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Brutal Attack on Peasants in Mekar Jaya Village, Indonesia
by La Via Campesina 22 Nov '16

22 Nov '16

OVER 1500 POLICE PERSONNEL UNLEASH BRUTAL ATTACK ON PEASANTS IN MEKAR JAYA VILLAGE, INDONESIA [1] _LANGKAT NUSANTARA KEPONG, A MALAYSIAN PLANTATION COMPANY, ASSISTED BY LOCAL POLICE OFFICIALS, UNLEASHES BRUTAL ATTACK ON PEASANTS IN MEKAR JAYA VILLAGE IN INDONESIA TO APPROPRIATE NEARLY 554 HECATRES OF LAND!_ Over 1500 police personnel launched a despicable attack on peasant members of SPI (Indonesian Peasants' Union), in Langkat District of North Sumatra Province of Indonesia and exterminated hundreds of acres of peasant land, so as to favour a foreign plantation companies. Several protesting peasants were severly injured in this brutal attack that took place on the 18th of November in Mekar Jaya village. Suriono, from SPI Langkat explained, "Before the eviction and extermination, we asked the police to sit together and discuss this issue in the National Land Agency of Langkat District. But they refused it". Suriono requested the large battalion of cops to leave the land as it would only frighten the peasants and local residents. "But instead of going away and regardless of our the explanation, they continued bulldozing and leveling agricultural land and peasant's housing," he said. "This brutality notwithstanding, police officers chased the peasants inside the village and Sadikun, a peasant member of SPI Mekar Jaya village was arrested by the police," added Suriono. According to the information last received several memebrs of SPI were kicked and punched. Sadikun, a peasant suffered arrest and bruises on the face, ZULKIFLI (IN THE PIC) had ruptured his head and had bruises on the face. He is now hospitalized. Boimen another peasant member suffered beatings, Legiman suffered beatings, Sari was beaten, Boiran suffered beatings, Adi suffered beatings, Grandpa Saleh suffered beatings, Grandma Siti Hawa suffered beatings, Rohani was beaten, Midi suffered beatings, Siti (kid) suffered beatings, Udin beaten. The eviction, carried with the help of large equipments contunued till the afternoon of 21st December. We were surrounded, unable to get out of the village, outsiders were not allowed to enter," Suriono added. Zubaidah (Chairman of SPI in North Sumatera Province) condemned the violent actions of the police. "There was no reason for the police, whatsoever, to resort to violence. There are several peaceful means to encourage the settlement of land conflicts, instead of violent land eviction and extermination. With this kind of situation, peasants are always the victims and perpetrators are often police officers, "said Zubaidah. Zubaidah explained, land conflicts that arise in langkat is triggered by intensified expansion of plantation companies abroad. "This conflict was going on since 1998 against PTPN II (National Plantation Company). Ever since Langkat Nusantara Kepong (company from Malaysia)* took over the operational of PTPN II Kebun Lama Gohor, efforts by the company to evict peasants from the land has intensified," Zubaidah added. "This conflict involves a land of 554 hectares, that were appropriated by PTPN II Kebun Gohor Lama," she said again. "What make us sad and hopeless, police and military force tend to support foreign companies, not the people themselves. This is clearly wrong. Just imagine, a village of 1,500 was surrounded by the police and army," she said. For that, Zubaidah stressed that the Acting Governor of North Sumatra T. Erry Nuradi and North Sumatera Regional Police Chief immediately intervene to resolve the agrarian conflict. "The governor should be speeding up, doing something real to end this land conflict so there will be no more casualties. It can be started by revoking the license of the Langkat Nusantara Kepong Company. Furthermore, SPI members demanded that the North Sumatera Regional Police Chief take action against police officials who unleashed brutal attack on peasants in Mekar Jaya village, "No need to wait for the implementation of agrarian reform. It's a must to so we can avoid another conflicts, that are always devastating to peasants," concludes Zubaidah. Watch the video of the attack here [2]. Links: ------ [1] https://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/main-issues-mainmenu-27/human-rights-… [2] https://youtu.be/W27NFI53IXs?t=1m16s

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“Not one less, we want us alive”, Via Campesina calls for an end to violence against women
by La Via Campesina 17 Nov '16

17 Nov '16

LA VIA CAMPESINA SAYS _'NOT ONE LESS'_: NO MORE VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN! [1] (Harare, 17 November 2016) On the 25th November, the International Day of Struggle against violence against women; The Via Campesina will reaffirm its commitment to the struggles for equal rights and human dignity. We as women carry enormous responsibilities in this world, and feed entire nations using agroecological practices, without our economic, social, legal and political rights being recognised, and without public programmes to guarantee equal social and economic participation.For this reason we are making a global call to our organisations, allies and friends to join forces to support actions, mobilisations and activities to denounce the different types of violence faced by women and to criticise the capitalist patriarchal model and the encroachment of agribusiness in our territories. On this day of struggle we join the voices of millions of women who came together in Latin America on 19th October to shout "Not one less, we want us alive" to denounce the alarming growth in femicide[1] [2] and male-chauvinist and misogynist violence against women.Femicide stems from the structural inequality between women and men, and the domination of men over women; gender violence is a mechanism for these factors to reproduce oppression and discrimination against women. There is an urgent need for both women and men to organise in a common front to fight against all types of violence and oppression.To this end, on 25th November we are using our international campaign "No more violence against women", started in 2008, as a tool to denounce and highlight this systematic violence faced by women around the world. Now more than ever, we are pushing forward in the struggle for a new relationship between women and men and between human beings and mother earth.We must engage in our struggles, transform society and build a better world through training, organisation and mobilisation, taking into account the specific situations that we face as women in a world where we do not have equality with men. Food sovereignty is the political project on which we can build social relations based on substantive equality. We need to eradicate all types of discrimination based on ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, age, disability or any other factor. The feminist approach of food sovereignty helps transform reality, building on emancipation and social justice, and it allows us to show women as the protagonists who are improving the situation; this helps transform unequal power relations. The capitalist system that has generated poverty and exclusion throughout history affects women in a more perverse and violent way, particularly the poorest, who live in rural areas and on the outskirts of cities.The climate crisis and abusive exploitation of natural resources are taking us towards an ecological disaster and oppression of the peoples of the world. We believe that all of us, women and men, must come together in a joint struggle to save the planet and change the system. There is now evidence that states do not take the political approach of reducing and eradicating violence against women. This violence is manifested in sexual abuse, harassment in organisations and on the street, rape, and institutional, psychological and structural violence. We call on states to ensure that legal frameworks for the safety, protection and freedom of women are respected. We will continue the struggle to occupy decision-making spaces in all national structures with the same capacity and legitimacy as men. We also demand that churches, the media and states should not seek to control our bodies using religious fundamentalism and trying to limit us to the home. We raise a shout of resistance against all forms of exploitation of our bodies and our territories! We pledge that we will struggle together as women and men for social and gender justice until each woman can move freely and without fear, in the home, in the community and around the world. During this day of action we want to demonstrate unity and our capacity to mobilise in different territories. Please send us messages, photos, videos and audio recordings to share on our website www.viacampesina.org [3] NO MORE VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN! NOT A MINUTE OF SILENCE FOR OUR DEAD - A LIFETIME OF STRUGGLE! GLOBALISE THE STRUGGLE - GLOBALISE HOPE! ------------------------- MORE INFORMATION: Photos and audio: See our new collection of "No more violence against women!" postcards (Spanish) [4] "No more violence against women" manual (Spanish), here. [5] Video: Basta de Violencia contra las Mujeres! [6] Follow us on social networks: Facebook [7], Twitter [8] ------------------------- [1] [9] "Femicide is one of the most extreme forms of gender violence, which in its various forms includes all misogynist violence against women, that violates their human rights, attacks their security and puts their lives at risk. It culminates in the murder of some girls and women. Femicide happens because the authorities fail to act, they are negligent or they collude with aggressors, and in this way carry out institutional violence against women by blocking their access to justice and contributing to impunity". Links: ------ [1] https://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/main-issues-mainmenu-27/women-mainmen… [2] cid:part3.33AD8F0E.9E1CD19E@viacampesina.org [3] http://www.viacampesina.org/ [4] http://tv.viacampesina.org/Cunas-Radiales-Basta-de-Violencia?lang=es [5] http://www.viacampesina.org/downloads/pdf/sp/Cartilla_Basta_de_Violencia_co… [6] http://tv.viacampesina.org/Basta-de-violencia-contra-las-72?lang=es [7] https://www.facebook.com/viacampesinaOFFICIAL [8] https://twitter.com/via_campesina [9] cid:part10.EEB9DCA9.3B64F713@viacampesina.org

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La Via Campesina | e-Newsletter | October, 2016
by La Via Campesina 10 Nov '16

10 Nov '16

La Via Campesina | e-Newsletter | October, 2016 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] PAN-EUROPEAN FORUM IN ROMANIA WRAPS UP: FOOD SOVEREIGNTY TAKES ROOT IN EASTERN EUROPE ------------------------- Cluj-Napoca, October 31st - The fight back against industrial agriculture and for a just and sustainable future for farming and peasant farmers took a leap forward this week as the largest-ever European Forum on food sovereignty concluded. After five days of discussions, the groundwork has been laid to take back n, relocalise our food systems and multiply food sovereignty platforms across the continent by the participants from more than 40 countries who gathered at the second Nyéléni Forum on Food Sovereignty. A huge diversity of people involved in the food system were present, including farmers, food and agricultural workers, trade unionists, researchers, activists, fisherfolk, pastoralists, indigenous peoples, consumers, and human rights defenders. A major accomplishment of this forum was the convergence of Eastern European and Central Asian organisations with their Western European counterparts. Read More [3] NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD REPRESSION IN BRAZIL - POLICE INVADES MST SCHOOL ------------------------- These acts are the latest in a series of authoritarian and repressive measures that have targeted the MST in recent months, like the murders of two of its members by police seven months ago in the state of Paraná. Read More [4] BINDING TREATY NEGOTIATIONS IN GENEVA ------------------------- Conclusions of the Global Campaign on the UNHRC 2nd Session of the "Open-ended intergovernmental working group on transnational corporations and other business enterprises with respect to human rights" (OEIGWG) held in the last week of October 2016. Read More [5] ROGERIO HÖHN INTERVENES AT #BINDINGTREATY NEGOTIATIONS ------------------------- The time has come to unite our struggles in Southern Africa - the campaigns, networks, movements and organizations that are combating transnational corporations - the way they are exploiting our destinies, natural heritage and human rights, dismantling public services, destroying the commons, fomenting violence and endangering food sovereignty in every corner of the continent. Read More [6] #CFS43: SUMMARY OF INTERVENTIONS MADE BY LVC DELEGATION AT CFS PLENARY IN ROME ------------------------- A delegation of peasants, representing La Via Campesina, took part in the CSM Forum, the Civil Society Mechanism for relations to the UN Committee on World Food Security, in Rome this October.. Read More [7] KARNATAKA WOMEN MAKING INROADS INTO THE FARMERS' MOVEMENT ------------------------- Women members of Karnataka Rajya Raita Sangha (KRRS) are increasingly coming to the forefront of the farmers' movement in the State. Read More [8] SRI LANKA: FIRST PEOPLE'S TRIBUNAL ON AGROCHEMICAL COMPANIES ------------------------- A number of representatives from Sri Lanka's agricultural hubs, including Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Kurunegala and Moneragala, gave evidence before the tribunal; highlighting the issues faced by the people due to the activities of the multinational agrochemical companies. Read More [9] EUROPEAN PLAN FOR SHEEP MEAT: RECOGNIZE AND DEFEND THE ROLE AND EXPERTISE OF EUROPEAN SHEEP FARMERS ------------------------- Essential to a serene future for sheep farming is the preservation of a network of local abattoirs and the development of innovative slaughter, mobile and at the farm. The relocation of activities is a major economical, environmental and societal issue. Read More [10] IN SOLIDARITY WITH COLOMBIAN FARMERS ------------------------- Veronique Léon, European farmer and former national secretary of the Confédération Paysanne in France, participated in the international solidarity mission to Colombia from the 19th to the 24th of September. Read More [11] MST ASKS FOR MORE LAND REFORM AND FOR A STOP IN THE CRIMINALIZATION OF THE MOVEMENT ------------------------- On Friday, November 4th, MST was on the criminalization spotlight. A violent action by the police, codename "Castra", spanned three States, Paraná, São Paulo and Mato Grosso do Sul. Read More [12] HONDURAS MISSION IN GENEVA REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE RECEIPT OF LETTER SEEKING JUSTICE FOR THE MURDER OF COMMUNITY DEFENDERS ------------------------- On Thursday, 27th October 2016, organizations and social movements of the Global Campaign to Dismantle Corporate Power and End Impunity, delivered a letter to the Permanent Mission of Honduras in Geneva seeking justice in the murders of community defenders in the Central American country. Read More [13] LINKS TO THE FULL TEXT OF INTERVENTIONS AT #BINDINGTREATY NEGOTIATIONS ------------------------- At the Binding Treaty Negotiation in Geneva, JULIA FERNANDES on behalf of International Association of Democratic Lawyers and MAB intervened to highlight human rights violations by TNCs [14] in Brazil. FEDERICO PACHECO of the Union of Land Workers of Andalusia intervened to denounce the actions of transnationals [15] pushing a model of industrial agriculture. CETA IS A BAD DEAL FOR ROMANIAN PEASANTS AND AGROECOLOGICAL FOOD PRODUCERS! ------------------------- Free trade agreements such as the Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA) are designed to benefit big corporates while eliminating millions of family and smallholder farmers Read More [16] HAITI - NEITHER HYBRIDS, NOR GMO'S, BUT FARM SAVED SEEDS ------------------------- Interview with Jean-Baptise Chavannes, spokesperson of Mouvement Paysan de Papaye, Haïti (Farmer Papaya Movement), by Frédéric Guérin and Claire Chauvet, Inf'OGM administrators, about Haiti's situation in general after the devastating hurricane Matthew, and about agriculture, farmers and international aid. Read More [17] 16TH OCTOBER: FOR PEOPLES' FOOD SOVEREIGNTY AND AGAINST TRANSNATIONAL CORPORATIONS ------------------------- On October 16th, La Via Campesina's _International Day of Action for Peoples' Food Sovereignty and against transnational corporations (TNCs)_, we continue the struggle to end corporate control of our food and reject free trade agreements. Watch the Slideshow [18] THE HAGUE – MONSANTO TRIBUNAL: PEASANTS OF THE WORLD STANDING TOGETHER FOR JUSTICE ------------------------- An International Monsanto Tribunal [19]was held in The Hague, Netherlands, alongside a People's Assembly, to hear cases against Monsanto and other agribusiness corporations and put forward real solutions to societal and environmental challenges. Read More [20] CONNECTING SMALLHOLDERS TO MARKETS: AN ANALYTICAL GUIDE Year: 2016 Summary: This publication is the fruit of two years of collective efforts by the Civil Society Mechanism (CSM) working group coordinated by LVC together with ROPPA that has been specifically dedicated to following the discussions and negotiations on 'Connecting Smallholders to Markets' in the Committee on World Food Security (CFS). The working group includes over 50 participants from different regions and constituencies. This publication presents interesting case studies and public policy recommendations. Edition: Civil Society Mechanism Download publication here [21] [22] At the tribunal against Monsanto and the popular assembly which took place from 12 to 16 October 2016 in The Hague. Several social movements and civil society organizations, explain why a binding treaty to end the impunity of multinationals is now needed. Watch Now [23] Video Credit: ZIN TV [24] MY FATHER BAEK NAM-GI In the memory of #BrotherBaek [25] - peasant friends and Baek Namgi's family in South Korea have put together a short video, to inform the larger public of the state oppression on protesting peasants and demanding that those responsible be held to account. Please watch and share. Watch Now [26] Video Credit: ZIN TV 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 [1]here. [1] [27] Follow us on twitter [27] [28] Find us on Facebook [28] [29] Subsribe our Vimeo Channel [29] To unsubscribe from the distribution list, questions or comments, write to VIACAMPESINA(a)VIACAMPESINA.ORG WEBSITE: www.viacampesina.org TV: www.tv.viacampesina.org To subscribe to this newsletter - Click Here [30] Links: ------ [1] https://viacampesina.org/en/donations/ [2] http://ttps://mail.viacampesina.org/lists/listinfo/Via-info-en [3] https://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/actions-and-events-mainmenu-26/2176-p… [4] https://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/main-issues-mainmenu-27/human-rights-… [5] https://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/actions-and-events-mainmenu-26/stop-t… [6] https://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/actions-and-events-mainmenu-26/stop-t… [7] https://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/main-issues-mainmenu-27/sustainable-p… [8] https://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/main-issues-mainmenu-27/women-mainmen… [9] https://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/actions-and-events-mainmenu-26/stop-t… [10] https://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/main-issues-mainmenu-27/sustainable-p… [11] https://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/main-issues-mainmenu-27/human-rights-… [12] https://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/main-issues-mainmenu-27/human-rights-… [13] https://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/actions-and-events-mainmenu-26/stop-t… [14] https://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/actions-and-events-mainmenu-26/stop-t… [15] https://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/actions-and-events-mainmenu-26/stop-t… [16] https://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/actions-and-events-mainmenu-26/10-yea… [17] https://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/main-issues-mainmenu-27/biodiversity-… [18] https://tv.viacampesina.org/October-16-Actions-around-the?lang=en [19] http://www.monsanto-tribunal.org/main.php?obj_id=281601562 [20] https://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/actions-and-events-mainmenu-26/stop-t… [21] http://www.fao.org/fileadmin/templates/cfs/Docs1516/cfs43/CSM_Connecting_Sm… [22] https://vimeo.com/188736942 [23] https://tv.viacampesina.org/Campagne-pour-un-traite?lang=en [24] https://www.youtube.com/watch?sns=fb&v=KV-NrJBNlEs [25] https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/brotherbaek?source=feed_text&story_id=… [26] https://tv.viacampesina.org/My-father-Baek-Nam-gi?lang=en [27] http://www.twitter.com/via_campesina [28] https://www.facebook.com/viacampesinaOFFICIAL/ [29] https://vimeo.com/viacampesina [30] https://mail.viacampesina.org/lists/listinfo/Via-info-en

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Brazil: MST asks for more Land Reform and for a stop in the criminalization of the Movement
by La Via Campesina 07 Nov '16

07 Nov '16

HUMAN RIGHTS BRAZIL: MST ASKS FOR MORE LAND REFORM AND FOR A STOP IN THE CRIMINALIZATION OF THE MOVEMENT [1] Published on Monday, 07 November 2016 23:06 [2](NOVEMBER 7, 2016) MST DENOUNCES AN "ESCALATION IN THE REPRESSION OF THE STRUGGLE FOR LAND, DOMINATED BY THE INTERESTS OF AGRIBUSSINES ALLIED TO THE VIOLENCE OF A STATE OF EXCEPTION". On this Friday, November 4th, MST was on the criminalization spotlight. A violent action by the police, codename "Castra", spanned three States, Paraná, São Paulo and Mato Grosso do Sul. The main target of the operation was to arrest and criminalize leaders from two camps held by militants in Central Paraná State. The camps are named "Dom Tomás Balduíno" and "Herdeiros da Luta pela Terra" (Land Struggle Heirs). On a note, MST denounces a "surge in the repression of the struggle for land, dominated by the interests of agribussines allied to the violence of a State of Exception". "We remind the public that we have always acted in an organized and peaceful manner for the advancement of Land Reform. We reclaim the land for it's social function and that it be destined to settling the 10.000 families that are currently camped in Paraná State." In São Paulo, 10 vehicles from the Civil Police broke into the National School Florestan Fernandes (ENFF), in the town of Guararema. Two militants were arrested. According to the reports, police officers arrived at around 9:25 am, closed the school gate and jumped over the reception window, taking shots aiming at sky. The shards of collected bullets prove that none of them were rubber, but lethal. In Mato Grosso do Sul, three police vehicles with Paraná plates broke into CEPEGE, "Geral Garcia" Research Center and Professional School, in Sidrolândia. The police operation was searching for MST militants from Paraná that allegedly were there. The police remained there until approximately 9AM, when they left with no arrests. During the operation, police prohibited the use of mobile phones. Militants that were in CEPEGE at the moment were performing cleaning and maintenance tasks. HERE IS THE FULL NOTE: MORE LAND REFORM AND A STOP TO MST CRIMINALIZATION Once more the Landless Rural Workers' Movement is a victim of criminalization constructed by the repressive apparatus of the State of Paraná. The violent operation, codename "Castra", took place this Friday, November 4th 2016, in Paraná - municipalities of Quedas do Iguaçu, Francisco Beltrão and Laranjeiras do Sul; and also in the States of São Paulo and Mato Grosso do Sul. The aim of the operation is to capture and criminalize leaders from 'Dom Tomás Balduíno' and 'Herdeiros da Luta pela Terra' encampments, located in the central region of Paraná state. Until now 6 leaders were arrested and they are still looking for other workers, under several accusations, including criminal organization. Since May 2014, approximately 3,000 encamped families are occupying areas that were before occuppied by Araupel Company. Those areas were illegally occupied by the company and because of that the Federal Court of Public Land declared that they belong to the Union, so they must be devoted for Agrarian Reform. Araupel Company became a powerful economical and political empire by illegally occupying public land and constantly using violence against rural workers and peasants that occupy land, many times acting in collusion with the civilian and military police apparatus, they have even fund political campaigns of public authorities, like the one of the Chief of Staff of the Beto Richa's government, Valdir Rossoni. We highlight that this action is part of a continuous process of persecution and violence that MST has been facing in several states and in Parana. On April 7th, 2016, in the land illegally occupied by Araupel Company the families organized in the Dom Tomas Balduíno encampment were victims of an ambush made by the Military Police and security personnel hired by the company. In the attack, were there more than 120 gunshots, Vilmar Bordim and Leomar Orback were executed, there were also countless people bullet wounded. In the same large state in 1997, gunmen hired by Araupel killed in another ambush two Landless Movement workers. Both cases remain unpunished. We denounce the escalation on violence and repression against the struggle for land, where agribusiness interests associated with the violence of the State of Exception predominate. We remember that we always act in an organized and pacific way so the Agrarian Reform advances. We demand that the land fulfills its social function and that it is destined for the settlement of the 10,000 families encamped in Paraná. We keep fighting for our rights and we join those who fight for education, health, housing, more rights and more democracy. STRUGGLE AND BUILD POPULAR AGRARIAN REFORM. CURITIBA, NOVEMBER 4TH, 2016. MORE INFORMATION: HTTP://MST.ORG.BR/ Links: ------ [1] https://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/main-issues-mainmenu-27/human-rights-… [2] https://viacampesina.org/en/images/MST%20Nov%202016.jpg

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Via Campesina at COP 22: false solutions to the climate crisis may constitute crimes against humanity
by La Via Campesina 07 Nov '16

07 Nov '16

Via Campesina at COP 22: false solutions to the climate crisis may constitute crimes against humanity [1] Published on Monday, 07 November 2016 17:22 [2]PRESS RELEASE >From November 7th to November 18th, 2016, the 22nd Conference of the Parties (COP 22) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change will take place in Marrakech, Morocco. It is there that the 196 signatories to the Paris Agreement will decide upon steps to implement the Agreement that they adopted in December 2015. Peasants and small-scale farmers from Via Campesina will be in Marrakech for the duration of the Conference; they will draw attention to the disastrous effects that application of the Agreement could have, both on peasant agriculture and on the climate. Approximately 40 people, from Morocco and all over the world, the majority of which are youth, will make up the Via Campesina delegation in Marrakech. The international peasant movement has decided to hold a training course on climate justice for its membership, with a focus on young people, from November 8th to November 12th. Some close allies from NGOs and social movements have also been invited to participate. It will serve as a great opportunity for Via Campesina to strengthen its links with small-scale farmers organizations from North African and Middle Eastern countries and to better understand the reality of peasant agriculture in that region. This decision is a clear way of stating that forward-looking solutions to the climate crisis are in the hands of young peasants and small-scale food providers whose farming practices reflect their interest in agroecology and peasant agriculture. Many multinational corporations see COP 22 as an opportunity to further introduce carbon sequestration initiatives to the North African and Middle Eastern countries that have been particularly affected by climate change--with increased greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the current intensive model of production. For this reason, the Via Campesina delegation will be available throughout the COP to present an alternative vision. The delegates will explain that the failure to attack the climate crisis at its roots--especially regarding the use of pesticides, chemical fertilisers and other inputs in agriculture--constitutes a serious threat to food sovereignty and to the survival of countless farming families. They will give testimonies about peasant practices that help to preserve and regenerate forests and are an important counter to the destruction done by multinational corporations who plant monoculture for biofuels and other purposes. The delegates will also explain the risk of increasing land grabbing, a phenomenon that is expanding widely. There is tacit support for land grabbing in the text of last December's agreement, which reduces agriculture to a 'land use sector' in order to highlight its potential for capturing carbon. Payment for Ecosystem Services, REDD, REDD+, and their spin-off programs such as climate-smart agriculture , together with the Paris Agreement, are underpinned with an approach that places the commercial and financial interests of multinational corporations and the world economy ahead of respect for human rights. It is encouraging that the International Criminal Court in The Hague has recently recognised that human rights violations involving environmental destruction and, in particular, illegal dispossession of land fall within the domain of crimes against humanity. In Marrakech, the Via Campesina will again task itself with denouncing the false solutions and initiatives which can more properly be considered crimes against Humanity than commitments to finding a solution to the climate crisis. The Via Campesina will ensure that the voice of its youth delegation is heard, and that the solutions that it proposes are evaluated in a way that is commensurate with their importance and effectiveness, rather than being treated as marginal. _Agenda of the Via Campesina delegation:_ - On November 6th, La Via Campesina will take part to a press conference organized by the members of the Democratic Network to Accompany COP 22 (Réseau démocratique pour l'accompagnement de la COP22). - From November 8th to November 12th, there will be a seminar on climate justice and the struggles for climate justice in North Africa and the Middle East. - On November 12th, there will be a Field Visit in the nearby of Agadir on water and land access issues. - On November 13th, La Via Campesina, together with the FNSA (Fédération Nationale du Secteur Agricole du Maroc), will take part in the large international march for Climate Justice organised by the members of the Democratic Network to Accompany COP 22 (Réseau démocratique pour l'accompagnement de la COP22). CONTACT FOR PRESS: Hakech Mohamed: 00 212.691.008.705 Links: ------ [1] https://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/actions-and-events-mainmenu-26/-clima… [2] https://viacampesina.org/en/images/2016-01-27-NFU%20pic.jpg

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Conclusions from the Binding Treaty Negotiations in Geneva to hold TNCs accountable for human rights violations
by La Via Campesina 31 Oct '16

31 Oct '16

BINDING TREATY NEGOTIATIONS IN GENEVA | CONCLUSIONS [1] Published on Monday, 31 October 2016 14:32 CONCLUSIONS OF THE GLOBAL CAMPAIGN ON THE UNHRC 2ND SESSION OF THE "OPEN-ENDED INTERGOVERNMENTAL WORKING GROUP ON TRANSNATIONAL CORPORATIONS AND OTHER BUSINESS ENTERPRISES WITH RESPECT TO HUMAN RIGHTS" (OEIGWG) THAT CONCLUDED ON 28TH OCTOBER 2016 ------------------------- [2]28 OCTOBER 2016, GENEVA: In the context of the Second Session of the Open Ended Inter-Governmental Working Group (OEIGWG) at the Human Rights Council with the mandate to establish a Binding Treaty on Transnational Corporations and other business enterprises with respect to human rights, the Global Campaign to Reclaim Peoples' Sovereignty, Dismantle Corporate Power and End Impunity expressed its engagement with this process through several activities, actions and statements. The Campaign is committed to the importance of this process as a way to allow people affected by Transnational Corporations (TNCs) around the world access to justice. The current process began in 2014 and succeeded in inserting the urgent need to create a binding tool to compel TNCs' to respect Human Rights into the UN agenda. Many years of complicity between governments and TNCs, which has led to an increase of cases of repression, convince us more than ever of our demands. The people affected by TNCs are fed up with being victims and demand justice. Therefore, we reaffirm our resistance to the capture of this process by TNCs and we demand states to safeguard the Treaty negotiations from political interference and conflicts of interest. Throughout one week, more than 100 activists, representing unions, peasant organizations, environmental organisations, youth, women, indigenous peoples, migrants and the access to medicines movements convened in Geneva to participate in and observe the proceedings within the UN. These activists represented 29 countries and shared their lived experiences in 15 activities both within and outside the formal spaces of the UN. Participants made 40 oral statements in the six panels of the session. The Global Campaign participated actively in the debate. It presented 6 precise proposals for the binding instrument : on the obligations for TNCs, extraterritorial obligations; the instrument of enforcement, the responsibility of TNCs in the global supply chains; the architecture of the global corporate law (International Financial Institutions, the World Trade Organisation and the investment and trade regime); as well as the rights of the affected communities. We are aware that during this process we will face important challenges. But we are committed to maintaining a high level of mobilization at both local and international levels. By doing so, we expect to have a concrete and positive Treaty proposal as the result of the work during the 3rd Session of the IGWG. With this objective, we call all movements and organizations - within and outside the Campaign - to join these efforts. We must pressure any governments opposing this process to change their perspective on the Binding Treaty proposal and recognize the urgent need for a legal instrument that puts people before profits, commercial interests and investment deals. This Saturday, concluding our week of mobilization, we will hold a demonstration in Geneva. ------------------------- SIGNATORIES: Articulación internacional de las afectadas y afectados por la VALE, Alternative Information and Development Centre (AIDC) - Southern African Campaign to Dismantle Corporate Power, Amigos da Terra Brasil, Amigos de la Tierra América Latina y el Caribe - ATALC,, Amigos de la Tierra España, Amis de la Terre France, ATM/Mining, Attac - España, Attac - Maroc, Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA) - Friends of the Earth Bangladesh, BDS, CCFD, CED - Friends of the Earth Camerun, CEDIB - Bolivia, Center on Governance and Sustainability, CESTA - Friends of the Earth El Salvador, CETIM, Comunidad de Barillas - Guatemala and CEIBA - Friends of the Earth Guatemala, Confederación Sindical de Trabajadores y Trabajadoras de las Américas (CSA), Corporate Accountability International (CAI), Ecologistas en Acción, ENTREPUEBLOS, ERA - Friends of the Earth Nigeria, FASE, FIAN International, France Amérique Latine (FAL), Friends of the Earth International (FOEI), Global Forest Coalition, Grup de Treball sobre Empreses i Drets Humans (Catalunya), GTPI - Vigencia, HOMA, Indonesia for Global Justice (IGJ) - Sawit Watch - People's Coalition for the Rights to Water (KruHA-Indonesia), Indonesian Human Rights Committee for Social Justice (IHCS) - WALHI - Solidaritas Perempuan - INDIES Indonesia - Indonesia Focal Point for Legally Binding Treaty Initiative -,Institute for Policy Studies, Global Economy Project, JA! - Friends of the Earth Mozambique, Justiça Global, La Via Campesina (LVC), LAB Euskal Herria, LAFEDE.CAT, Legal Resources Center (LRC), MAB - LVC, NOVACT, Observatorio de Multinacionales en América Latina (OMAL), PACS, PENGON Palestine, "Popular Council for the Protection of the Jordan Valley - FOEI", PSI, Radio Mundo Real, REDES - Amigos de la Tierra Uruguay, "Red Sombra de Observadores de Glencore", SENTRO/TU, SUDS, Taula Catalana per la Pau i els Drets Humans a Colòmbia, Tierra Digna, Transnational Migrant Platform Europe, Transform!europe, Transnational Institute (TNI), VIGENCIA, Unión de Afectados/as por las Operaciones Petroleras de Texaco (UDAPT), HOMA, WALHI - Friends of the Earth Indonesia, War on Want, WOMIN, World March of Women. ------------------------- PRESS CONTACT: Raffaele Morgantini, +41796606514, contact(a)cetim.ch Mónica Vargas, +34662026497, m.vargas(a)tni.org ------------------------- _The Global Campaign is a network of over 200 social movements, networks, organisations and affected communities resisting land grabs, extractive mining, exploitative wages and environmental destruction by transnational corporations (TNCs) in different global regions, particularly in Africa, Asia and Latin America. It is a peoples´ global structural response to unaccountable corporate power which provides facilitation for dialogue, strategizing, exchanging information and experiences, acting as a space for visibility of resistance and deepening of solidarity and support for struggles against TNCs. The Global Campaign has been actively involved since the beginning of the process and has facilitated the gathering of more than 100 delegates from 29 countries during the Week of 24th to 28th October 2016 in Geneva._ Links: ------ [1] https://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/actions-and-events-mainmenu-26/stop-t… [2] https://viacampesina.org/en/images/2016-10-31%20BindingTreaty%20Press%20Con…

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La Via Campesina joins the mobilization at the UN in favor of a Binding Treaty to dismantle corporate power
by La Via Campesina 26 Oct '16

26 Oct '16

LA VIA CAMPESINA JOINS THE MOBILIZATION AT THE UN IN FAVOR OF A BINDING TREATY TO DISMANTLE CORPORATE POWER [1] [2]Members of La Via Campesina are participating in mobilizations being held in Geneva as part of the GLOBAL CAMPAIGN to Dismantle Corporate Power and in the ongoing negotiations of the Open Ended Inter Governmental Working Group (OEIWG), at United Nations, to come up with a LEGALLY BINDING TREATY for countries to prosecute and hold to account Transnational Corporations that engage in human rights violations. This is a HISTORIC OPPORTUNITY to give concrete tools to the affected communities seeking justice for the crimes of transnational corporations. The voluntary guiding principles (UNGPs) have remained a dead letter and were captured by corporate responsibility processes that do not recognize the power imbalances on the ground. The growing and systemic impunity with which TNCs are operating result in attacks on rural communities while companies accumulate benefits and grab land, waters and territories. On Monday the 24th of October, a delegation comprising members of La Via Campesina denounced the coup government in Brazil, and marked their protest by joined a walkout from the meeting room, with around hundred people , as soon as the Brazilian Ambassador began her intervention. In the morning of the 25th, two members of the delegation LVC delegates intervened expressing the following messages. _ROGERIO HÖHN FROM THE MOVEMENT OF PEOPLE AFFECTED BY DAMS_ in Brazil spoke of the rights of people affected by corporate crimes and the need for remedial processes that recognize affected people as actors and as subjects. He also stressed that the Treaty must strengthen the primacy of human rights. He also denounced the violations by the transnational corporation Vale and lack of access to justice for the affected communities one year after the Mariana dam break, as well as the criminalisation of the resisting communities by Vale. [3] A Caravan of Affected People, will be going from the coast up to Mariana, starting November 2 that will count with the participation of more than 400 people. FEDERICO PACHECO OF THE UNION OF LAND WORKERS OF ANDALUSIA intervened to denounce the actions of transnationals pushing a model of industrial agriculture that pollutes the environment, monopolizes and privatizes the commons, and exploits workers and producers. He denounced the political and legal frameworks, such as the FTAs that give primacy to the interests of TNCs rather than human rights of peoples. He encouraged states to move forward with the Binding Treaty to counter this growing power in the agriculture and food sector. La Via Campesina expresses its disappointment and denouncement of the position of the EU that continues to defend the interests of big corporations against the rights of affected communities, peasants and agricultural workers. ------------------------- This week the delegation of LVC will participate in several parallel events and actions organized by the Global Campaign to reclaim the sovereignty of peoples, to dismantle corporate power and put an end to impunity in the Tent of civil society at the Plaza of Nations and within the UN: 25/10: 9h - 12h: Extractivism and transnational impunity (tent Palais des Nations) 16h45 - 18h15 Workshop: Architecture of corporate impunity and global supply chains: threats to workers, migrants, farm workers and communities (tent Palais des Nations) 26/10: 13 - 15h: Side event (Room XXIII): Arguments in favor of the Treaty: to ensure the full exercise of human rights in Brazil and access to justice for people affected by the actions of transnational corporations 15h - 16h30 Workshop: Struggles to ensure access to rights and against TNCs: Peasant Rights and Right to health (tent Palais des Nations) 27/10: Rally in defense of popular sovereignty at the embassies (morning) 13h - 14h30: Palais des Nations Side Event: Architecture of impunity and the rights of affected communities 29/10: 12h - Final Public Action ------------------------- Updated information of activities Global Campaign to reclaim the sovereignty of peoples, to dismantle corporate power and end impunity: http://www.stopcorporateimpunity.org/week-peoples-mobilisation-geneva/ PRESS CONTACT: Annelies Schorpion: annelies.schorpion(a)viacampesina.org, 0032474847280 (in Geneva) Abhilash Babu: abhilash(a)viacampesina.org Follow us on Twitter [4], Facebook [5] Links: ------ [1] https://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/actions-and-events-mainmenu-26/stop-t… [2] https://viacampesina.org/en/images/2016-10-25%20-%20TNCs%20Geneva%20Scaled%… [3] https://viacampesina.org/en/images/2016-10-25%20LVC%20Delegate%20Geneva%20T… [4] https://twitter.com/via_campesina [5] https://www.facebook.com/viacampesinaOFFICIAL/

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Connecting Smallholders to Markets: An Analytical Guide
by La Via Campesina 26 Oct '16

26 Oct '16

[1] YEAR: 2016 SUMMARY: This publication is the fruit of two years of collective efforts by the Civil Society Mechanism (CSM) working group coordinated by La Via Campesina together with ROPPA that has been specifically dedicated to following the discussions and negotiations on 'Connecting Smallholders to Markets' in the Committee on World Food Security (CFS). The working group includes over 50 participants from different regions and constituencies. This publication presents interesting case studies and public policy recommendations. EDITION: Civil Society Mechanism Download publication here [1] Publication also available in French [2] and Spanish [3] Links: ------ [1] http://www.fao.org/fileadmin/templates/cfs/Docs1516/cfs43/CSM_Connecting_Sm… [2] http://viacampesina.org/fr/images/stories/pdf/SmallholdersandMarketFR.pdf [3] https://viacampesina.org/es/images/stories/pdf/CSM_Connecting_Smallholder_t…

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La Via Campesina | e-Newsletter | September 2016
by La Via Campesina 14 Oct '16

14 Oct '16

-------- Original Message -------- SUBJECT: La Via Campesina | e-Newsletter | September 2016 DATE: 2016-10-14 11:46 FROM: Ndabezinhle Nyoni <nyoni.ndabezinhle(a)viacampesina.org> TO: viacampesina(a)viacampesina.org La Via Campesina | e-Newsletter | September, 2016 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 EUROPE IN SOLIDARITY WITH COLOMBIAN FARMERS ------------------------- _PRESS RELEASE: BRUSSELS, 5TH OCTOBER 2016_ _The Peace Process continues: La Via Campesina Europe in solidarity with Colombian farmers_ Veronique Léon, European farmer and former national secretary of the Confédération Paysanne in France, participated in the international solidarity mission to Colombia from the 19th to the 24th of September. Their aim was to support the movement of farmers who are demanding that the peace agreements, made with the national government following the mobilisation of the past years, are respected. This goal is not put into question by the victory of the "no" vote in this weekend's referendum on the peace agreements signed by FARC-EP and the government of Juan Manuel Santos. Read more... [3] NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD "NOTHING ABOUT US WITHOUT US", SAY PEASANTS AS THE FARMERS' RIGHTS CONSULTATION BEGINS IN BALI ------------------------- _AT FARMERS' RIGHTS GLOBAL CONSULTATION IN BALI, GLOBAL PEASANTS' MOVEMENT LA VIA CAMPESINA TO DEFEND PEASANT-SEED SYSTEMS AND INSIST PEASANT PARTICIPATION IN DECISION MAKING._ Bali, 27 September 2016: A delegation comprising peasants, women and men, indigenous people and youth from various regions of the world will represent La Via Campesina at the Farmers' Rights Global Consultation, to be held between 27-30 of September in Bali, organized by the Government of Indonesia with support from The Government of Norway and The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA). Read more... [4] "OUR RIGHTS, OUR NEEDS, OUR IDENTITIES HAVE BEEN DEFINED ON BEHALF OF US, BUT NOT BY US", TANMAY JOSHI, A YOUNG FARMER FROM INDIA ------------------------- At the recently concluded Global Consultation on Farmers' Rights in Bali, organsied by the Ministry of Indonesia with the support of the Ministry of Norway and the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA), Tanmay Joshi, a young farmer from the state of Maharshtra in India spoke passionately. Here is the full text of this speech. Read more... [5] SOCIAL MOVEMENTS CALL FOR 'UNITY BEYOND BORDERS' AT THE SOUTHERN AFRICA TRIBUNAL ON TRANSNATIONAL CORPORATIONS (TNCS) ------------------------- The Southern African People's Solidarity Network hosted a Permanent Peoples' Tribunal on Transnational Corporations in Manzini, Swaziland between the 16th and 19th of August. The tribunal was held on 16th and 17thfollowed by discussions until the 19th about building a 'Peoples-Driven Southern African Development Community (SADC) committed to the total liberation of all'. Read more... [6] BAYER-MONSANTO DEAL LATEST IN AGRIBUSINESS MERGER AND ACQUISITION TREND ------------------------- _MEDIA RELEASE_ (Saskatoon - Sept. 19, 2016) Bayer's September 14 announcement that it will buy Monsanto for $66 billion comes just days after fertilizer companies PotashCorp and Agrium confirmed their $30 billion dollar merger deal. Meanwhile, the Chinese agro-chemical giant, ChemChina is in the process of buying Sygenta for $43 billion. Dupont and Dow expect to complete their $68 billion merger by the end of this year. "Mergers and acquisitions are not investments in new productive capacity," said Terry Boehm, Chair of the NFU's Seed and Trade Committee. "These transactions are a way for large corporations to restructure their existing assets to obtain higher profits and greater control by eliminating competition within the market." Read more... [7] DEMONSTRATION ANTI-TTIP/CETA THE 20.09: PEASANT MOVEMENT CALLS TO MOBILIZE ------------------------- _LE MAP, FUGEA AND ECVC PRESS RELEASE_ Brussels, 15th of September 2016 The European Coordination Via Campesina (ECVC), the Fédération Unie de Groupements d'Eleveurs et d'Agriculteurs (FUGEA) and the Mouvement d'Action Paysanne (MAP) are calling on all citizens to demonstrate against the free-trade agreements TTIP and CETA. The rally starts at 17h00 on Tuesday, September 20th, in the European quarter. The agriculture and food block, lead by the d19-20 alliance, will be the last of the parade. Participants will meet in advance at 16h30 at the corner of Rue de la Loi/Rue du Commerce. Read more... [8] RIPESS SUPPORTS INTERNATIONAL DAY AGAINST WTO AND FREE TRADE AGREEMENTS ------------------------- _RIPESS PRESS RELEASE, 10TH SEPTEMBER, MONTREAL_ The Intercontinental Network for the Promotion of Social Solidarity Economy (RIPESS) supports the International Day Against WTO and Free Trade Agreements as called for by the international peasants movement Via Campesina. RIPESS reaffirms our commitment to opposing on-going global free trade agreements such as, but not limited to, CETA, TTIP, TPP, TISA and RCEP. Read more... [9] GENDER DIVERSITY IN THE PEASANT MOVEMENT ------------------------- _SELF-DETERMINED AND IN THE COUNTRYSIDE*_ The global peasant movement La Via Campesina is slowly beginning to open up to the subject of gender diversity. By Paula Gioia, member of the coordinating committee of ECVC Food Sovereignty is also connected to gender relations - and to respecting different ways of life and the rights of LGBTTQI*. The movement of landless peasants in Brazil is showing this and providing important inspirations for debates in Europe. Read more... [10] PEASANTS' RIGHTS ARE UNIQUE AND REQUIRE URGENT PROTECTION, SAYS ELIZABETH MPOFU ------------------------- _HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL, 33RD SESSION, ITEM 5 – HUMAN RIGHTS BODIES AND MECHANISMS – GENERAL DEBATE ON THE REPORT OF IGWG ON RIGHTS OF PEASANTS AND OTHER PEOPLE WORKING IN RURAL AREAS (A/HRC/33/59)_ President of the Council, Chair-Rapporteur of the Open ended Working Group, Delegates and Colleagues, I am Elizabeth Mpofu, the International Coordinator of La Via Campesina. Together with International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL), we would like to strengthen further our commitment to the establishment of the draft declaration on peasant's rights, as I want to remind us on following: The term Peasant that we want is inclusive is as defined in Article 1 and its meaning signifies a special relationship of peasants with land which defines their social and economic rights political identity, including also their cultural and religious life in rural areas. Read more... [11] DEFEND THE ZAD – A CALL FOR INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY ------------------------- _OCTOBER 8TH & 9TH 2016_ For over 50 years, farmers and locals have resisted the building of a new airport for the French city of Nantes (which by the way already has one). Now in these rich fields, forests and wetlands, which multinational Vinci want to cover in concrete, an experiment in reinventing everyday life in struggle is blossoming. Radicals from around the world, local farmers and villagers, citizen groups, trade unionists and naturalists, refugees and runaways, squatters and climate justice activists and many others, are organising to protect the 4000 acres of land against the airport and its world. Government officials have coined this place "a territory lost to the republic". Its occupants have named it: la zad (zone a défendre) zone to defend. Read more... [12] ITPGRFA: AT CONSULTATION ON FARMERS' RIGHTS, LA VIA CAMPESINA DEMANDS A WORKING GROUP IN THE TREATY COMPRISING PEASANTS' ORGANISATIONS, TO HELP IMPLEMENT PEASANTS' RIGHTS ------------------------- At the global consultation on Farmers' Rights organized by Government of Indonesia and supported by the Ministry of Norway and the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA), held in Bali from September 27-30, a delegation representing the global peasant movement La Via Campesina joined the civil society in demanding participation of indigenous people and peasant organisations in all decision-making processes concerning them. It called upon the Treaty to set up a working group on Farmers' Rights, with adequate representation of peasant organisations and indigenous peoples organisations. Read more... [13] LA VIA CAMPESINA AND ALLIES PUSH FOR THE DECLARATION ON PEASANTS' RIGHTS IN GENEVA ------------------------- Representatives of La Via Campesina at the UN, pushing for the Declaration on peasant's rights (Geneva, September 22, 2016) This week, representatives of La Via Campesina and supporting organizations (FIAN, CETIM, CELS and IADL) are at the United Nations Human Rights Council of Geneva, in order to lobby for the Declaration of the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas. At the top of the agenda: increasing support for the report of the President of the Working Group on Peasant's Rights and Other People Working in Rural Areas, Bolivian Ambassador Nardi Suxo. Read more... [14] NEW PUBLICATIONS SMALLHOLDERS' MARKETS ------------------------- _THE NEW EDITION OF THE NYÉLÉNI NEWSLETTER IS NOW ONLINE! _ Bulk of the food consumed in the world is produced by smallholders and workers, and channeled through "territorial markets", which reflect the huge diversity of contexts that characterise small-scale food production and distribution. Territorial markets are an important source of employment and critical in battling hunger and poverty. These markets increasingly face threats from corporate led super/hyper-markets, procurement, storage, certification and food safety systems. Corporations use neoliberal trade and investment agreements, and sophisticated marketing systems to control how food is produced, priced, distributed and consumed. Protecting and strengthening the markets of smallholders are crucial aspects of food sovereignty and restoring societal control over the economy. Click here to download the English edition [15]or read it directly in the website at www.nyeleni.org [16]! OPINION: AGROECOLOGY FOR GENDER EQUALITY ------------------------- _FARMING MATTERS | 32.3 | SEPTEMBER 2016_ [17] How to attribute important social change to agroecology? Elizabeth Mpofu argues that agroecology builds social cohesion, providing the foundation for gender equality. There are no recipes in agroecology. Instead, its manual is in the heart and minds of those who practice it, which is evident in their interactions with the environment and other people. Harmony with nature and nutrition takes precedence over profits. This anchors our culture, shapes our identity and sets the parameters for our transformation as a society. Read more... [18] [19] HANDS ON THE LAND FOR FOOD SOVEREIGNTY AND CLIMATE JUSTICE ------------------------- Frontline communities and social movements around the world explain why we need to keep our hands on the land for food sovereignty and climate justice! This includes the false solutions they are presented with against climate change, and the real solutions and ways forward that small-scale food producers promote. Hands On The Land for Food Sovereignty and Climate Justice! www.handsontheland.net [20] [21] A COMMON RIGHT: MONGOLIA ------------------------- Meet Hajekber Serikbol, a pastoralist community leader in the Western Foothills of Mongolia. They call themselves the "friendship community" and are part of 200-500 million nomadic custodians that take care of our planet, managing rangelands that cover a quarter of the world's land surface. This film is part of the Global Call to Action Initiative, aimed at doubling the global area of land legally recognized as owned or controlled by Indigenous Peoples and local communities by 2020. Film and Photo by: Jason Taylor/Land Rights Now/Global Call to Action YOU ARE AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE AUTONOMY OF OUR MOVEMENT ------------------------- As a supporter who has contributed financial resources to La Via Campesina, and as an activist who joins us on the streets and in the fields, your support is always welcome and put to good use. You can renew your contribution to La Via Campesina by clicking on the Donate button on our home page [22] and following the link to our PayPal account. [23] [24] Follow us on twitter [24] [25] Find us on Facebook [25] [26] Subsribe our Vimeo Channel [26] To unsubscribe from the distribution list, questions or comments, write to VIACAMPESINA(a)VIACAMPESINA.ORG WEBSITE: www.viacampesina.org TV: www.tv.viacampesina.org To subscribe to this newsletter - Click Here [27] Links: ------ [1] https://viacampesina.org/en/donations/ [2] http://ttps://mail.viacampesina.org/lists/listinfo/Via-info-en [3] https://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/main-issues-mainmenu-27/human-rights-… [4] https://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/main-issues-mainmenu-27/biodiversity-… [5] https://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/main-issues-mainmenu-27/biodiversity-… [6] https://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/actions-and-events-mainmenu-26/stop-t… [7] https://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/actions-and-events-mainmenu-26/stop-t… [8] https://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/actions-and-events-mainmenu-26/10-yea… [9] https://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/actions-and-events-mainmenu-26/10-yea… [10] https://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/2-uncategorised/2150-gender-diversity… [11] https://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/main-issues-mainmenu-27/human-rights-… [12] https://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/actions-and-events-mainmenu-26/2145-d… [13] https://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/main-issues-mainmenu-27/biodiversity-… [14] https://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/main-issues-mainmenu-27/human-rights-… [15] http://www.nyeleni.org/ccount/click.php?id=100 [16] http://www.nyeleni.org/ [17] http://www.agriculturesnetwork.org/magazines/global/making-the-case-for-agr… [18] https://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/main-issues-mainmenu-27/women-mainmen… [19] https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Oqa2iIF52QI [20] http://www.handsontheland.net/ [21] https://vimeo.com/177945999 [22] http://www.viacampesina.org/ [23] https://www.paypal.com/uk/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_flow&SESSION=IK5Hgl6MlPxD… [24] http://www.twitter.com/via_campesina [25] https://www.facebook.com/viacampesinaOFFICIAL/ [26] https://vimeo.com/viacampesina [27] https://mail.viacampesina.org/lists/listinfo/Via-info-en

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16th October: For Peoples’ Food Sovereignty and against transnational corporations
by La Via Campesina 14 Oct '16

14 Oct '16

16TH OCTOBER: FOR PEOPLES' FOOD SOVEREIGNTY AND AGAINST TRANSNATIONAL CORPORATIONS [1] Published on Friday, 14 October 2016 16:04 [2]PRESS RELEASE (Harare, October 13, 2016) On October 16th, La Via Campesina's _International Day of Action for Peoples' Food Sovereignty and against transnational corporations (TNCs)_, we continue the struggle to end corporate control of our food and reject free trade agreements. Through their extensive and clandestine lobbying, TNCs have put in place legal, economic and trade policy frameworks to legitimise their greed for profits and destruction of nature. For example, the Investment Court System (ICS) or State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) and the Free Trade Agreements (such as in the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership [TTIP], Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreements [CETA], North American Free Trade Agreement [NAFTA], Trans Pacific Partnership [TPP], Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership [RCEP]) are all biased in their favour to ensure full control of the world agricultural production and distribution. Patents and intellectual property regimes are their tools to achieve this. In this process, peasant seeds, the foundation of agriculture, are rendered illegal. Biodiversity is eroded and replaced by uniform crops. Grabbing of land from peasants, particularly in developing countries, is carried out in the pretext of "feeding 9 billion people by 2050" through their advanced and destructive technologies. However, the peoples of the world are fighting back to roll back corporate capture, occupying lands, growing their own seeds and fighting at international level as well. At the UN, La Via Campesina and its allies continue to struggle for the adoption of the UN Declaration on the rights of peasants and other people working in rural areas to ensure recognition and protection for the very group[1] which contribute greatly to the realisation of right to food sovereignty around the world. A binding treaty to push back the power of TNCs [3] and hold them accountable for the crimes they commit is a necessary next step. From 12 to 16 October 2016, an International Monsanto Tribunal [4] in The Hague, Netherlands will be held alongside the People's Assembly to hear and evaluate cases against Monsanto [5] and other companies and determine criminal liability. Since 2015, we have witnessed unprecedented levels of consolidations by the few agri-food corporations in the form of mergers and acquisitions such as Monsanto-Bayer, Dow-DuPont, ChemChina-Syngenta, Agrium Inc. and Potash Corp. With these consolidations, merely four corporations will control over two-thirds of the world's supply of agricultural inputs, giving them the ability to hold the world agriculture at ransom for profits. Hunger and poverty will worsen as these corporations which earn big profits through secrecy, narrow food diversity and impunity tighten their control over sovereign state agricultural policies. As we celebrate this day, we push forward for a radical transformation towards a fair and decent food system for all, based on principles of food sovereignty, which recognizes peoples' needs, accords dignity and respects nature, and put people above profits! CONTACT: Andres Arce Indacochea: +3248955297 FOOD SOVEREIGNTY NOW! FOR THE LAND AND PEOPLES' FOOD SOVEREIGNTY IN SOLIDARITY AND STRUGGLE! ------------------------- [1] Peasants produce over 70% of the food consumed globally. Links: ------ [1] https://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/main-issues-mainmenu-27/food-sovereig… [2] https://viacampesina.org/en/images/16%20October%20Call%20poster%20EN.png [3] http://www.stopcorporateimpunity.org/week-peoples-mobilisation-geneva-switz… [4] http://www.monsanto-tribunal.org/main.php?obj_id=281601562 [5] https://www.viacampesina.org/downloads/pdf/en/Monsanto-Publication-EN-Final…

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