La Via Campesina, the international peasant movement that brings
together 200 million members in hundreds of social movements throughout
Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas denounces to the entire world the
BARINAS MASSACRE which took place 27 July 2019. In it, six militants of
our movement in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, including a
pregnant comrade, were vilely assassinated by mercenaries suspectedly
linked to right-wing landholders. The hybrid war being waged against the
Bolivarian Revolution must end immediately, respecting the right of the
Venezuelan people to live in peace.
We add our voice to that of the Frente Nacional Campesino Ezequiel
Zamora (FNCEZ), its Corriente Revolucionaria Bolívar y Zamora (CRBZ) and
Brigadas de Defensa Popular Hugo Chávez (BDP), insisting on a rapid and
effective investigation that clarrifies the facts and holds both the
material and intelectual culprits responsible for their heinous crime.
In these moments of grief and resistance, we express our full solidarity
with the great people of Venezuela and their popular organizations in
struggle.
José Geraldo Rojas, Manuel J. Cordero Benítez, Alexi Ontiveros Mora,
Eudes Rojas Peña, Kebin Navas Rodríguez, Milaidis Navas González
¡PRESENT!
"Honor and glory to our fallen brothers and sister. They will be forever
present in our hearts and minds, in every battle and process of
struggle!" - CRBZ
¡Globalize struggle, globalize hope!
LA VIA CAMPESINA
HTTPS://VIACAMPESINA.ORG/EN/THE-BARINAS-MASSACRE-LA-VIA-CAMPESINA-STANDS-IN…
*|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|*
La Via Campesina | e-newsletter | June-July 2019
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]
UN DECADE OF FAMILY FARMING; PEASANTS VOICE THEIR HOPES AND CONCERNS
The Decade was officially launched at FAO headquarters in Rome on 29th
May 2019 and was preceded by sessions to exchange and discuss the
priorities to implement the global action plan, with the participation
of key stakeholders, including the International Planning Committee for
Food Sovereignty and La Via Campesina.
La Via Campesina, with a strong delegation of representatives from
several regions around the world, different agricultural activities and
battlefields for agroecology and food sovereignty, had an active
participation in the dialogues and shared its expectations, hopes and
concerns with regards to the Decade. Will this Decade simply be another
declaration of intent, adding to other ineffective instruments? How is
family farming defined? What is the role to be played by governments?
And where is the place for peasant agroecology?
The answers to these questions will be determining for the success of
the Decade.
Read More [3]
FEATURED ARTICLES
PEASANT'S RIGHTS DECLARATION ENRICHES THE HUMAN RIGHTS SYSTEM
On 28 September 2018, the Human Rights Council adopted the declaration,
which was voted in by a comfortable margin, and which represented,
without a doubt, an important step forward on the part of the human
rights system from a pluricultural and humanist perspective. Read more →
[4]
SOUTH ASIAN PEASANT MOVEMENTS MEET IN KATHMANDU, NEPAL
Members of La Via Campesina from Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan,
and India took part in the 3-day long meeting making a collective
commitment to unify the struggles in the region to realize food
sovereignty and to also strengthen the solidarity across the region.
Read more → [5]
DECLARATIONS FROM THE VII CONGRESS OF THE CLOC LVC
In Havana, Cuba, 300 men and women delegates of peasant, indigenous,
afro-descendant, landless, artisan fishers, native peoples and rural men
and women workers, the youth and women from 30 countries in
representation of all of the regions of America, as well as delegates
from Via Campesina International, Africa, Asia, Europe and North
America, and over 50 international guests all met to hold the VII
Continental Congress of the CLOC Via Campesina.
Political Declaration of the VII Congress [6]
V Youth Assembly of the CLOC-LVC: Declaration [7]
VI Women Assembly of the CLOC-LVC: Declaration [8]
FORCEFUL MASS DISPLACEMENT AS A RESULT OF HOUSE DEMOLITIONS IN OCCUPIED
EAST JERUSALEM
The Israeli occupying authorities are accelerating illegal policies and
practices to forcibly transfer Palestinians out of Jerusalem.
Read more → [9]
PROTESTS IN EL PASO AGAINST BORDER PATROL FACILITIES, TREATMENT OF
MIGRANTS
"It's critical now," she said. "Children are being held in cages now.
Mothers are without their babies. Families are without their children.",
says Rosemary Rojas, president of the board of directors for the Border
Agricultural Workers Project (BAWP)
Read more → [10]
THE AGRARIAN ISSUE AND CURRENT CHALLENGES
Throughout history, the progressive transformation of agricultural
production has at its basis the struggle for land. This struggle aims to
introduce a radical change in the productive structure; as a
consequence, the agrarian issue is significant for the coexistence of
humanity and it was dealt with by the leaders of social struggle.
Read more → [11]
KOREAN FORUM OF RIGHTS OF PEASANTS
On May 24, KPL News and Nyeoreum Research Institute of Agriculture &
Peasant Policy, with the support of peasants movement in Korea including
Korean Peasant League (KPL), Korean Women Peasants Association (KWPA),
launched Forum of Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural
Areas in Korea.
Read more → [12]
La Via Campesina Southern and Eastern Africa Youth Articulation
Statement
We, La Via Campesina Southern and Eastern Africa youth articulation
delegates from eight organizations (ESAFF Uganda, ZIMSOFF, Kenyan
Peasant League, COPACO, Landless People Movement, Agrarian Campaign for
Food Sovereignty, União Nacional de Camponeses [UNAC], MVIWATA) gathered
at Mutuko, Zimbabwe for the Youth training, are concerned about the
current precarious state of the youth in our region and the African
continent.
Read more → [13]
2019 WILL BE A DECISIVE YEAR FOR THE BINDING TREATY ON TRANSNATIONAL
CORPORATIONS AND HUMAN RIGHTS, SAY CAMPAIGNERS
The Global Campaign to Reclaim Peoples Sovereignty, Dismantle Corporate
Power and Stop Impunity (Global Campaign) has issued a call to mobilise
in protest against corporate power on October 12 across the planet and
to pressure governments to advance the Binding Treaty.
Read more → [14]
Mercosur: hypocrisy of the European Union
In the midst of a climate crisis, how can EU sign an agreement that
promotes a model of industrialization of agriculture instead of the
localised agricultural systems which completely flies in the face of the
objectives of the Paris agreement on climate change?, ECVC asks.
Read more → [15]
FEATURED PUBLICATION
LA VIA CAMPESINA: 2018 ANNUAL REPORT
The 2018 Annual Report highlights the selected activities and the
advances made during the year towards strengthening the international
movement.
Download here [16]
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]. [17]
[18]
Twitter [18]
[19]
Facebook [19]
[20]
Vimeo [20]
To unsubscribe from the distribution list click here [2]
For questions or comments, email LVCWEB(a)VIACAMPESINA.ORG
WEBSITE: www.viacampesina.org [21]
TV: www.tv.viacampesina.org [22]
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://viacampesina.org/en/un-decade-of-family-farming-peasants-voice-thei…
[4]
https://viacampesina.org/en/opinion-adoption-of-the-peasants-rights-declara…
[5]
https://viacampesina.org/en/south-asian-peasant-movements-meet-in-kathmandu…
[6]
https://viacampesina.org/en/political-declaration-of-the-vii-congress-of-th…
[7]
https://viacampesina.org/en/v-youth-assembly-of-the-cloc-lvc-declaration/
[8]
https://viacampesina.org/en/vi-women-assembly-of-the-cloc-lvc-declaration/
[9]
https://viacampesina.org/en/forceful-mass-displacement-as-a-result-of-house…
[10]
https://viacampesina.org/en/artists-agricultural-workers-gather-in-el-paso-…
[11]
https://viacampesina.org/en/opinion-the-agrarian-issue-and-current-challeng…
[12]
https://viacampesina.org/en/launch-of-korean-forum-of-rights-of-peasants-an…
[13]
https://viacampesina.org/en/la-via-campesina-southern-and-eastern-africa-yo…
[14]
https://viacampesina.org/en/2019-will-be-a-decisive-year-for-the-binding-tr…
[15]
https://viacampesina.org/en/mercosur-when-the-hypocrisy-of-the-eu-seeks-to-…
[16] https://viacampesina.org/en/la-via-campesina-2018-annual-report/
[17] https://viacampesina.org/en/donations/
[18] http://www.twitter.com/via_campesina
[19] https://www.facebook.com/viacampesinaOFFICIAL/
[20] https://vimeo.com/viacampesina
[21] http://www.viacampesina.org
[22] http://www.tv.viacampesina.org
Political Declaration of the VII Congress of the CLOC LVC
In Havana, Cuba, on the 60th anniversary of signing of the Agrarian
Reform Law, 27 years after the foundation of the CLOC and 25 years after
its first Continental congress, 300 men and women delegates of peasant,
indigenous, afrodescendant, landless, artisan fishers, native peoples
and rural men and women workers, the youth and women from 30 countries
in representation of all of the regions of America, as well as delegates
from Via Campesina International, Africa, Asia, Europe and North
America, and over 50 international guests all met to hold the VII
Continental Congress of the CLOC Via Campesina.
Read the full text of the Declaration [1]
VI Women Assembly of the CLOC-LVC: Declaration
Ten years after the historical day when, in the Niceto Perez School of
the ANAP, CLOC-Vía Campesina declared that peasant men and women in
Latin America pave the way for socialism, women stood up and shouted
with all our strength that WITHOUT FEMINISM THERE IS NO SOCIALISM.
The VI Peasant Women Assembly was part of the VII Congress of the Latin
America Coordination of Peasant Organizations, CLOC-Via Campesina, which
took place in the municipality of Güira de Melena, province of Artemisa,
Cuba. It gathered together women delegates of our organizations in 21
countries, inspired by the historical breakthroughs of Cuban women and
the revolutionary spirit of Vilma Espin, Celia Sanchez and their people.
We met to continue walking down our historical path, the one that has
kept alive the resistance of women from the countryside in the face of
the patriarchal and capitalist system.
Read the full text of the Declaration [2]
V Youth Assembly of the CLOC-LVC: Declaration
On June 25th 2019 more than 100 men and women youth delegates from 19
countries in Latin America and the Caribbean met in Cuba for the V Youth
Assembly of the CLOC-LVC, under the motto "youth of the countryside,
youth of the city, let's struggle together for our ideals".
Read the full text of the Declaration [3]
Links:
------
[1]
https://viacampesina.org/en/political-declaration-of-the-vii-congress-of-th…
[2]
https://viacampesina.org/en/vi-women-assembly-of-the-cloc-lvc-declaration/
[3]
https://viacampesina.org/en/v-youth-assembly-of-the-cloc-lvc-declaration/
*|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|*
La Via Campesina | e-newsletter | May 2019
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]
OPINION: THE AGRARIAN ISSUE AND CURRENT CHALLENGES
Throughout history, the progressive transformation of agricultural
production has at its basis the struggle for land. This struggle aims to
introduce a radical change in the productive structure; as a
consequence, the agrarian issue is significant for the coexistence of
humanity and it was dealt with by the leaders of social struggle....
Read more → [3]
FEATURED ARTICLES
SOCIAL MOVEMENTS AND CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATIONS SEND AN OPEN LETTER TO
ECUADOR ON THE CHEVRON CASE
The Chevron case [4] in the Ecuadorian Amazon is paradigmatic in the
struggle against corporate impunity. It's also linked to the struggle
against ISDS, and for the UN Binding Treaty on Transnational
Corporations and Human Rights. Read more → [5]
SOUTH EAST AND EAST ASIA PEASANT ORGANISATIONS MEET IN SAKURA, JAPAN
Ten peasant organizations who are members of La Via Campesina and one
observer organization shared their struggles and activities to achieve
food sovereignty during the six day-long meeting in Sakura. ... Read
more → [6]
HUMAN RIGHTS AND PEASANTS' RIGHTS MUST PREVAIL IN THE NEW COMMON
AGRICULTURAL POLICY: ECVC
Faced with the EU Bio-economy Strategy and the EU Presidency's proposals
on CAP reform that underpin the vested interests of the agroindustry,
ECVC and ECO RURALIS, in Bucharest, reject these proposals and demand
that human rights and peasants' rights prevail in the new CAP, employing
the Decade for Family Farming. ... Read more → [7]
WOMEN'S STRUGGLES FOR A PEASANT AND PEOPLE'S FEMINISM
_Towards the VII CLOC - LVC Congress (25 to 30 June, Havana - Cuba) _
The evolution of rural women's political participation in politics in
Latin America is intimately linked with the rebellions expressed in the
popular uprising of indigenous people and peasants and the united front
that was built to confront the attempts to celebrate [in 1992] the 500
years, under the colonizers and their allied or submissive governments,
since the "discovery" and the rape and pillage of our America. ... Read
more → [8]
KARUTURI GLOBAL'S NEW LAND DEAL IN ETHIOPIA MUST BE SCRAPPED
Two years ago, indigenous communities in Gambella, Ethiopia, celebrated
the departure of the Indian company Karuturi Global, after its contract
for a 300,000 hectares agribusiness project was finally cancelled. But a
diplomatic intervention by the Indian government and lawsuits filed by
the company appear to have pushed Ethiopian authorities to backtrack and
offer a new lease, this time for 15,000 hectares. |... Read more [9]
ECVC JOINTLY WITH 340+ ORGANISATIONS CALL ON THE EU TO IMMEDIATELY HALT
TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH BRAZIL
June 18, 2019: In an open letter published today, ECVC jointly with 340
civil society organisations are demanding that the European Union
immediately halt free trade agreement negotiations with the Mercosur
bloc (Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay) on the grounds of
deteriorating human rights and environmental conditions in Brazil. ...
Read more → [10]
PEASANTS' VIEW OF THE UNITED NATIONS DECADE OF FAMILY FARMING
Humanity, for thousands of years, has been able to adapt and domesticate
seeds, which gave rise to the art of being a farmer. Entire villages
have specialised in this art to feed their people, and with time, have
expanded their seeds and the knowledge necessary to make them more
productive. ... Read more → [11]
LVC SOUTHERN AND EASTERN AFRICA REGION CALLS FOR A BINDING TREATY ON THE
RESPONSIBILITIES OF TNCS
La Via Campesina Southern and Eastern Africa (LVC SEAf) along with other
members of the Southern Africa Campaign to Dismantle Corporate Power,
gathered in Johannesburg for a meeting of its reference group, urgently
call for popular and public support to the United Nations Binding Treaty
on the Responsibilities of Transnational Corporations (TNCs) for the
Human Rights violations. ... Read more → [12]
FARMERS' RIGHT TO SEED IS A MATTER OF PRINCIPLE: NFU CANADA
Last December the United Nations adopted the _Declaration on the Rights
of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas_. This declaration
was brought forward by La Via Campesina (LVC) - a global movement which
brings together organizations representing small- and medium-scale
farmers, peasants, agricultural workers, rural women and indigenous
communities. ... Read more → [13]
ECVC AND ECO RURALIS ARE ORGANISING A SERIES OF EVENTS ON RIGHTS OF
PEASANTS THIS JUNE. HERE IS A LIST.
The European Coordination Via Campesina (ECVC), together with Eco
Ruralis - the Romanian peasants association, together with partners, is
proud to announce the organization of several international events, in
Bucharest, Romania, between 1-3 June 2019. ... Read more → [14]
PEASANTS AND FARM WORKERS IN EUROPE CALL IT TIME TO DISMANTLE
HETEROPATRIARCHY
"Often our agendas of demands and struggles target the outside world,
thanks to which, we achieve important reforms and victories for society.
But many times we also forget to look inwards: inside of our
organisations and within individuals. ... Read more → [15]
THE LATIN AMERICAN COORDINATION OF RURAL ORGANIZATIONS (CLOC) AT 25
YEARS
In February 1994, in Lima (Perú), under the slogan "United in Defense of
Life, Land, Work and Production" the Latin American Coordination of
Rural Organizations (CLOC) was officially established. Eighty-four (84)
organizations from 18 countries across Latin America and the Caribbean
came together for this historic moment. ... Read more → [16]
FEATURED VIDEOS
[17]
A video, shot on 17 May 2019 and published on 22 May by the human
rights NGO B'Tselem, shows Israeli settlers burning agricultural land
belonging to Palestinian families in the village of Burin. It shows
Israeli soldiers participating in the aggression, protecting settlers
and preventing Palestinian peasants from intervening and extinguishing
the fire. Watch video [17]
YOU ARE AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE AUTONOMY OF OUR MOVEMENT
-------------------------
As a supporter who has contributed financial resources to La Via
Campesina, and as an activist who joins us on the streets and in the
fields, your support is always welcome and put to good use.
You can renew your contribution to La Via Campesina by clicking here
[1]. [18]
[19]
Twitter [19]
[20]
Facebook [20]
[21]
Vimeo [21]
To unsubscribe from the distribution list click here [2]
For questions or comments, email LVCWEB(a)VIACAMPESINA.ORG
WEBSITE: www.viacampesina.org [22]
TV: www.tv.viacampesina.org [23]
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://viacampesina.org/en/opinion-the-agrarian-issue-and-current-challeng…
[4] https://www.stopcorporateimpunity.org/chevron-impunity-in-ecuador/
[5]
https://viacampesina.org/en/social-movements-and-civil-society-organisation…
[6]
https://viacampesina.org/en/south-east-and-east-asia-peasant-organisations-…
[7]
https://viacampesina.org/en/human-rights-and-peasants-rights-must-prevail-i…
[8]
https://viacampesina.org/en/womens-struggles-for-a-peasant-and-peoples-femi…
[9]
https://viacampesina.org/en/karuturi-globals-new-land-deal-in-ethiopia-must…
[10]
https://viacampesina.org/en/ecvc-jointly-with-340-organisations-call-on-the…
[11]
https://viacampesina.org/en/peasants-view-of-the-united-nations-decade-of-f…
[12]
https://viacampesina.org/en/lvc-southern-and-eastern-africa-region-calls-fo…
[13]
https://viacampesina.org/en/farmers-right-to-seed-is-a-matter-of-principle-…
[14]
https://viacampesina.org/en/ecvc-and-eco-ruralis-are-organising-a-series-of…
[15]
https://viacampesina.org/en/peasants-and-farm-workers-in-europe-call-it-tim…
[16] https://viacampesina.org/en/the-cloc-at-25-years/
[17] https://youtu.be/kAgYyaHvNuc
[18] https://viacampesina.org/en/donations/
[19] http://www.twitter.com/via_campesina
[20] https://www.facebook.com/viacampesinaOFFICIAL/
[21] https://vimeo.com/viacampesina
[22] http://www.viacampesina.org
[23] http://www.tv.viacampesina.org
Social movements and Civil Society Organisations send an open letter to
Ecuador on the Chevron case
The Chevron case [1] in the Ecuadorian Amazon is paradigmatic in the
struggle against corporate impunity. It's also linked to the struggle
against ISDS, and for the UN Binding Treaty on Transnational
Corporations and Human Rights. The Global Campaign to Reclaim Peoples
Sovereignty, Dismantle Corporate Power and Stop Impunity [2], allied
with members of the European Campaign "Rights for People, Rules for
corporations - Stop ISDS" [3], as well as other allies at the
international level, in coordination with the Union of those affected by
Chevron - Texaco in Ecuador (UDAPT) [4], carried out several actions
worldwide.
On 21st May #AntiChevron Global Day of Action more than 280
organisations, networks, Unions and movements worldwide, in
representation of more than 280 millions of people, addressed this
letter to the Ecuadorian Government on the Chevron case.
-------------
LETTER TO ECUADOR ON THE CHEVRON CASE [5]
Mr. Lenín Boltaire Moreno Garcés
President of the Republic of Ecuador
_21 May 2019_
Regarding the Chevron-Texaco Case in Ecuador
MR. PRESIDENT,
We who belong to many international civil society social organizations
and networks who are committed to human rights and social, economic and
environmental justice are writing to you because we are deeply concerned
about the Chevron-Texaco case in the Ecuadorian Amazon region.
The case is irrefutable proof of the way the system whose purpose is to
ensure the impunity of transnational companies all over the world works.
After 25 years of trials, and although a judgement requiring Chevron
(formerly known as Texaco) to pay US$9,500 million to repair
environmental damage, has been ratified at every level of the Ecuadorian
judicial system, it has never been enforced [6]. To avoid complying with
it, Chevron withdrew all of its assets from Ecuador. Because they did
that, the men and women affected by the environmental disaster had to
have recourse in foreign courts (in Argentina, Brazil and Canada) to
have the judgement recognised and enforced, but so far, they have had no
success. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of those affected continue
suffering serious health effects. The cancer rate in the contaminated
area reaches up to 8-10 times the national average. Chevron left 880
pits full of crude oil which are still there, the rivers are still full
of hydrocarbon sediment and polluted by the crude oil spills in
Amazonia, which is one of the most biodiversity rich regions in the
world. The damage has been left unrepaired for more than 40 years.
Corporate crime goes on.
Even worse, in 2009 Chevron sued the Ecuadorian state at the
International Court in The Hague using the Investor State Dispute
Settlement Mechanism (ISDS). The oil company also sought economic
compensation and asked that the arbitration panel interfere in the
Ecuadorian justice system itself. In August 2018, the arbitration panel
ruled in favour of Chevron and sentenced Ecuador to pay a still unknown
sum to the transnational company. Moreover, it ordered the Ecuadorian
government to prevent the judgement of the Ecuadorian courts from being
enforced. These provisions are unconstitutional and inapplicable in
Ecuador. If the government were to execute the arbitration ruling, it
would be violating its own constitution, wiping out the rights of the
30,000 people affected by Chevron and openly favouring that company's
interests. This decision would therefore establish a dangerous precedent
at the international level which could encourage similar arbitration
tribunals, putting them above domestic law courts and thus undermine the
legal bases of the rule of law.
Mr. President, today your government is heading the process that is
working towards drafting a binding UN treaty on transnational
corporations with respect to human rights [7]which could put an end to
corporate impunity. These negotiations are taking place in the Human
Rights Commission. It is worth pointing out that this treaty is a
response to a demand from millions of people who belong to hundreds of
social and environmental organizations, unions and affected communities
around the world.
Today, popular mobilization against the ISDS is growing [3]. Proof of
this is that recently more than half a million signatures from European
Union citizens were delivered to the Vice President of the European
Commission asking that the European Union reject the ISDS and support
the UN Binding Treaty and other regulations to force transnational
companies to respect human rights.
Mr. President, we remind you that the aforementioned case is not an
exception. Chevron has been denounced for negative social and
environmental impacts in other countries [8], for example, their
fracking projects in Argentina have seriously affected Mapuche
indigenous communities. What is more, oil companies like Chevron bear a
large part of the responsibility for climate change [9] which today has
caused hundreds of thousands of victims, driven thousands from their
homes - climate refugees - and is also thrusting the whole planet into
the worst environmental crisis ever see.
Mr. President, we tell you that we cannot understand the direction that
your government is taking currently with regard to this case. WE REMIND
YOU THAT IT IS THE DUTY OF EVERY STATE TO PROTECT ITS POPULATION'S HUMAN
RIGHTS FROM THE VIOLATIONS OF THIRD PARTIES. WE DEMAND THAT YOU NOT GIVE
IN TO THE PRESSURE FROM THE UNITED STATES OR FROM CHEVRON BUT PUT THE
RIGHTS OF ECUADORIAN MEN AND WOMEN FIRST AS THE CONSTITUTION OF ECUADOR
DEMANDS. We ask you not to intervene in the court case between the
affected communities (who are grouped together as UDAPT - Union of those
Affected by Chevron-Texaco's Oil Operations) and the transnational
company but that, on the contrary you give your support and protection
to the indigenous and rural communities, respecting, protecting and
guaranteeing their rights over the interests of international companies.
SEE HERE THE LETTER AND THE 280 ENDORSEMENTS [5]
Links:
------
[1] https://www.stopcorporateimpunity.org/chevron-impunity-in-ecuador/
[2] https://www.stopcorporateimpunity.org/
[3] https://stopisds.org/
[4] http://texacotoxico.net/
[5]
https://www.stopcorporateimpunity.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Carta_Ecua…
[6] http://texacotoxico.net/en/the-case/
[7] https://www.stopcorporateimpunity.org/binding-treaty-un-process/
[8] https://ejatlas.org/featured/chevronconflicts
[9] http://climateaccountability.org/carbonmajors.html
*|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|*
Via Campesina E-newsletter, April 2019
To Donate to the Peasant Movement, click here [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]
#17APRIL: AROUND THE WORLD
This April, scores of mobilisations and demonstrations around the world
called for an urgent implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights
of Peasants by ushering in agrarian reform.
This article looks at the highlights of these direct actions and
demonstrations that took place during the month. READ MORE [3]
OTHER NEWS FROM APRIL 2019
We, the youth of La Via Campesina, gathered in Thiès, Senegal, from
25-28 April, express our solidarity with the peasant youth of all those
peoples who are being attacked by capitalism, imperial power,
agribusiness and transnationals, and particularly with the youth of
Palestine, Morocco, Sri Lanka, Colombia, Venezuela and Mozambique.
READ THE THIÈS DECLARATION [4]
La Vía Campesina stood in support of the organized sectors of Colombian
society that mobilised on the 25th of April, during a National Peasant,
Indigenous, Afro-descendent, Worker and Popular Strike.
READ OUR PRESS RELEASE [5]
_ALSO READ:_
"The only struggle that is lost is that which is abandoned",
FINAL DECLARATION [6] from the III Solidarity Mission to Colombia
Global Network against Corporate Impunity condemns the arrest of Julian
Assange. The Global Campaign to Reclaim Peoples Sovereignty, Dismantle
Corporate Power and Stop Impunity expresses its deepest concern at the
arrest of Julian Assange on April 11, 2019, at the Embassy of Ecuador in
London and calls on the UK government to demand his freedom and
non-extradition to the United States.
READ THE STATEMENT [7]
DECADE OF FAMILY FARMING: 'PEASANT AGRICULTURE MUST BE THE FOCUS', SAYS
VIA CAMPESINA IN DERIO
READ THE FULL TEXT [8] of the intervention made by Joan Brady, the
International Coordination Committee member of La Via Campesina, during
the closing session of the VI Global Conference on Family Farming, March
2019, Derio.
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]. [9]
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 to our monthly newsletter click here [2]
To unsubscribe from the distribution list click here [2]
For questions or comments, email LVCWEB(a)VIACAMPESINA.ORG
WEBSITE: www.viacampesina.org [10]
TV: www.tv.viacampesina.org [11]
To subscribe to this newsletter - Click Here [2]
Links:
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[1] https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/viacampesina
[2] https://mail.viacampesina.org/lists/listinfo/Via-info-en
[3]
https://viacampesina.org/en/rights-of-peasants-and-agrarian-reform-what-the…
[4]
https://viacampesina.org/en/thies-declaration-in-solidarity-with-young-peas…
[5]
https://viacampesina.org/en/%EF%BB%BFla-via-campesina-supports-the-national…
[6]
https://viacampesina.org/en/the-only-struggle-that-is-lost-is-that-which-is…
[7]
https://viacampesina.org/en/global-network-against-corporate-impunity-conde…
[8]
https://viacampesina.org/en/decade-of-family-farming-peasant-agriculture-mu…
[9] https://viacampesina.org/en/donations/
[10] http://www.viacampesina.org
[11] http://www.tv.viacampesina.org
AGROECOLOGY: REAL INNOVATION FROM AND FOR THE PEOPLE
6 MAY 2019
The crisis in the industrial food system is impossible to ignore. For
over a decade, study after study has validated the assertion of the Food
Sovereignty movement in 2007 - that the corporate food system destroys
life. Now Governments are anxious to find 'innovations' in agriculture
that can overcome this. They are hoping to be saved by a new Green
Revolution(...).
On the other hand Agroecology within the framework of Food Sovereignty
is also gaining widespread recognition and is increasingly being
promoted as an approach to transform agriculture and food systems and
address the challenges we face. The Food Sovereignty movement is
exposing how the discourse on innovation is actually a way to
depoliticise the debate on what a new food system should look like - by
not setting any criteria on what innovation must deliver on. In this way
Agroecology is put together with GMOs, new gene breeding technologies,
'climate-smart agriculture' and 'sustainable intensification'. (...)
In this edition, we look at the elements of Agroecology as defined by
small scale food producers that make it the only real innovation to
transform our food and farming.
_Click here to download the English [1]edition or_ read it directly on
the website at www.nyeleni.org [2] !
Links:
------
[1] http://www.nyeleni.org/ccount/click.php?id=133
[2] http://www.nyeleni.org/
APRIL 17TH, 2019 – "THE DECLARATION ON PEASANTS' RIGHTS SHOULD BECOME A
POLITICAL TOOL FOR AGRARIAN REFORM AND SOCIAL JUSTICE"
17 APRIL 2019 FOOD SOVEREIGNTY [1], GLOBAL CAMPAIGN FOR AGRARIAN
REFORM [2], LAND, WATER AND TERRITORIES [3], PEASANTS' RIGHTS [4]
PRESS RELEASE – LA VÍA CAMPESINA.
(Harare, April 17th, 2019) Today, April 17th, 2019, the International
Day of Peasants' Struggle, the member organisations of La Via Campesina
are reaffirming the Declaration on Peasants' Rights as a political tool
to strengthen the global struggle for decent living and working
conditions in rural areas. The Declaration should also 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. On this International Day of Peasants'
Struggle, we are also demanding full respect for our rights. The defence
of land and territory is not a crime. There must be an end to impunity
and an end to criminalisation, eviction, and killing. Today, when WE
REMEMBER THE "ELDORADO DOS CARAJÁS MASSACRE" [5], which took place 23
years ago in Brazil, and when we remember our other struggles in other
places, we are calling for Peasants' Rights with Agrarian Reform and
Social Justice.
As an international peasant movement, we are asking for agrarian reform
programmes within a process of developing food sovereignty. We are
asking for the strengthening of peasant family farming, which guarantees
the right of rural and urban workers to healthy food at fair prices and
makes possible the effective implementation of the PEASANTS' RIGHTS
DECLARATION [6] all over the world.
Our proposal for AGRARIAN REFORM NOT ONLY ENSURES THE DEMOCRATISATION OF
ACCESS TO LAND, BUT IT ALSO INCLUDES ALL OF THE FACTORS THAT ALLOW
PEASANTS – WOMEN AND MEN – TO LIVE WITH DIGNITY: education, health,
culture, infrastructure, as well as public goods such as water, the
seas, mangrove swamps and inland waters, seeds, and biodiversity as a
whole. It implies market regulation and an end to land grabbing,
evictions, and killings. It also includes the STRENGTHENING OF
AGROECOLOGICAL PRODUCTION as a way of farming that is consistent with
natural cycles and that can slow down climate change, maintain
biodiversity, and reduce pollution.
With the worldwide onslaught of capital, especially in Latin America,
"one of the principal challenges is the combined struggle for land, for
food that is free from poisons, and for social justice. This means that,
in order to guarantee respect for Peasants' Rights in our territories,
we need to build unity around a popular counter-offensive for regaining
ground in our continent and for demanding public policies that are
beneficial to us", states Diego Montón of the National Peasant
Indigenous Movement (Movimiento Nacional Campesino Indígena) of
Argentina.
In Asia, there are other problems and issues. Peasant women face many
obstacles to ensuring that their rights are respected. In particular,
women do not have the right to land, and they are unjustly treated both
within social organisations and in their communities. In addition,
peasants do not receive fair prices for their products, a situation that
has given rise to many protests in southern and south-eastern Asia
during the past year. The Asian region is also facing a series of
regional and multilateral free trade agreements. The Regional
Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is one of the largest of these
agreements; it covers 16 Asian-Pacific countries and poses a potential
threat to Peasants' Rights.
Agrarian reform in the Middle East and North Africa is interlaced with
occupation and colonialism; it is a key factor for attaining food
sovereignty in a context of war. For peasants, agrarian reform is an
imperative right; without that right, it is impossible to attain
autonomy and independence, to overcome exploitation, servitude and
erosion, or to confront the policies of direct and indirect colonisation
enacted by the regimes in power.
As member organisations of La Via Campesina, we are extremely worried to
note that, in every corner of the planet - Africa, America, Europe, and
Asia, we are confronted by capitalist interests that put the rush to
extractivism before life itself. We are confronted by changes in soil
use and by landgrabbbing on a massive and alarming scale that is in
direct contradiction with popular agrarian reform. This situation not
only threatens Peasants' Rights, but it also jeopardizes Food
Sovereignty the world over.
This is why, on April 17th, we are joining together, in solidarity and
struggle, to say: PEASANTS' RIGHTS NOW! WITH AGRARIAN REFORM AND SOCIAL
JUSTICE!
CONTACTS:
* Diego Montón, National Peasant Indigenous Movement (Movimiento
Nacional Campesino Indígena) of Argentina. - Spanish (+54 92615062)
* Marina Dos Santos, The Landless Movement of Brasil - Portugués/
Spanish (+55 21981850558)
* Henry Saragih, SPI, Indonesia - English
* Federico Pacheco - Andalusian Union of Workers, SOC- SAT. French
(+34 0690651046)
GLOBAL MAP OF ACTIONS THIS WEEK!
CLICK HERE FOR THE MAP [7]
Links:
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[1]
https://viacampesina.org/en/what-are-we-fighting-for/food-sovereignty-and-t…
[2]
https://viacampesina.org/en/what-are-we-fighting-for/agrarian-reform/global…
[3]
https://viacampesina.org/en/what-are-we-fighting-for/agrarian-reform/
[4] https://viacampesina.org/en/what-are-we-fighting-for/human-rights/
[5]
https://viacampesina.org/en/brazilian-peasants-organize-protests-to-demand-…
[6]
https://viacampesina.org/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/03/UN_Declarati…
[7] http://u.osmfr.org/m/312717/
#17APRIL | INT'L DAY OF PEASANT STRUGGLES 2019: PEASANTS' RIGHTS NOW!
WITH AGRARIAN REFORM AND SOCIAL JUSTICE!
4 APRIL 2019 GLOBAL CAMPAIGN FOR AGRARIAN REFORM [1], LAND, WATER AND
TERRITORIES [2], PEASANTS' RIGHTS [3]
CALL FOR GLOBAL ACTION, LA VIA CAMPESINA
(HARARE, APRIL 4, 2019) This April 17th - the International Day of
Peasant Struggle - with our living memory and rebellion inherited from
our 19 landless comrades murdered with impunity in the Eldorado do
Carajás Massacre in Brazil, we call upon our members, friends and allies
to come together with strong actions worldwide, affirming that the only
way to obtain Peasant Rights is with Agrarian Reform and Social Justice.
On 17 December 2018, the 73rd Session of the General Assembly of the
United Nations in New York adopted the UNITED NATIONS DECLARATION ON THE
RIGHTS OF PEASANTS AND OTHER PEOPLE WORKING IN RURAL AREAS [4]. The
Declaration is an international legal instrument. As Via Campesina we
must mobilize for its real implementation in our territories, and this
implies that the State guarantees access to the land, the protection of
seeds facing commercialization, putting a stop to evictions and deaths,
as well as creating measures against agrochemicals; social justice means
that those who feed the world live in dignified conditions and in peace
in the countryside, without being prosecuted for defending their rights
and territories.
In this current context of extractivism and the alarming rate at which
lands are forcefully grabbed from our people, the urgency of Agrarian
Reform proves strategic. Particularly so, since the neoliberal offensive
in the whole world is accompanied by the loss of the rights of the
working class and consequently of the peasantry.
This is why this April 17th we are mobilizing and calling for struggle
and resistance in all territories. We also invite other organized social
movements, unions, universities, media who are friends of the peasant
movements and governments that prioritize the welfare of its people to
join us in the worldwide actions of solidarity.
The rights of peasants cannot be substituted by public policies based on
the interest of the global market and agribusiness. We denounce this
model that not only marginalizes our peasant communities but also
appropriates our rights, common goods and lives, in the name of
productivity and for the development of the capitalist system in the
countryside.
So, we make a call to lift our fists in unity, in the country and in the
cities for Peasant Rights, Food Sovereignty and Agroecology, globalizing
the struggle and the hope of the people facing this model of death.
CONSCIOUS SOCIAL MOBILIZATION!
This #17April participate in the multiple actions organized worldwide,
organize actions in the territories in the form of protests, discussion
forums, seminars, farmers markets, film screenings. Use any of these
ways of expressing to demand the implementation of Peasant Rights with
Agrarian Reform and Social Justice.
During this day of Global Action, we say that an urgent global Agrarian
Reform guarantees Peasant Rights, and we denounce the concentration of
land into the hands of a few that we are witnessing at a global scale.
Share your plans with us on this email: lvcweb(a)viacampesina.org, and we
will add them to a global map of actions that we are building online!
Also please send articles, audios, pictures and videos of all actions to
be able to share them on our website and LaViaCampesinaTV.
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL NETWORKS:
#PeasantsRightsNOW, #AgrarianReformAndSocialJustice, #LaViaCampesina
PEASANT RIGHTS NOW! WITH AGRARIAN REFORM AND SOCIAL JUSTICE!
Links:
------
[1]
https://viacampesina.org/en/what-are-we-fighting-for/agrarian-reform/global…
[2]
https://viacampesina.org/en/what-are-we-fighting-for/agrarian-reform/
[3] https://viacampesina.org/en/what-are-we-fighting-for/human-rights/
[4]
https://viacampesina.org/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/03/UN_Declarati…
*|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|*
Via Campesina | e-newsletter | March 2019
To Donate to the Peasant Movement, click here [1]
#8MARCH: AROUND THE WORLD
Brazil
There were demonstrations by women all over the country; in São Paulo,
50,000 women gathered on Paulista Avenue. There were also important
mobilizations in Porto Alegre, Rio de Janeiro, Recife, Fortaleza,
Salvador. Thousands of women took to the streets to protest against the
dismantling of Social Security, the increase in feminicide and the
setbacks of the Bolsonaro government, in addition to celebrating the
legacy of feminist activist Marielle Franco. On March 14, 2019, the
women of the Movement of Landless Rural Workers, MST, and the National
Movement for Sovereignty in Mining, MAM carried out a blockade of the
rails and stopped the cargo train of mining giant Vale, denouncing the
social and environmental crimes in Mariana and Brumadinho, in the state
of Mina Gerais.
Honduras
Women in Honduras took direct action against the Ministry of Justice, in
that country where more than 6,000 people have been prosecuted for
conflicts related to access to land. It is estimated that 1700 of these
prisoners are women. The organizations denounced the alarming
criminalization that has its most atrocious expression in the murders.
In the last 9 years, around 120 agrarian and peasant activists have been
murdered for defending their lands.
Columbia
In Colombia, a territory riddled with violence and persecution, women
demanded that the genocide and the judicial processes against popular,
indigenous, peasant and peasant leaders must stop; and that defending
life, peace and territory should not mean death and exile, or jail, but
rather, on the contrary, that it gives rise to social and political
recognition as a citizen of a country that is moving towards democracy.
Japan
In Japan peasant members of Nouminren joined a march of solidarity
outside the Japan Education Centre, also marking the 40th anniversary of
the Treaty on Elimination of Discrmination on women.
El Salvador
In El Salvador, on March 8, feminists, members of the National Health
Forum, the Women's International Democratic Federation and La Via
Campesina of El Salvador took to the streets and marched together to
demand their right to live free from all forms of discrimination and
violence.
Argentina
In Argentina large marches were registered, the struggle against the
legalization of abortion is a flag within the feminist movement of the
cities and the countryside, green scarves gain more followers on a
global scale.
Spain
In Lugo, Spain, the women of the Sindicato Labrego Gallego took to the
streets together with allies. The Andalusian Union of Workers, SOC - SAT
also carried out several actions in Andalusia.
Srilanka
In Srilanka peasant members of MONLAR organised women in a campaign
against expolitative micorfinancing businesses that has trapped the
communities in deep debts. Several hundred women, among them peasants
and rural workers demonstraed in Vavuniya, a town in the Northen
province of Srilanka.
South Korea
In South Korea, peasant members of the Korean Women Peasant Association
(KWPA) organised a Sister's Feminism Talk, in which activists explained
their long struggle against patriarchy, how they carved a space for
themselves within the peasant movement in Korea.
To read a detailed update of the direct actions that women of La Via
Campesina took worldwide
click here [2]
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]. [3]
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 to our monthly newsletter click here [4]
To unsubscribe from the distribution list click here [4]
For questions or comments, email LVCWEB(a)VIACAMPESINA.ORG
WEBSITE: www.viacampesina.org [5]
TV: www.tv.viacampesina.org [6]
To subscribe to this newsletter - Click Here [4]
Links:
------
[1] https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/viacampesina
[2]
https://viacampesina.org/en/8march-highlights-of-global-action-by-women-fro…
[3] https://viacampesina.org/en/donations/
[4] https://mail.viacampesina.org/lists/listinfo/Via-info-en
[5] http://www.viacampesina.org
[6] http://www.tv.viacampesina.org