IS TIME FOR SOCIALIST ECONOMIC REFORMS The COVID-19 pandemic has given a few messages to the world. The countries with centralised public services, public healthcare system, planned economy, and better public policies such as China, Cuba, Vietnam, and Kerala state of India are dealing it more effectively than the capitalist countries like the USA, the UK, France, Spain and Italy. Read more ... [12] MILLIONS FORCED TO CHOOSE BETWEEN HUNGER OR COVID-19 The Quilombo Campo Grande camp is currently resisting an attempted eviction which began early on Wednesday August 12. The camp located in the municipality of Campo do Meio, in the state of Minas Gerais, is home to 450 landless families. Dozens of police officers and vehicles have been brought in from neighboring cities to carry out the action. Read more ... [13] INDONESIA: SPI CALLS FOR URGENT SOLIDARITY WITH IMPRISONED PEASANT LEADER Serikat Petani Indonesia, one of the country's prominent peasant unions and a member of La Via Campesina, has issued a letter seeking solidarity from social movements and civil society, in connection with the imprisonment of one of their leaders. Read more ... [14] LA VIA CAMPESINA MEXICO ISSUES LETTER IN DEFENSE OF SEEDS AND PEASANT AND INDIGENOUS AGRICULTURE _We, La Via Campesina Mexico, claim our right, as peasants and indigenous people, to conserve, use, exchange and selling seeds and other propagation preserved in the production units peasant and indigenous production units _ Read more ... [15] "PROTECT PEASANT AND AGROECOLOGICAL PRODUCTION." LA VIA CAMPESINA AT THE MEETING OF THE UN DECADE FOR FAMILY FARMING On 27 July, Elizabeth Mpofu, General Coordinator of La Via Campesina, reminded everyone who attended the global exchange meeting in the framework of the UN Decade for Family Farming that the COVID 19 Crisis reveals to us the limitations of the industrial food system. Read more ... [16] UAWC'S REPORT ON ISRAELI OCCUPATION VIOLATIONS AGAINST PALESTINIAN FARMERS IN THE WEST BANK DURING JUNE 2020 Palestinian LVC and agricultural committees documented more than 81 violations against farmers in various areas in the West Bank mostly classified as C. including, setting up fires where 55 dunums were burned, destroying and confiscating crops where 40 Stacks of wheat hay and 3 tons of fodder were stolen, Bulldozing More than 1080 dunums, cutting down more than 116 productive trees, and confiscating more than 50 dunums. Read more ... [17] COLOMBIA IS MILITARISING ITS TERRITORIES INSTEAD OF PROMOTING PEACE States must respect, promote and guarantee human rights; however, it seems necessary to remind Duque's government of the existence of these international obligations. Since 2016, when the Peace Agreement between the Colombian State and the extinct FARC-EP guerrillas was signed, violence against human rights defenders, land restitution leaders, social leaders, people in reincorporation process and, in general, rural communities, has gradually increased. Read more ... [18] THE GAZA BLOCKADE IS ENTERING ITS FOURTEENTH YEAR _In solidarity with the Palestinian people in Gaza and the rest of Palestine, La Via Campesina's Arab and North Africa region is calling for the immediate lifting of the brutal blockade._ As on June 14, 2020, thirteen years have gone by since the Israeli occupation first imposed this brutal blockade on our brave people in the Gaza Strip. In this period, 1.8 million Palestinians in Gaza have lived in a virtual prison, under the weight of a land, sea, and air blockade. Read more ... [19] WHAT KIND OF AFRICA AND WORLD SHOULD EMERGE FROM THIS CRISIS? The COVID-19 pandemic is perhaps the biggest global event in recent decades. The crisis is highlighting and exacerbating existing inequalities in the globalised neo-liberal and patriarchal socio-economic system. Read more ... [20] MILLIONS FORCED TO CHOOSE BETWEEN HUNGER OR COVID-19 GRAIN On the eve of May Day 2020, in full coronavirus pandemic, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) released some hair raising statistics. About 1.6 billion workers from the informal sector are in dire straits because of the lockdowns governments have imposed to stop the spread of the virus. Read more ... [21] FEATURED PUBLICATION DIGNITY FOR MIGRANT WORKERS AND THE MOVEMENT FOR FOOD SOVEREIGNTY ARE THE SAME STRUGGLE! Land is the basis for social life. It is a foundation not only for agricultural production, but also shapes and is shaped by societies' political, economic, and cultural dynamics: POWER AFFECTS LAND ACCESS, AND LAND ACCESS GRANTS POWER. Given land's central role to human society, it is unsurprising that it has also been CENTRAL TO PROFIT ACCUMULATION IN THE EXPANSION OF GLOBAL CAPITALISM. DOWNLOAD HERE [22]. [23] FEATURED VIDEO [24] GLOBALIZE HOPE (1H 13 MINS) New film on the history of La Via Campesina This film chronicles how La Via Campesina was born more than 28 years ago, as an alternative that brings together struggles, dreams and challenges to build solidarity and secure our collective human future. IMPORTANT NOTE: Select English, French or Spanish subtitles by clicking on the "CC" button on the Vimeo player. 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 [25]. [26] [27] Twitter [28] [29] Facebook [30] [31] Vimeo [32] To unsubscribe from the distribution list click here [33] For questions or comments, email LVCWEB(a)VIACAMPESINA.ORG WEBSITE: www.viacampesina.org [34] TV: www.tv.viacampesina.org [35] To subscribe to this newsletter - Click Here [36] This email was sent to nyoni.ndabezinhle(a)viacampesina.org _why did I get this?_ [37] unsubscribe from this list [38] update subscription preferences [39] La Via Campesina · 197A Smuts Road · Prospect · Waterfalls · Zimbabwe [40] Links: ------ [1] https://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e420448… [2] https://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e420448… [3] https://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e420448… [4] https://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e420448… [5] https://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e420448… [6] https://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e420448… [7] https://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e420448… [8] https://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e420448… [9] https://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e420448… [10] https://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e420448… [11] https://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e420448… [12] https://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e420448… [13] https://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e420448… [14] https://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e420448… [15] https://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e420448… [16] https://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e420448… [17] https://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e420448… [18] https://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e420448… [19] https://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e420448… [20] https://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e420448… [21] https://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e420448… [22] https://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e420448… [23] https://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e420448… [24] https://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e420448… [25] https://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e420448… [26] https://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e420448… [27] https://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e420448… [28] https://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e420448… [29] https://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e420448… [30] https://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e420448… [31] https://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e420448… [32] https://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e420448… [33] https://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e420448… [34] http://www.viacampesina.org [35] http://www.tv.viacampesina.org [36] https://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=89bbab017155e420448… [37] https://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/about?u=89bbab017155e4204481ee9c3… [38] https://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=89bbab017155e420448… [39] https://viacampesina.us13.list-manage.com/profile?u=89bbab017155e4204481ee9… [40] http://www.mailchimp.com/email-referral/?utm_source=freemium_newsletter&amp…

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Indonesia: SPI calls for urgent solidarity with imprisoned peasant leader
by La Via Campesina 10 Jul '20

10 Jul '20

URGENTLY SEEKING SOLIDARITY FROM SOCIAL MOVEMENTS AND CIVIL SOCIETY! 10 JULY 2020 RELEASE JUNAWAL BIN SUKINO, THE DEFENDER OF AGRARIAN REFORM! On May 26, 2020, police arrested Mr Junawal Bin Sukino, Chairperson of Serikat Petani Indonesia's (SPI) Tebo District division, who has been at the forefront of the struggle against eviction in Napal Putih Village, which falls in the Jambi province of Indonesia. Napal Putih is a village built through the collective efforts of peasant families, enabled by the Agrarian Reform program of the Indonesian government. Police have accused Junawal of setting fire to five units of heavy equipment owned by PT Lestari Asri Jaya (PT LAJ) - a subsidiary company of PT. Barito Pacific (Indonesia) and the Michelin Group (France) - on May 14, 2019. However, what these arrest discount are the countless violations carried out by PT LAJ in the region, in the name of sustainable rubber plantation. Since 2012, SPI Peasants in Tebo Regency, Jambi Province, have been protesting large scale land encroachment by PT LAJ. This company has a permit area of 61,495 hectares and has received funding from Tropical Landscapes Financial Facilities (TLFF), a partnership between the UN Environment, World Agroforestry Centre, ADM Capital and BNP Paribas. Under a US$ 95 million Sustainability Bond [1], this partnership finances a sustainable natural rubber plantation in two provinces in Indonesia, one of them in the Jambi province. Since May 2018, PT LAJ carries out forestry plantation at Bukit Tigabuluh National Park (TNBT). Peasants allege that in the name of "natural rubber plantations" and forestry what is indeed happening is large scale corporate land grabbing, with the backing of international institutions. In Tebo, Napal Putih is among the many villages built and maintained by peasant families organised under Serikat Petani Indonesia (SPI). Over the years, the peasant union (SPI) has made significant steps towards ensuring people's food sovereignty. Here, the peasant families have created a self-sustaining ecosystem where they grow crops through agroecological methods. The union has also built houses, schools, places of worship and developed a local peasant market and distribution system run by local people-led cooperatives. PT LAJ's acquisition in the region is derailing years of efforts of the peasant families in creating a self-sustaining livelihood mechanism. Instead of holding the Corporation accountable, the local authorities have arrested and criminalised a young leader of the union. Serikat Petani Indonesia, one among the prominent peasant unions in the country, has organised several mobilisations, demanding Junawal's release and dismissal of all charges against him. One such demonstration, held outside the Police headquarters in Tebo district, had nearly 4000 peasants participating in it. As a movement of peasant families across Indonesia, Serikat Petani Indonesia is firm on its demand and is seeking solidarity from social movements within and outside the country to stand with us, until Junawal is released and until PT LAJ withdraws from its operations in the region. We appeal to our sisters and brothers around the world to step up the pressure on local authorities and alert this violation to global institutions. THERE ARE SEVERAL WAYS IN WHICH YOU COULD HELP EXPRESS YOUR SOLIDARITY; * Organisations/Individuals could prepare a letter of solidarity addressed to the Government of Indonesia as well as the French Embassy in Indonesia, and echo the demands of Serikat Petani Indonesia. * In your phone, you could record a video/audio message of solidarity and THE MESSAGES, AS ALREADY STATED, COULD ECHO OUR TWO MAIN DEMANDS; * Release Junawal immediately and dismiss all the charges against him * PT LAJ should be held accountable for large scale land grabbing and should immediately withdraw from the region. Please send these messages before July 12, 2020, by email to spi(a)spi.or.id .Let us truly globalise our struggles and globalise our hope for a better, and just world that respects people's food sovereignty. ------------------------- SERIKAT PETANI INDONESIA 09 JULY 2020 _Further information: Zainal Arifin Fuat - +62 812 8932 1398 / zainal(a)spi.or.id_ Links: ------ [1] https://www.unenvironment.org/news-and-stories/press-release/financing-natu…

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La Via Campesina condemns the colonialist annexation plan in Palestine
by La Via Campesina 06 Jul '20

06 Jul '20

LA VIA CAMPESINA CONDEMNS THE COLONIALIST ANNEXATION PLAN IN PALESTINE 2 JULY 2020 INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY [1], PEASANTS' RIGHTS [2] _"Peasants and other people working in rural areas have the right to be protected against arbitrary and unlawful displacement from their land or place of habitual residence, or from other natural resources used in their activities and necessary for the enjoyment of adequate living conditions..." _ - Article 17.4 of the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas[1] [3] (Harare, July 2, 2020) Steadfast in our solidarity with all those who struggle for Food Sovereignty and the full realization of peasants' rights, La Via Campesina expresses our unwavering support for the Palestinian people and peasant movement united against U.S.-backed Israeli attempts to annex the vital lands, waters, and territories of occupied Palestine's Area C. On behalf of our 200 million members organized in 182 local and national organisations around the world, La Via Campesina adds our voice to global opposition[2] [4] to Israel's illegal annexation plans and reiterates our demand for an end to the entire Israeli occupation. _"In the Palestinian context, the issue of Food Sovereignty is of great importance, considering the Israeli military occupation that has full control over Palestinian natural resources, including land, water, pastures, and fisheries." [3] [5]_ THE CRIMINAL ANNEXATION OF PALESTINE'S BREADBASKET Israel's occupation of Palestine has included, since 1967, a system of control whereby natural resources are appropriated and exploited for the benefit of Israelis at the expense of Palestinian lives and livelihoods. It has created increasingly unlivable conditions for Palestinians in the occupied territories in order to force them to relocate and allow Israel to permanently annex lands, waters and territories. In the Jordan Valley, for example, unlivable conditions led to a significant drop of the Palestinian population over the past several decades - from 320,000 in 1967 to only 58,239 today[4] [6]. According to the Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs, the Jordan Valley "is the most fertile and resource-rich area of the West Bank, with key land reserves for natural expansion. It is known for its rich agricultural production, warm climate, abundant water resources, and also attracts tourism with over 80 historical and cultural sites". During July 2020, the Israeli government intends to push through an illegal annexation of 30% of the occupied West Bank and roughly 50% of Area C - Palestinian territory under full Israeli administrative and security control as per the Oslo Accords. Area A - administered exclusively by the Palestinian Authority - makes up only 18% of the West Bank while Area B - supposedly under Palestinian civil control and joint Israeli-Palestinian security control - makes up about 21% of the same area. Area C, meanwhile, includes over 61% of the West Bank, runs between both Areas A and B, and is under complete Israeli control, including security, planning, and zoning. As part of Oslo I and Oslo II, the entirety of Areas A, B, and C were supposed to be under the full governance of the Palestinian Authority before the year 2000 but respect for the Palestinian Right to Self Determination has not materialized, to say the least[5] [7]. The Jordan Valley, as noted above, is considered the breadbasket of the future Palestinian state. It contains vital land and water resources for the natural expansion of Palestinian towns and cities and Palestinian agriculture industries. It has the richest water resources in the whole of the West Bank and is essential for the lives and livelihoods of most Palestinian farmers, their families and urban fellows. In short, Its annexation would gravely violate the rights of all Palestinians - especially its peasant farmers. Israel already controls most of the water resources in the area, causing Palestinians in the Jordan Valley, especially those in Area C, to suffer from water inaccessibility.[6] [8] By blocking access to land, water and territory, Israel is attempting to consolidate its control over Palestinians' food production and prevent any attempt towards self-sufficiency, Food Sovereignty, and disengagement with the occupation economy. La Via Campesina stands in solidarity with our member organization in Palestine - the Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC) - and calls on friends and allies alike to join us in denouncing the U.S.-backed Israeli Annexation Plan. We consider it an explicit violation of international law, including the UN Declaration on Peasants Rights, and point to its prevention of people from accessing their own natural resources such as land and water, producing their own food and choosing the most sustainable, resilient, productive, diverse, locally appropriate food system that suits them. WE CALL ON THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY AND ALL WHO STRUGGLE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS TO: - Take urgent and effective actions to reject the US proposition which is in violation of UN resolutions and stop Israeli plans of illegal annexations in Area C. The UN itself, together with the international community, must act immediately to halt Israel's annexation plans, defend the rights of Palestinians, and uphold both international law and UN credibility; - Take decisive action, including employing all available lawful countermeasures to uphold accountability in order to halt further annexation and severance of Palestinian territorial integrity and ensure rapid reversal of those measures announced or already implemented. ------------------------- [1] https://undocs.org/en/A/RES/73/165 [9] [2] https://www.eccpalestine.org/un-rights-experts-call-for-global-opposition-t… [10] [3] [11] https://viacampesina.org/en/declaration-of-the-international-conference-on-… [4] [12] http://www.passia.org/maps/view/74 [5] [13] Union of Agricultural Work Committees: "Reality of Area C: A human rights perspective", 2019. [6] [14] Union of Agricultural Work Committees: "Factsheet 1- Current Status of Jordan Valley", 2019. Links: ------ [1] https://viacampesina.org/en/what-are-we-fighting-for/international-solidari… [2] https://viacampesina.org/en/what-are-we-fighting-for/human-rights/ [3] https://viacampesina.org/en/la-via-campesina-condemns-israelis-annexation-p… [4] https://viacampesina.org/en/la-via-campesina-condemns-israelis-annexation-p… [5] https://viacampesina.org/en/la-via-campesina-condemns-israelis-annexation-p… [6] https://viacampesina.org/en/la-via-campesina-condemns-israelis-annexation-p… [7] https://viacampesina.org/en/la-via-campesina-condemns-israelis-annexation-p… [8] https://viacampesina.org/en/la-via-campesina-condemns-israelis-annexation-p… [9] https://undocs.org/en/A/RES/73/165 [10] https://www.eccpalestine.org/un-rights-experts-call-for-global-opposition-t… [11] https://viacampesina.org/en/la-via-campesina-condemns-israelis-annexation-p… [12] https://viacampesina.org/en/la-via-campesina-condemns-israelis-annexation-p… [13] https://viacampesina.org/en/la-via-campesina-condemns-israelis-annexation-p… [14] https://viacampesina.org/en/la-via-campesina-condemns-israelis-annexation-p…

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Nyéléni Newsletter: Land grabs and land justice
by La Via Campesina 18 Jun '20

18 Jun '20

Land is the basis for social life. It is a foundation not only for agricultural production, but also shapes and is shaped by societies' political, economic, and cultural dynamics: power affects land access, and land access grants power. Given land's central role to human society, it is unsurprising that it has also been central to profit accumulation in the expansion of global capitalism. Long distance land grabs - the expropriation, commodification, and privatisation of distant lands - have been a central feature of world history for 500 years. Governments have always sought to control land, but since the enclosures of peasants' land in England and European conquests of indigenous lands starting in 1492, land grabbing has been entwined in the colonial and imperial interests of private capital alongside states. The result: continuing waves of dispossession, genocide, and enslavement of Indigenous, Black, and Brown peoples. So while recent land grabs reflect continuity, contemporary drivers and impacts must also be understood in their current context. This issue of Nyéléni is the first part of two editions (June and September) dedicated to the theme of land. This issue examines the challenges of the current rush for land by financial and corporate actors, from the local to the global. It assesses current opportunities and maps out strategies and solutions to promote change. Land is a site of contention and injustice; it is also an area of struggle, and advancement, for food sovereignty and justice. DOWNLOAD THE NEWSLETTER [1] Links: ------ [1] http://www.nyeleni.org/ccount/click.php?id=146

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La Via Campesina 2019 Annual Report - Now Available
by La Via Campesina 26 May '20

26 May '20

LA VIA CAMPESINA: 2019 ANNUAL REPORT SUMMARY: This annual report [1]highlights the struggles and activities we had and the progress we made in 2019. These happened in the context of a world faced with many complex and interconnected challenges that heightened political crises and triggered mass mobilizations and protests broke out in all corners of the earth. What is clear and common among the protests is that economic inequality, poverty, and climate crisis can no longer be tolerated. In the context of contradictory realities of hope and desperation, the people, both rural and urban, are fed up and disillusioned with the current neoliberal political-economic order. Only a radical societal transformation upheld by food sovereignty can repair the current polarization and bring peasants, workers, and the majority of the poor into the center stage of the political and economic questions facing the world today. We need to build greater unity and solidarity to struggle against exploitation and criminalization in all its forms. One way to do this is to strengthen the existing solidarity mechanism by developing an emergency response system and giving legal support to those imprisoned for defending our rights. UN Declaration on the Rights of the Peasants and other People Working in Rural Areas is one of the legal instruments we will use to strengthen local and national struggles for agrarian reform, agroecology, popular peasant feminism, and food sovereignty. Download PDF Report [1] Publication date: May 2020 Available in Spanish [2] and French [3] Links: ------ [1] https://viacampesina.org/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/05/EN-WEB-Annua… [2] https://viacampesina.org/es/la-via-campesina-informe-anual-2019/ [3] https://viacampesina.org/fr/la-via-campesina-rapport-annuel-2019/

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#17April2020: Highlights of actions worldwide
by La Via Campesina 05 May '20

05 May '20

*|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|* #STAYHOMEBUTNOTSILENT HIGHLIGHTS During the month of April 2020, La Via Campesina and allies carried out creative mobilisations, and amplified the voices of rural communities and small-scale food producers. The solidarity actions reminded the world that peasants and rural workers continued to work in the farms and feed the world, even in times of the pandemic. In a press release, the global peasant movement called upon the people to till, sow and harvest transformative ideas for the future! Read [1] the demands put forth by the movement in this regard >>> [1] COVID-19: La Via Campesina highlight the vulnerability of peasants and workers. Read More [2] Negligence, injustice, and insensitivity - Peasant situation under coronavirus crisis. Read More [3] Statement to the Extraordinary Meeting of G20 Agriculture Ministers Read More [4] For Via Campesina, the Crisis Calls on Our Humanity - #NoToBlockade Read More [5] In an Op-Ed written for Al Jazeera, Via Campesina leaders insist that the solution to food insecurity is food sovereignty. The elaborate that the pandemic has made it clear why we need to stop depending on corporations and big agribusiness for our food. Read the opinion piece here [6]>>> [6] "Urgent support needed for rural poor, migrants, and urban workers", say La Via Campesina South Asia Read More [7] ECVC demands urgent measures for rural workers in the face of escalating COVID-19 difficulties Read More [8] In times of pandemic, Indonesian peasants upholds food sovereignty and solidarity Read More [9] Responding to COVID-19 in Palestine: A report about UAWC's emergency response Read More [10] CLOC- Via Campesina: Returning to the Countryside Read More [11] "Stand with every food system worker" LVC North America Read More [12] Several members of La Via Campesina carried out solidarity actions during the month of April and it is challenging to capture all of that in a single newsletter. Many of these actions are recorded on the websites, facebook pages and Twitter pages of our members. You can also visit the official Facebook page of Via Campesina [13] or the movements Twitter handle [14] to catch a glimpse of the several actions that took place in countries around the world. On the official website of La Via Campesina, the news related to 17 April mobilisations are archived here [15]. In April of 1996, 21 farm workers were murdered; those who survived turned their pain into struggle. Brasil De Fato recounts the massacre at Eldorado do Carajás 24 years ago: "A day not to be forgotten". READ HERE [16] On International Day of Peasants' Struggle La Via Campesina released an ILLUSTRATED VERSION OF THE UN DECLARATION ON THE RIGHTS OF PEASANTS AND OTHER PEOPLE WORKING IN RURAL AREAS (UNDROP). Through compelling visuals that were carefully crafted by Sophie Holin, this book aims to popularise the contents of the UN Declaration and spread awareness about it among rural communities. The book, originally produced in English, Spanish and French, will also be available as an open-source document for social movements to adapt and translate into local languages. ENGLISH WEB VERSION HERE [17] PRINT-READY FILES HERE [18] [19] In this video we explain how COVID-19 is impacting peasants and food producers around the world. The video is also available in several languages on our vimeo channel [20]. [21] Several more videos are available on our official Facebook Page. [21] Find Out More [15] [22] [23] [24] [25] To unsubscribe from the distribution list click here [26] For questions or comments, email LVCWEB(a)VIACAMPESINA.ORG WEBSITE: www.viacampesina.org [27] TV: www.tv.viacampesina.org [28] To subscribe to this newsletter - Click Here [26] Links: ------ [1] https://viacampesina.org/en/till-sow-and-harvest-transformative-ideas-for-t… [2] https://viacampesina.org/en/covid-19-several-members-of-la-via-campesina-hi… [3] https://viacampesina.org/en/negligence-injustice-and-insensitivity-peasant-… [4] https://viacampesina.org/en/statement-to-the-extraordinary-meeting-of-g20-a… [5] https://viacampesina.org/en/for-via-campesina-the-crisis-calls-on-our-human… [6] https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/solution-food-insecurity-food-sov… [7] https://southasiaviacampesina.org/2020/04/05/covid-19-urgent-support-needed… [8] https://www.eurovia.org/ecvc-demands-urgent-measures-for-rural-workers-in-t… [9] https://viacampesina.org/en/in-times-of-pandemic-indonesian-peasants-uphold… [10] https://viacampesina.org/en/responding-to-covid-19-in-palestine-a-report-ab… [11] https://viacampesina.org/en/cloc-via-campesina-returning-to-the-countryside/ [12] https://viacampesina.org/en/this-may-day-stand-with-every-food-system-worke… [13] https://www.facebook.com/viacampesinaOFFICIAL/ [14] https://twitter.com/via_campesina [15] https://viacampesina.org/en/tag/covid-19/ [16] https://www.brasildefato.com.br/2020/04/17/massacre-at-eldorado-do-carajas-… [17] https://viacampesina.org/undrop-book-of-illustrations-l-en-l-web/ [18] https://cloud.viacampesina.org/s/64iGyRj9QcMWFGc [19] https://vimeo.com/405111857 [20] https://vimeo.com/viacampesina [21] https://www.facebook.com/pg/viacampesinaOFFICIAL/videos/ [22] http://www.facebook.comhttps://www.facebook.com/pg/viacampesinaOFFICIAL/ [23] http://www.twitter.com/via_campesina [24] http://www.instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/la_via_campesina_official/.co… [25] http://viacampesina.org/en [26] https://mail.viacampesina.org/lists/listinfo/Via-info-en [27] http://www.viacampesina.org [28] http://www.tv.viacampesina.org

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(LINK CORRECTED) Peasants Rights Explained: An illustrated version of the UN Declaration (UNDROP)!
by La Via Campesina 17 Apr '20

17 Apr '20

*|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|* _New Arrival!_ - BOOK OF ILLUSTRATIONS - UN DECLARATION ON RIGHTS OF PEASANTS AND OTHER PEOPLE WORKING IN RURAL AREAS Today, 17 April 2020, millions of food producers around the world - among them peasants, small and medium-scale farmers, indigenous people, migrant workers, farm labourers, pastoralists, fisherfolk - are commemorating the INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEASANTS' STRUGGLE. #LaViaCampesina [1] is marking this day by releasing an illustrated version of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas (UNDROP). READ THE INTRODUCTION "THIS LAND, THIS WATER, THIS FOREST – THIS IS US!" [2] We dedicate this work to more than a billion people living in rural areas, who exist and resist the assault of global capital. It remembers the martyrs who lost their lives and livelihood in the struggle to protect their land, the seeds, water, and forests. It defends the rights of peasant women and people of diverse identities in every corner of this world. DOWNLOAD THE ENGLISH WEB VERSION HERE [3] _(an earlier version of this email was linked to a wrong file! Sorry for the inconvenience!)_ DOWNLOAD PRINT-READY FILES HERE [4] #StayHomeButNotSilent [5] #PeasantsRightsNow [6] THE BOOK OF ILLUSTRATION THAT WE PRESENT HERE EXPLORES THE SEVERAL ASPECTS OF THIS UN DECLARATION. Through compelling visuals that were carefully crafted by Sophie Holin, a young activist and supporter of La Via Campesina, this book aims to popularise the contents of the UN Declaration and spread awareness about it among rural communities. The book, originally produced in English, Spanish and French, will also be available as an open-source document for social movements to adapt and translate into local languages. Find Out More [2] [7] [8] [9] [10] To unsubscribe from the distribution list click here [11] For questions or comments, email LVCWEB(a)VIACAMPESINA.ORG WEBSITE: www.viacampesina.org [12] TV: www.tv.viacampesina.org [13] To subscribe to this newsletter - Click Here [11] Links: ------ [1] https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/laviacampesina?source=feed_text&epa=HA… [2] https://viacampesina.org/en/peasants-rights-explained-an-illustrated-versio… [3] https://viacampesina.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/UNDROP-Book-of-Illustra… [4] https://cloud.viacampesina.org/s/64iGyRj9QcMWFGc [5] https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/stayhomebutnotsilent?source=feed_text&… [6] https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/peasantsrightsnow?source=feed_text&epa… [7] http://www.facebook.com/ViaCampesinaOfficial [8] http://www.twitter.com/via_campesina [9] http://www.instagram.com/la_via_campesina_official [10] http://viacampesina.org/en [11] https://mail.viacampesina.org/lists/listinfo/Via-info-en [12] http://www.viacampesina.org [13] http://www.tv.viacampesina.org

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Peasants Rights Explained: An illustrated version of the UN Declaration (UNDROP)!
by La Via Campesina 17 Apr '20

17 Apr '20

*|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|* _New Arrival!_ - BOOK OF ILLUSTRATIONS - UN DECLARATION ON RIGHTS OF PEASANTS AND OTHER PEOPLE WORKING IN RURAL AREAS Today, 17 April 2020, millions of food producers around the world - among them peasants, small and medium-scale farmers, indigenous people, migrant workers, farm labourers, pastoralists, fisherfolk - are commemorating the INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEASANTS' STRUGGLE. #LaViaCampesina [1] is marking this day by releasing an illustrated version of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas (UNDROP). READ THE INTRODUCTION "THIS LAND, THIS WATER, THIS FOREST – THIS IS US!" [2] We dedicate this work to more than a billion people living in rural areas, who exist and resist the assault of global capital. It remembers the martyrs who lost their lives and livelihood in the struggle to protect their land, the seeds, water, and forests. It defends the rights of peasant women and people of diverse identities in every corner of this world. DOWNLOAD THE ENGLISH WEB VERSION HERE [3] DOWNLOAD PRINT-READY FILES HERE [4] #StayHomeButNotSilent [5] #PeasantsRightsNow [6] THE BOOK OF ILLUSTRATION THAT WE PRESENT HERE EXPLORES THE SEVERAL ASPECTS OF THIS UN DECLARATION. Through compelling visuals that were carefully crafted by Sophie Holin, a young activist and supporter of La Via Campesina, this book aims to popularise the contents of the UN Declaration and spread awareness about it among rural communities. The book, originally produced in English, Spanish and French, will also be available as an open-source document for social movements to adapt and translate into local languages. Find Out More [2] [7] [8] [9] [10] To unsubscribe from the distribution list click here [11] For questions or comments, email LVCWEB(a)VIACAMPESINA.ORG WEBSITE: www.viacampesina.org [12] TV: www.tv.viacampesina.org [13] To subscribe to this newsletter - Click Here [11] Links: ------ [1] https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/laviacampesina?source=feed_text&epa=HA… [2] https://viacampesina.org/en/peasants-rights-explained-an-illustrated-versio… [3] https://viacampesina.org/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/03/virus-hit-mi… [4] https://cloud.viacampesina.org/s/64iGyRj9QcMWFGc [5] https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/stayhomebutnotsilent?source=feed_text&… [6] https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/peasantsrightsnow?source=feed_text&epa… [7] http://www.facebook.com/ViaCampesinaOfficial [8] http://www.twitter.com/via_campesina [9] http://www.instagram.com/la_via_campesina_official [10] http://viacampesina.org/en [11] https://mail.viacampesina.org/lists/listinfo/Via-info-en [12] http://www.viacampesina.org [13] http://www.tv.viacampesina.org

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Till, sow and harvest transformative ideas for the future! #17April
by La Via Campesina 15 Apr '20

15 Apr '20

TILL, SOW AND HARVEST TRANSFORMATIVE IDEAS FOR THE FUTURE! _NOW IS THE MOMENT TO DEMAND FOOD SOVEREIGNTY_ – #17APRIL LVC PRESS RELEASE | 15 APRIL 2020 (Harare) On 17 April 2020 - the International Day of Peasants' Struggle - La Via Campesina will keep alive the memory of #ELDORADODOSCARAJÁS in Brazil and our continued fight against Corporate and State impunity. The COVID-19 crisis shows us that now is the moment to demand structural reforms of the agri-food systems at a global level. States must ensure their populations' access to healthy, culturally appropriate food and prevent shortages. They must act now to end all forms of commodity speculation practised by transnational agribusiness monopolies. In this fight against hunger, there is an urgent need to invest in peasant agriculture and support local peasant markets, while complying with the necessary health measures. Now is the time to uphold the food sovereignty of our communities and to guarantee the rights of peasants and other people working in rural areas. It is now essential to promote Public Policies that benefit the majority of the population, that prioritise care for the most vulnerable sectors, such as rural workers, women, migrants and the working class of the cities. While calling to mobilise around 17 April 2020, La Via Campesina has urged its members and allies to stay home but not silent and denounce the multiple killings, evictions and economic blockades. It has asked its communities to highlight and expose the continued criminalisation of peasant struggles, and highlight the precarious conditions of rural economies. It is essential to call out the States' negligence and its fascist, patriarchal and military practices against its people - that has worsened in times of the pandemic. This crisis shows us once again; the need to enact a profound change in the capitalist system. It is a system that is untenable and incompatible with nature and life. It is time to introduce structural transformations in the agri-food systems, and not just push for more aid programs. In many countries, hunger will rise. The quarantine and the historical neglect of peasant agriculture can have serious consequences that can aggravate the problem of hunger worldwide. Our task as La Via Campesina is to feed the people, and we want to continue doing so. We understand that the production of healthy food cannot cease and that it is the first line of defence against COVID-19. However, this requires providing safe and dignified living conditions for peasants, during and after the crisis. As La Via Campesina on this #17Abril2020 - International Day of Peasant Struggle - we commit ourselves to continue working collectively in every corner of the world, upholding solidarity and internationalism. Today, we call upon society to think of transformative and progressive ideas. We urge you to till - in search of answers to address this emergency; to sow - alliances and solidarity; and to harvest - in times of economic recession, our collective rights as peasants and workers. The resistance continues! TILL, IN SEARCH OF ANSWERS! We need to learn from our history. It is essential to work in collectives as has been the practice for several thousand years. Civil society, organised people and States must work together in favour of the vast majorities for justice and dignity: PUBLIC POLICIES - it is crucial to understand the far-reaching impact of public policies in people's lives. It is essential to defend education, health and the right to better living conditions for the working class in urban and rural areas. We have the task of recovering privatised public services. The governments that dismantled the public systems are now facing the consequences of their grave mistakes. FOOD SOVEREIGNTY is vital to feed the population healthily and sustainably. Local Peasant Markets and Local Fairs must open again urgently to supply cities and prevent hunger. During this crisis, States must ensure the public procurement of food produced by small-scale farmers. We must adopt principles of agroecology and feed our communities nutritious, healthy food to improve our immunity, something that supermarkets and fast food chains cannot do. States must guarantee and invest in QUALITY PUBLIC HEALTH CARE. In the context of the COVID19 crisis, it is urgent to ensure access to free testing and full treatment, in urban and rural areas, free of discrimination, with a firm commitment in defence of life. We denounce all attempts to take advantage of this crisis to privatise services or to generate a profit. We condemn abusive practices of private and transnational companies, mass layoffs, agricultural workers subjected to slave labour, with extended hours and no security, direct fumigation, and wage reductions of up to 60%. Governments must step in to GUARANTEE PUBLIC POLICIES IN FAVOUR OF WORKERS, and defend the interests of the vast majority. It is essential to act quickly, decisively and in a coordinated manner. Taking correct and urgent measures could make the difference between survival and collapse. HUMAN RIGHTS / PEASANT RIGHTS - in this climate of war, militarisation and death, even under lock-down, we must stand in defence of Human Rights, Peace and the lives of the men and women who protect their territories. Stop violence, death and impunity in Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador, Honduras, Palestine, the Philippines and the world! It is essential to guarantee PEASANT RIGHTS [1], as stated in the UN Declaration adopted in 2018. We need to ensure access to land, seeds and all the conditions required to feed the populations safely. In this sense, improving the infrastructure of the countryside increases the availability of food. In this crisis, we need to increase the cultivated areas and increase productivity through Popular Agrarian Reform and Peasant Agriculture in harmony with nature, providing healthy food to the populations and cooling the planet. SOW, ALLIANCES AND SOLIDARITY! This crisis is also an opportunity to spread seeds of change. We must prepare the land for a different model of society and of agri-food systems. This task demands the creation of alliances that may blossom. Solidarity and internationalism must be the driving values of this re-construction of our societies: RURAL/URBAN ALLIANCE - We must promote robust alliances that connect the rights of the working class in the countryside and the cities, and join forces against the worsening of the quality of life, the loss of rights, mass layoffs and evictions. Producers/ Consumers - We must resist speculation and commodification of agriculture. Instead, we must promote our local networks for trade, by strengthening local peasant markets and innovating in other systems based on fair trade, barter or other solidarity forms of exchange. VULNERABLE SECTORS - With the firm commitment in defence of life and respecting diversity, Uphold the rights of the most vulnerable populations and impoverished sectors, LGBTIQ groups, disabled people, the elderly, women and terminally ill patients. AGAINST BLOCKADES AND INTERFERENCE: We must show solidarity to countries such as Cuba, Venezuela, Palestine and Iran, and denounce the brutal economic blockade and military interference of the imperialistic US, which endangers the lives of large populations for lack of medical supplies. The rejection of a loan request from Venezuela signals how IMF fails rural people and workers. However, Cuba sets an example for the world of tangible solidarity by sending "Medical Brigades" to hundreds of countries, offering their services and experience without any discrimination #CubaSavesLives. HARVEST, OUR COLLECTIVE RIGHTS AS PEASANTS AND WORKERS! Amid an economic downturn, like the one we will face after COVID-19, it is urgent to harvest good fruits for the working class, peasants and the vast majority: the time is now! We demand of the States: * to tax the wealthy corporations and elites and bring an end to tax evasion and money laundering by cracking down on tax havens * Non-payment of foreign debts and reinvestment in public policies for Health, Education, Labor and the rural, as a priority. * Reject the neoliberal recipe of the IMF and World Bank that has dominated the world for the last 50 years. The IMF has actively enabled the depletion of natural resources in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, as well as in the demolition of democratic institutions in country after country. * Demand non-exclusive rights and equal access to medication to fight against COVID-19. * Declare a universal basic income as the right of all citizens, which should at least cover vital needs, providing real support for millions of unemployed families, part of the informal workforce, working in precarious conditions or on their own. The time is now, to farm, sow and harvest! #PeasantRightsNOW #StayHomeButNotSilent GLOBALISE THE STRUGGLE, GLOBALISE HOPE Links: ------ [1] https://viacampesina.org/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/06/UN-Delcarati…

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