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[Info EN] La Via Campesina - Electronic Newsletter August 2015
by La Vía Campesina 15 Sep '15

15 Sep '15

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[Info EN] In memory of Lee, the struggle against the WTO continues
by La Vía Campesina 10 Sep '15

10 Sep '15

IN MEMORY OF LEE, THE STRUGGLE AGAINST THE WTO CONTINUES [1] LVC CALL TO ACTION: WTO MINISTERIAL 2015 (Harare, 10 September 2015) Today, as la Via Campesina, we celebrate International Day of Peasant Struggle Against the WTO, and remember the life and legacy of our brother and leader Mr. Lee Kyun Hae. A Korean farmer leader whose right to life with dignity was destroyed by the WTO, Mr. Lee sacrificed himself in 2003 to radically denounce those responsible for the disappearance of peasant economies around the globe. Now, in 2015, the World Trade Organization (WTO) is at it again. Promising to force through "all aspects of the Bali Package", the multilateral killer of farmers will convene its 10th Ministerial Conference in Nairobi, Kenya from 15 to 18 December, 2015. Further liberalization of trade is not only on the agenda, it is the agenda, with corporate agribusiness looking to destroy the few public policies that still protect some national food systems. Referred to simply as the "Bali Package", the outcomes of the last WTO Ministerial (2013) were hailed as a victory by the WTO for unlocking a series of deadlocked negotiations on trade, agriculture, and development. La Via Campesina warns, however, that this so-called "victory" for the WTO and the Transnational Corporations (TNCs) that back it came at the expense of the world's poor majorities. As peasants, men and women, around the world organize to achieve Food Sovereignty - in which national governments must support and defend rural communities, cultures, and livelihoods - powerful voices inside the WTO are looking to end the so-called "peace clause" which "allows" national governments to protect their food and agricultural systems. La Via Campesina continues to firmly believe that the WTO is an organization for the "developed" countries and the TNCs, pushing free trade rules that only benefit the rich and concentrate even more wealth in the hands of a few. La Via Campesina reiterates its position that the WTO is a failed and delegitimized institution that is desperately trying to revive itself with its "Bali Package" at the high cost of food sovereignty, livelihoods, jobs, and the future of the people and the planet. In short, La Via Campesina reiterates our call for an End to the WTO and the tyranny of the free trade regime. We redouble our efforts in fighting the corporate-led system and pushing for peoples' alternatives. In December, La Via Campesina will be mobilized in decentralized global aimed at pressuring national governments away from the free trade agenda. We will also be on the streets of Kenya supporting our brothers and sisters from across Africa, and around the globe, who will be demonstrating against the WTO in Nairobi. We invite all those in struggle against the WTO to email your plans for action to [nomorewto.kenya.lvc(a)gmail.com] and help make the 10th WTO Ministerial Conference its last. NO MORE WTO! FOOD SOVEREIGNTY NOW! GLOBALIZE STRUGGLE! GLOBALIZE HOPE! SEE: WTO KILLS FARMERS [2]: NYELENI NEWSLETTER NUMBER 16, DECEMBER 2013. Links: ------ [1] http://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/actions-and-events-mainmenu-26/10-year… [2] http://www.nyeleni.org/DOWNLOADS/newsletters/Nyeleni_Newsletter_Num_16_EN.p…

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[Info EN] La Via Campesina call to action for COP21 in Paris.
by La Vía Campesina 03 Sep '15

03 Sep '15

PEASANT AGRICULTURE IS A TRUE SOLUTION TO THE CLIMATE CRISIS. [1] LA VIA CAMPESINA CALL TO ACTION FOR COP21 IN PARIS. Climate disruptions this year have again caused widespread hunger, migration and the worsening of living conditions for millions of rural families, especially women and youth. While small farmers around the world continue to produce the food most people eat, glaciers are melting at an alarming rate, species of plants and animals are disappearing daily, islands and nations are being reclaimed by oceans, soils are eroding and forests igniting, and catastrophic events such as hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes and tsunamis are becoming commonplace. Meanwhile, the global food system imposed on people by Transnational Corporations (TNCs) is both a total failure and one of the main causes of the human-induced climate crisis - dependent on fossil fuels to produce, transform and transport, it is responsible for an estimated 44 to 57% of all global greenhouse emissions [2]1. Instead of nutritious food for the world's people, TNCs have produced hunger and obesity, land grabs and rural displacement, and a climate crisis they now hope to cash in on with false solutions sold at the United Nations. Some twenty years since Rio ('92) and Kyoto ('97), governments have met over and over again for their Conference of the Parties (COP) to the UNFCCC (UN Framework Convention on Climate Change). They have continuously failed to protect and advance people's most fundamental human rights - including the Right to Food - sending delegation upon delegation to climate talks that prioritize private interests over public welfare. Previous agreements and negotiations have moved from compulsory or binding accords to simple pledges that are not even likely to be kept. At the same time, TNCs have secured the political support of co-opted governments to get their interests inserted as bottom-line strategies into the agreements. Carbon markets, so-called "Clean Development Mechanisms" (CDMs), REDD and REDD+, bioenergy and agrofuels, as well as agribusiness' proposed "climate-smart agriculture" package, are just a few of the misleading proposals now on the table. Instead of solving the problem, these false solutions only serve to worsen them. Instead of capping emissions, they create artificial markets and opportunities for the grossest of polluters to continue polluting and do little to reduce the effects of climate disruptions. By pushing the interests of capitalism and the privatization of nature, TNCs are putting the lives of ordinary people, small-scale farmers, peasants and indigenous communities - who work with nature to secure our livelihoods - into ever greater jeopardy. When it comes to food, agriculture, and rural livelihoods, peasant agriculture and local food systems have proven themselves capable of feeding people for centuries. According to the UN Environment Programme, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, FAO and the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, small farmers today still produce up to 80% of the food in non-industrialized countries (where the majority of the world's people live). That is why we in La Vía Campesina declare once again that Food Sovereignty - based on peasant agroecology, traditional knowledge, selecting, saving and sharing local adoptive seeds, and control over our lands, biodiversity, waters, and territories - is a true, viable, and just solution to a global climate crisis caused largely by TNCs. To implement Food Sovereignty, however, we need far-reaching change. Among other things, we need comprehensive agrarian reforms, public procurement of peasant production, and an end to destructive free trade agreements (FTA's) promoted by TNCs. In short, we need justice - social, economic, political, and climate justice. In the run-up to COP21 - scheduled for 30 November to 11 December in Paris, France - promises are being made that a "universal, legally binding agreement" will finally be agreed upon. We in La Vía Campesina, representing some 200 million farmers in over 150 peasant organizations, call on governments to prioritize people's needs over corporate interests and agree to real climate solutions - including peasant-based food systems that cool the planet - when they meet at COP21. Corporate solutions are false solutions, and will not solve the climate crisis. Our solutions are real solutions, and should be prioritized by the UN. To ensure our voice is heard, we will be mobilized alongside millions of migrants, farmers, workers, women, young people, students, and climate justice activists expected on the streets of Paris. We call on all social movements, people's organizations, civil society and activists from all over the world to mobilize in the context of COP21, to come to Paris in great number and also in a decentralized way in order to advance our proposals and show our opposition to the false solutions TNCs have inserted into the UNFCCC. Governments and delegations have dragged their feet for way too long, and must now meet the needs and expectations of the world's people. Now is the time for true solutions, for Food Sovereignty, and for an end to the corporate capture of the UNFCCC. KEY DATES TO REMEMBER : [November 28th/29th] Initial Mass Mobilizations for Climate Justice; [November 29th] Descentralized Global Mobilizations for Climate Justice ; [December 5/6th] Global Village / Popular Alternatives Fair; [December 9th] "Peasant Agriculture and Food Sovereignty Day"; [December 12th] "Last Word" Mass Mobilizations for Climate Justice. FOOD SOVEREIGNTY IS A TRUE SOLUTION TO THE GLOBAL CLIMATE CRISIS PEASANT AGROECOLOGY FEEDS THE WORLD AND COOLS THE EARTH CLIMATE JUSTICE INCLUDES MIGRANTS, YOUTH AND WOMEN CONTACTS: [French] Josie Riffaud / josieriffaud(a)yahoo.fr / 33.5.56.23.65.09 / Confédération Paysanne (France), LVC International Environmental and Climate Justice Collective; [Spanish] Edgardo Garcia / edgardogarcia2007(a)yahoo.es / 505.888.72973 / Asociación de Trabajadores del Campo (Nicaragua), LVC International Climate and Environmental Justice Collective; [English and Spanish] Carlos Marentes / cmarentess(a)gmail.com / 1.915.873.8933 / Border Farm Workers Project - Unión de Trabajadores Agricolas Fronterizos (U.S.A.), LVC International Climate and Environmental Justice Collective. [3]1_ [https://www.grain.org/article/entries/4357-food-and-climate-change-the-forg… [4]]_ Links: ------ [1] http://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/actions-and-events-mainmenu-26/-climat… [2] http://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/actions-and-events-mainmenu-26/-climat… [3] http://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/actions-and-events-mainmenu-26/-climat… [4] https://www.grain.org/article/entries/4357-food-and-climate-change-the-forg…

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[Info EN] "We are La Via Campesina"
by La Vía Campesina 19 Aug '15

19 Aug '15

"We are La Via Campesina" [1] Published on Wednesday, 19 August 2015 03:07 [2] WATCH A NEW VIDEO BY LA VIA CAMPESINA! [3] (Zimbabwe, Harare, August 18, 2015) We are happy to release a new Video [3] by La Via Campesina , the international peasant movement. In this video, men and women, leaders of La Via Campesina member organizations in Africa, Latin America, Asia and Europe share their struggles and fight for food sovereignty, social and climate justice. Again, in the film (shot during the 2015 World Social Forum in Tunisia), we hear peasant´s experiences about solidarity, women struggles, land, seeds, water, etc... La Via Campesina brings together over 200 million members through 164 organizations in 73 countries. Over the past 20 years, La Via Campesina has become one of the world's biggest social movement - a fertile ground to nurture struggles and solidarity. Watch [3] and share it widely! A video by La Via Campesina and ZinTV Links: ------ [1] http://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/actions-and-events-mainmenu-26/world-s… [2] http://viacampesina.org/en/images/Poster_Video_EN_Final.jpg [3] http://tv.viacampesina.org/We-are-La-Via-Campesina?lang=en

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[Info EN] La Via Campesina - Electronic Newsletter July 2015
by La Vía Campesina 11 Aug '15

11 Aug '15

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[Info EN] The power and impunity of the transnationals are stifling the voices of the world’s peoples
by La Vía Campesina 10 Jul '15

10 Jul '15

Power and impunity of transnational corporations stifles people's voices [1] Published on Friday, 10 July 2015 13:57 _The power and impunity of the transnationals are stifling the voices of the world's peoples_ (Harare, 9th of July 2015) La Via Campesina strongly decries the fact that _international policies and legislative processes_ which supposedly are decided upon democratically and by the citizens are increasingly _dominated by the interests of large multinational corporations_,with the connivance of the governing classes [2][1]. Furthermore, while existing structures allow the crimes committed by these same transnationals to go unpunished, there is a growing incidence of criminalisation of those who are struggling in defence of human rights. At the international, regional, national, and local levels, it is more and more apparent that_legislative frameworks are being designed, interpreted, and implemented so as to respond to the interests of large transnational companies _- to the detriment of the common good and despite the resistance of social movements and organisations that are seeking different paths. This situation is compounded by a lack of transparency towards civil society. For example, _the international trade agreements_, of which the TTIP, the TPP, the CETA, the EPAs and the TISA are some current examples - with their investment protection clauses, the deregulation of trade and production, and the jettisoning of social, health, and safety standards - respond to the requests of the transnational companies rather than to the interests of the world's peoples. _A permanent confusion is created in the roles_ of the entities representing civil society and the public interest and the entities that are defending private interests. The multinationals are treated as though they were social actors, when in reality they do not represent anyone other than the shareholders for whom they seek to gain profits. Consequently there is a considerable reduction in the public space. In addition, new mixed entities are created and accorded active support: the round tables or platforms that are composed of multiple actors such as governmental institutions, research bodies, donors, NGOs, and civil society organisations. These new spaces provide no guarantees, and even less support, for the autonomy of social movements; positions necessarily become diluted and what is really happening in the field is hidden. We can cite the example of the ILC (International Land Coalition), an organisation that has received an increase in funding in recent years and which, in an opportunistic manner, presents itself alternatively as a research body, a donor, or a representative of civil society. In fact, it calls for mitigating the negative effects of landgrabbing, rather than insisting that landgrabbing be stopped. As a social movement of peasants and farmers, farmworkers, landless people, and indigenous peoples, we are confronting _a short-sighted and ultra-capitalist vision of the world based on the paradigms of growth at any cost_, the capacity of the market to control and resolve everything, and the imposition of a Western development model. This model includes the privatisation and commodification of common goods and of fundamental rights such as the rights to water and food. It includes the denigration of social movements and the cult of business as the only "useful" social actor. The _quest for private profit_ is the dominating factor in decision making and in its vision of the world. A patriarchal, capitalist, individualistic and Western vision of well-being is being actively promoted, bringing in its train uniformity in a global market. In this way, the responsibility and the role of States are reduced and seen as obsolete. There is a corresponding reduction in the capacity for action and influence of grassroots actors. _New markets_ are being established, supposedly in order to resolve the problems that the market itself has created. A simple example of this are the (REDD) carbon emissions markets, which, rather than reducing carbon emissions, have led to speculation, the forced displacement of communities, and more pollution. Techno-fixes such as GMOs and fertilisers are being actively promoted, and there is a lack of analysis of the powers and interests at play as well as a lack of a long-term vision. Markets for social problems are created, for instance the social register markets involving people who have been negatively affected by dams. These show how even social problems end up by becoming markets. We must also mention the public-private partnerships (PPPs) in which companies replace states through obscure arrangements that only benefit those same companies. By means of orchestrated land and seed laws, the common goods managed by the communities, land, water, seeds, and our territories, are turned into commodities under the dictate of land titling programmes and patents on life. Thus people are dispossessed of the very rights that guarantee the future of the planet and of humanity. Initiatives claiming to contribute to "the fight against hunger in the world", such as the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition (Nasan) which is supported by the G8, and the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), are taking place with the complicity of Western states and through pressure on many countries. These initiatives are integrated in an insidious manner into national and subregional agricultural development programmes, in order to impose a Western model of agriculture and the introduction of GMOs and products that are prohibited in the countries concerned - and to monopolise their natural resources such as land and water. Due to pressure to maintain the status quo or to a fear of restricting the profits of the few, there is a _continuous lack of structural and sustainable solutions._ We are seeing an_ increase in the criminalisation_ of trade unionists, environmentalists, and peasant farmers who are struggling for their human rights or for the rights of Nature. In Honduras alone, hundreds of women and men peasants have been put on trial for defending their rights. In recent years, there has been a marked upsurge in incidents of violence against environmentalists [3][2]. _We note the importance of opening up the international policy spaces _to grassroots organisations, and of developing mechanisms, to be led by these same social movements, for consultation, the provision of transparency, and the dissemination of information. At this point, let us mention the positive example of the Declaration of the Rights of Peasants and people working in rural areas that is being drawn up by the United Nations Human Rights Council [4][3]. We need new transparent,_ participatory, processes of democratisation_ that are open and clear to all, and that, instead of oppression, allow the expression of the sovereignty of the peoples in the world of today. We need _legally binding national, regional and international mechanisms to put an end to the crimes against humanity perpetrated by transnational companies._ In this sense, we welcome the initiative in the United Nations Human Rights Council, which aims to adopt a binding Treaty, and we support the Campaign to Dismantle Corporate Power [5][4]. We recognise that the role of States is to represent the interests of their peoples. Therefore, the State has an obligation to oppose any policy or international treaty that diminishes human rights and undermines its own sovereignty. The sovereignty and responsibility of States need to be strengthened and not undermined at the international level. _We in La Via Campesina have chosen food sovereignty as a utopia in rebellion against this exploitative system. Day by day, we are building our alternatives in solidarity and from the grassroots._ Contacts: Marina Dos Santos (PT, ES): +55 21 981850558 Unai Aranguren (ES, PT, EN):+34 636 369361 Ndiakhate Fall (FR): +221 77 5508907 ------------------------- [6][1] https://www.tni.org/en/briefing/state-power-2014#infographics [7] [8][2] http://www.democracynow.org/2015/4/22/how_many_more_116_environmental_defen… [9] [10][3] http://defendingpeasantrights.org/ [11] [12][4] http://www.stopcorporateimpunity.org [13]/ Links: ------ [1] http://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/actions-and-events-mainmenu-26/stop-tr… [2] file:///C:/Users/nyoni/Downloads/position%20paperTNCsEN%20(1).doc#_ftn1 [3] file:///C:/Users/nyoni/Downloads/position%20paperTNCsEN%20(1).doc#_ftn2 [4] file:///C:/Users/nyoni/Downloads/position%20paperTNCsEN%20(1).doc#_ftn3 [5] file:///C:/Users/nyoni/Downloads/position%20paperTNCsEN%20(1).doc#_ftn4 [6] file:///C:/Users/nyoni/Downloads/position%20paperTNCsEN%20(1).doc#_ftnref1 [7] https://www.tni.org/en/briefing/state-power-2014#infographics [8] file:///C:/Users/nyoni/Downloads/position%20paperTNCsEN%20(1).doc#_ftnref2 [9] http://www.democracynow.org/2015/4/22/how_many_more_116_environmental_defen… [10] file:///C:/Users/nyoni/Downloads/position%20paperTNCsEN%20(1).doc#_ftnref3 [11] http://defendingpeasantrights.org/ [12] file:///C:/Users/nyoni/Downloads/position%20paperTNCsEN%20(1).doc#_ftnref4 [13] http://www.stopcorporateimpunity.org

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[Info EN] La Via Campesina - Electronic Newsletter June 2015
by La Vía Campesina 09 Jul '15

09 Jul '15

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[Info EN] On both sides of the Pacific, peasants, family farmers, and rural workers reject the extension of neoliberal policies
by La Vía Campesina 29 Jun '15

29 Jun '15

Both sides of the Pacific- Via Campesina members oppose TPP [1] Published on Monday, 29 June 2015 16:19 [2]JOINT PRESS RELEASE AGAINST TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP (TPP) _On both sides of the Pacific, peasants, family farmers, and rural workers reject the extension of neoliberal policies_ (June 15, 2015): We, members of La Via Campesina on both sides of the Pacific, jointly express our opposition to the TPP. This so-called partnership is in fact an extension of the neoliberal policies that are being promoted by transnational corporations (TNCs) with the support of the governments at their service. Neoliberal policies and trade agreements have already caused catastrophic damage to peasants and family farmers and to agricultural workers, who are more and more at the mercy of the transnational corporations. The increasing control of global commodity markets exercised by these corporations constitutes a threat to the livelihoods of peasants, family farmers and rural workers, to the well-being of indigenous communities, and to the health of consumers. Their power is an affront to food sovereignty and social justice, and a threat to ecological integrity. As more than twenty years of experience with neoliberal trade agreements has shown, increases in agricultural exports serve only to increase the profits of transnational corporations; they do not raise the net incomes of peasants and farmers. Furthermore, the TPP is not simply an agreement about trade. Its provisions infringe upon the national sovereignty of the countries concerned, subjecting their citizens to rules that are dictated by the transnational corporations and leading to a deterioration in living conditions for the great majority - especially for family farmers, workers, and small business owners. By strengthening the intellectual property rights of pharmaceutical companies, the agreement will deprive poor people of prescription drugs. The Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) provision enabling corporations to sue national governments for alleged loss of profits will lead to the modification, or even the abandonment, of health, environmental, and social programmes. The provisions regarding competition, state-owned enterprises, and government procurement will prevent member countries from implementing economic policies that are suited to their particular situation. Rising opposition on the part of the public, who are becoming more aware of the dangerous nature of the TPP's provisions, has so far prevented the negotiators from reaching an agreement. _Now is the time for the negotiations to be stopped. In Japan, in Korea, in Canada, and all over the world, what we urgently need is to bring the policies and practice of neoliberalism to an end, and to build an alternative international trading system that has as its foundation food sovereignty, the protection of the environment, and the well-being of our peoples._ Globalize the Struggle--Globalize hope! National Farmers Union (NFU), Canada Union Paysanne Quebec, Canada Korean Peasant League (KPL), South Korea Japan Family Farmers Movement (NOUMINREN), Japan Links: ------ [1] http://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/actions-and-events-mainmenu-26/10-year… [2] http://viacampesina.org/en/images/2015-06-29%20Anti%20TPP%20protest.jpg

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[Info EN] From: deymirie@gmail.com
by La Vía Campesina 29 Jun '15

29 Jun '15

Hello http://shika-jimucho.net/informal.php?evening=8qf4gqu6xfm5n deymirie(a)gmail.com Sent from my iPhone

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[Info EN] New Nyéléni Newsletter on Nutrition and Food Sovereignty is now online!
by La Vía Campesina 17 Jun '15

17 Jun '15

NUTRITION AND FOOD SOVEREIGNTY [1] Published on Wednesday, 17 June 2015 15:06 [2]THE NEW EDITION OF THE NYÉLÉNI NEWSLETTER IS NOW ONLINE! Human nutrition refers to the interaction between food and the human body, and the resulting health and wellbeing of individuals. The best source of nutrition continues to be breastfeeding and diversified rich traditional foods developed by cultures throughout history. Nutrition is only one of the dimensions of eating linked to human health. The best way to guarantee adequate nutrition is through the provision of diversified, safe, and balanced diets, based on local fresh produce which is agroecologically produced, and prepared according to cultural practices. _Nutrition cannot be separated from food, production models, food systems or eating practices._ Click here to download the english edition [3] or read it directly in the website at www.nyeleni.org [4]! Links: ------ [1] http://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/publications-mainmenu-30/1826-nutritio… [2] http://viacampesina.org/en/images/2015-06-17-Nyeleni%20Newsletter%20.jpg [3] http://viacampesina.org/en/images/stories/pdf/2015-06-17-Nyeleni_Newsletter… [4] http://www.nyeleni.org/

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