Via-info-en

via-info-en@viacampesina.org

407 discussions

Newsletter La Via Campesina -July 2014
by La Vía Campesina 04 Aug '14

04 Aug '14

1 0

Urgent Call to Action in Solidarity with the Palestinian People: We Condemn the Murder of Family Members of UAWC Leader and Call for Justice!
by La Vía Campesina 25 Jul '14

25 Jul '14

HUMAN RIGHTS URGENT CALL TO ACTION IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE: WE CONDEMN THE MURDER OF FAMILY MEMBERS OF UAWC LEADER AND CALL FOR JUSTICE! [1] Published on Friday, 25 July 2014 17:27 AND TO DEMAND AN END TO THE WAR OF OCCUPATION IN GAZA BY THE STATE OF ISRAEL AND ITS INDISCRIMINATE TARGETING OF PALESTINIAN CIVILIANS! (Harare, July 24, 2014) On Sunday evening (July 20), the Israeli air force struck the house of Mr. Saad Ziada killing six members of his family (his mother, three brothers, a sister-in-law and a nephew). At the moment of the attack, Mr. Ziada was away from his home, which saved his life. Saad Ziada is a leader of the Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC), a member of La Via Campesina. This event occurred two days after La Via Campesina issued a solidarity call condemning the Israeli government's illegal war of occupation on Gaza and its targeting of Palestinian civilians which constitutes a war crime, violating international law. This act is clear evidence that the Palestinian people are facing tremendous threats and extrajudicial killings whilst the disgraceful silence of the international political community continues. Meanwhile social movements globally have denounced this recent expression of collective punishment of the Palestinians in Gaza. This assault in which 80% of fatalities have been Palestinian civilians, along with the on-going siege and closure of Gaza, constitute a clear violation of international humanitarian law. La Via Campesina expresses solidarity with Mr. Saad Ziada and demands justice for Ziada's and all families who have fallen victim to such gruesome, targeted attacks. We extend this solidarity and our sense of outrage to these families - children, women and men -who are killed every day, victims of the incessant crimes against humanity wrought by the Israeli State. We call upon our member organizations, our allies, social movements and the international community in general to: -Demand justice for Saad Ziada, his family and all those who have lost loved ones, have been severely wounded, have been displaced and have had their possessions and goods destroyed by the Israeli occupation and deliberate military targeting of civilians. -Join the various acts of protests that social movements from around the world are organizing to demand an end to this brutal war against the people of Palestine, an end to the Israeli occupation, and to actively demand respect for international law and treaties including the 4th Geneva Convention relative to the protection of civilians in times of war. -Join the call issued by public figures and the intellectual community, including Nobel laureates, to demand that international institutions denounce the illegal Israeli occupation and aggression that violated international and humanitarian law. -The State of Israel could not continue its assault on Gaza if the U.S. government did not approve it. The U.S. government gives Israel upwards of $3 billion a year in military aid, which it uses to procure weaponry from multinational corporations that profit from this ongoing war. We support the calls for boycotts, divestment and sanctions of products and corporations that profit from Israel's continued occupation of the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem. La Via Campesina International Peasants Movement Links: ------ [1] http://viacampesina.org/en/index.php/main-issues-mainmenu-27/human-rights-m…

1 0

Via Campesina solidarity call with the people of Palestine
by La Vía Campesina 18 Jul '14

18 Jul '14

LA VIA CAMPESINA INTERNATIONAL PEASANT MOVEMENT SOLIDARITY CALL WITH THE PEOPLE OF PALESTINE La Via Campesina International -representing around 200 million farmers from 73 different countries around the world- condemns the Israeli war on Gaza and the crimes against the Palestinians that violate the international and humanitarian laws. Since July 7th 2014, 214 Palestinians were killed, including at least 164 civilians of whom 44 were children and 29 women. 1,585 Palestinians were injured of whom 435 are children and 282 are women. 1,660 homes were destroyed or severely damaged in Gaza directly displacing 9,900 persons. 22,600 were displaced people hosted at UNRWA schools. 900,000 people are without water supply due to inability to repair and operate infrastructure. LVC calls the International organizations and movements in addition to the activists around the world to pressure the policy makers in their countries to stop the war on Gaza immediately , hold Israel accountable for its crimes against civilians and end the collective punishment policy of the siege on Gaza, This letter is an invitation to take an action to save the Palestinian farmers and fishermen. La Via Campesina International Peasant Movement

1 0

La Via Campesina calls for the International Treaty on seeds to reject biopiracy
by La Vía Campesina 07 Jul '14

07 Jul '14

LA VIA CAMPESINA PRESS RELEASE LA VIA CAMPESINA CALLS FOR THE INTERNATIONAL TREATY ON SEEDS TO REJECT BIOPIRACY (Geneva, 7th of July 2014) The International Treaty on seeds (ITPGRFA) celebrated on July 3 in Geneva its 10th anniversary. It has been recognizing for a decade now farmers' rights to use, exchange and sell their seeds. By organizing the sharing of seeds gathered from peasants' field in 131 countries, it makes a critical contribution to global food security. Given climate change is on the rise, these local seeds are often the only ones guaranteeing harvests, while varieties selected in laboratories to work with chemical inputs are unable to adapt to any unexpected stress. The success of the Treaty should not however mask its broken promises. The industry has still to service the debt contracted when "borrowing" for free seeds from peasants to create its commercial seeds. As such, the Treaty is unable to fulfil the sharing of benefits. Meantime, peasants lose their right to use the seeds they generously gave to the Treaty, as the industry contaminates these seeds with its engineered genes or patent them based on their natural features. Farmers' rights cannot remain a statement of general intent and if the Treaty persists to trample on these rights, farmers cannot carry on to graciously give their seeds. Without effective safeguard mechanisms for farmers' rights and fair benefit sharing, along with concrete measures against patents on life, the seeds bank of the Treaty will become biopirates' commons. This Treaty must change, and La Via Campesina is ready to assist. More on www.viacampesina.org

1 0

A victory on our path to an international declaration on the rights of peasants
by La Vía Campesina 07 Jul '14

07 Jul '14

PRESS RELEASE - LA VIA CAMPESINA A VICTORY ON OUR PATH TO AN INTERNATIONAL DECLARATION ON THE RIGHTS OF PEASANTS (Geneva, June 27th, 2014) On June 27th, the United Nations Human Rights Council Assembly passed a resolution authorising the continuation of the process of drafting an international declaration on the rights of peasants and other people working in rural areas. Bolivia is in charge of starting up informal consultations between States and civil society as well as organising the second session of of the Intergovernmental Open-Ended Working Group, which is scheduled to take place in November 2014. The declaration project originated with the Via Campesina, and it is the fruit of ten years of work on the part of this international movement which is comprised of more than 164 organisations in 73 countries. The Via Campesina set itself the task of categorising the forms of discrimination suffered by people working in rural areas (peasants, agricultural workers, nomads and pastoralists, fishers, indigenous peoples, landless workers, etc.) and, with the support of organisations such as FIAN-international and CETIM (the Europe-Third World Centre), of defining the specific human rights applicable to their situation. In March 2012, the Assembly of the Human Rights Council accepted the final text resulting from a series of studies carried out by the Council's Consultative Committee. In September 2012, the Assembly voted to create an Intergovernmental Open-Ended Working Group that was given the responsibility of drafting a declaration on the basis of the preliminary version annexed to the final study. In July 2013, the intergovernmental group held its first working session. Thus, at the Human Rights Council's 26th session, the member states voted on the resolution (for the renewal of the intergovernmental group's mandate) that was presented by Bolivia. 29 countries supported the resolution; 13 countries abstained; and 5 countries voted against the resolution_ (*)_. For the Via Campesina these figures, which show growing support for the declaration process, are an indication of success (In 2012, there had been 23 votes in favour, 16 abstentions, and 9 in opposition). It should be noted that countries such as France, Austria, Germany, Italy, and Ireland, which had previously opposed the resolution, this time took the option of abstaining. This was not only the result of intense advocacy with their respective governments by the peasant organisations of the European Coordination of the Via Campesina and by civil society organisations, but it was also an encouraging sign that governments are looking upon peasant agriculture more favourably. The various Via Campesina delegations carried out their advocacy work during the session. In the coming months, the Via Campesina and its allies will redouble their efforts to overcome the continuing reticence of certain States and to convince them of the need for a declaration of this kind. At a global level, this international declaration project will serve to protect peasant agriculture as a whole - an agricultural model that produces 70% of the world's food on barely 25% of the land. The Via Campesina is defending small scale peasant agriculture both in the South and in the North of the globe. The Via Campesina expresses its thanks to Bolivia, South Africa, Cuba, and Ecuador for their efforts within the Human Rights Council to bring about constructive advances in the work on this project. _(*) VOTES BY COUNTRY:_ YES (29): Algeria, Argentina, Benin, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Chile, China, Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Cuba, Ethiopa, Gabon, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Morocco, Namibia, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, Venezuela, Vietnam ABSTAIN (13): Austria, Botswana, Estonia, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Maldives, Mexico, Montenegro, Macedonia NO (5): Czech Republic, Rep. of Korea, Romania, United Kingdom, United States of America --

1 0

Newsletter La Vía Campesina - June 2014
by La Vía Campesina 01 Jul '14

01 Jul '14

1 0

La Via Campesina welcomes the UN Human Rights Council move to challenge corporate impunity
by La Vía Campesina 30 Jun '14

30 Jun '14

_LA VIA CAMPESINA PRESS RELEASE_ LA VIA CAMPESINA WELCOMES THE UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL MOVE TO CHALLENGE CORPORATE IMPUNITY (Geneva, 27th of June 2014) La Via Campesina welcomes the resolution approved at the UN Human Rights Council to draw up a binding treaty to punish the crimes of transnational companies (TNC's). _"This is a victory for peasants, who in most cases are unable to access legal systems to take actions against the impunity of TNCs. Also, looking at the current agricultural activities that have been captured by multinational companies, the instrument will be a great tool for the victims to file cases against land-grabbing by TNCs. We thank the initiating countries and the countries that voted in favour."_ said Themba Chauke from the South African Landless Peoples Movement, a member of La Via Campesina. Violence, evictions, intimidation, the criminalisation of struggles as well as assassinations of farmers who are defending their livelihood, their land and their communities have become common practice used by agribusiness, TNCs, local elites and governments. This violence is linked to the privatization of nature, the concentration of land and the increased corporate control of the food chain. Transnational companies such as Nestlé, Syngenta, Bayer... have been responsible for numerous crimes such as violent land evictions, abuse and contamination of the commons (seeds, water, soil...), the promotion of unhealthy junk food and the increased use of agrotoxins in food production. The industrial food system exploits agricultural and food workers, especially the undocumented workers. The approval of the resolution is positive progress towards balancing the power and accountability of these companies, and reducing their global impunity. Social movements and NGOs have successfully brought pressure to bear on States to approve the tabled resolution._ "The goal of the mobilisation is not only to put pressure on the States to put in place laws to control companies and to safeguard rights, but also to denounce the "architecture of impunity" that protects TNCs operations through aspects such as economic agreements, a long history of structural adjustment imposed by the IMF, and the Free Trade Agreements that are all harmful to human rights,"_ said Leandro Scalabrin of the Movement of victims of Dams in Brazil. The work to develop alternative ways of organising our societies in a fair and just manner continues. As a peasant organisation La Via Campesina remains committed to promoting food sovereignty and to continue working in peasant communities to intensify the struggle against corporate impunity. CONTACTS: Themba Chauke - Landless Peoples' Movement South Africa: +41766499591 or +393510683306, Philippe Sauvin - l'autre syndicat, Switzerland: +41 22 362 69 87 or +41 79 509 31 10 --

1 0

La Vía Campesina’s position on the International Year of Family Farming
by La Vía Campesina 25 Jun '14

25 Jun '14

PRESS RELEASE - LA VÍA CAMPESINA LA VÍA CAMPESINA’S POSITION ON THE INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF FAMILY FARMING - 2014 A SPACE FOR THE PROMOTION OF CONCRETE POLICIES ON PEASANT FAMILY FARMING (Harare, June 2014) La Vía Campesina defines participation in the International Year of Family Farming, propelled by the UN in 2014, as the creation of a space for discussion and collective action to to push Food Sovereignty that has peasants and small farmers as a basis. All throughout the world they continue to grow and distribute healthy, self-produced food in their towns, in stark contrast to the commercial food industry, whose priorities are profit and speculation and whose strategy is to make agriculture increasingly dependent on agro-toxics, increasing their profits through the sale of herbicides, whilst damaging and contaminating natural resources. We have witnessed a profound food crisis, which has brought attention to peasant based food production and the eradication of hunger within the UN's agenda. The UN has recognised the crucial role that male and female peasants play in this arduous task. During the International Year of Family Farming, La Vía Campesina looks to offer political proposals within the framework of Food Sovereignty, constructed by small farmers. The term 'family farming' is vast, and may include almost any agricultural model or method whose direct beneficiaries are not corporations or investors. It includes both small-scale and large-scale producers (with farms covering thousands of hectares), as well as small-scale producers who are entirely dependent on the private sector, through contract farming or other forms of economic exploitation, promoted though concepts such as "The value chain". This is why La Vía Campesina defends family farming in terms of peasant based ecological Farming, as opposed to the large-scale, industrial, toxic farming of agribusinesses, which expel peasants and small farmers and grab the world's lands. It is imperative, during this International Year of Family Farming, that critical steps be taken and that commitment be mobilised so that policies to protect and to strengthen peasant family farming might be implemented. La Vía Campesina supports a model of food production which promotes Food Sovereignty. This includes: Access and control over productive resources such as land, water, seeds and finance. It is important to highlight, in this space for discussion, the urgent need for Integral Agrarian Reform: the democratisation of land, and the creation of direct employment, housing and food production. We consider that the concept of integral agrarian reform should not be limited to just the redistribution of land. We support an Integral Agrarian Reform which offers full rights over lands, which recognises the legal rights of indigenous populations over their territories, which guarantees fishing communities access to and control over fisheries and ecosystems, and which recognises the right of access to and control over livestock migration routes and pastures; The recognition that female peasants and female agricultural workers have the same rights as their male counterparts; The prioritisation of local food systems and markets; The recognition of rights and protection against corporation-led production, and the large-scale production of agro-fuel; The use of ecological production methods. During this UN International Year, as La Vía Campesina, we contemplate certain threats such as the criminalisation, the judicialisation and the continuous repression under which male and female peasants live, not just at the hands of their states, but also at those of the transnational corporations. Conflicts over land and other natural resources exist throughout the world. Of the national governments, we therefore demand: an end to land grabbing, and that of water and seeds; that they promote policies which guarantee Food Sovereignty, biodiversity and peasants' seeds, and that they improve access to land and water; that they recognise peasant rights regarding the production, reproduction and exchange of their traditional seeds, guarantees of agro-biodiversity and peasants' autonomy; and that they increase the support and public investments for peasant based production, and guarantee markets and equitable trade. At international level, we urge governments to apply the Guidelines on Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests, and other key decisions from the Committee on World Food Security (CFS), and that they adopt the UN Declaration of Peasants' Rights. Additionally, we urge that they implement the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, and that they end negotiations for any new commercial agreements, particularly the TTIP (Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership) or the TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership). In La Vía Campesina, we believe that we have to use this year to redirect agriculture towards a model of Food Sovereignty which will generate employment, provide healthy food, and respect natural resources. We call for the creation of an alliance between countryside and city, that it might revive the peasants' dignity and highlight their great contribution to food production; we need important political changes, both for our tables and for our fields. CONTACT FOR THE PRESS: S.Kannaiyan: +91 9444979543 - sukannaiyan69(a)gmail.com Chukki Nanjundaswamy: + 919845066156 - chukki.krrs(a)gmail.com Andrea Ferrante: + 393480189221 - a.ferrante(a)aiab.it --

1 0

In order to feed Humanity, small farmers reclaim their rights!
by La Vía Campesina 19 Jun '14

19 Jun '14

IN ORDER TO FEED HUMANITY, SMALL FARMERS RECLAIM THEIR RIGHTS! (Geneva, 18 June 2014) From June 11th to the 13th, a delegation of La Via Campesina partook in the 26th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva in order to pursue its advocacy for the drafting of an International Declaration on the Rights of peasants and people working in rural areas. BACKGROUND This declaration stems from the international peasant movement called La Via Campesina which has been working on the stated project for over a decade. La Via Campesina, a movement composed of more than 160 peasants' organisations across 70 countries, assumes the task of identifying the various discriminations faced by people working in rural areas (farmers, rural workers, nomads, fisher(wo)men, indigenous and landless peoples, etc.) and to determine - with the support of organisations such as FIAN International and CETIM (Centre Europe - Tiers Monde) - the inherent rights attached to this group of people. After several studies undertaken by the Consultative Committee of the United Nations Human Rights Council, the Assembly (termed 'Council') accepted the final report in March 2012. In September 2012, it voted in favour of the resolution aiming at establishing an open intergovernmental working group in charge of drafting a declaration grounded on the project attached in the final report. In July 2013, this working group held its first working session. Following the 26th Human Rights Council meeting, the member states will vote on a resolution calling for the renewal of the intergovernmental group's mandate in order to further pursue the drafting of this declaration, on the basis of recommendations that will emerge out of the first working group meeting and from the consultative ones expected to be held between June and November 2014. INTENSE ADVOCACY La Via Campesina places great emphasis on the pursuit of this line of work, which is why it sent three farmer's leaders to participate in the aforementioned session: Ibrahim Coulibaly (CNOP - Mali), Geneviève Savigny (Confédération Paysanne - France) and Diego Monton (Cloc - Argentina). They all participated in a "parallel event" organised by the Bolivian and Filipino Ambassadresses on the topic of "Farmers' Rights and International Year of Family Farming". The panel was complemented by a video message by Mr. José Graziano da Silva, F.A.O. Director, and Mr. Christophe Golay from the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights. The Via Campesina delegation also participated in an open conference in Geneva and encountered several other African, European and Latin-American delegations. EUROPE IN LINE OF SIGHT Starting from June 16th, this delegation will be replaced by a strong delegation from the Eurocpean Coordination Via Campesina representing France, Belgium, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Germany and Switzerland. The farmer's organisations from the European region have since 2 to 3 months' time worked on a plea addressed to their respective governments, calling for their support in favour of the resolution which will be discussed and up for vote during the upcoming session. As a matter of fact, the European countries have been the most proactive in this matter to date. Hence yet another symbolic action will take place on the Place de la Nation on June 17th at 11.30am when the European peasant's leaders will meet the European delegations from the Human Rights Council. Uniterre/La Via Campesina MORE PICTURES ON VIACAMPESINATV [1] -- Links: ------ [1] http://tv.viacampesina.org/Ginebra-La-agricultura-campesina?lang=en

1 0

Nyeleni Newsletter: Creating knowledge for Food Sovereignty
by La Vía Campesina 18 Jun '14

18 Jun '14

READ THE NYELENI NEWSLETTER! CREATING KNOWLEDGE FOR FOOD SOVEREIGNTY [1] There is movement in the many worlds that are creating knowledge for food sovereignty! The stories in this newsletter provide a glimpse into some of these worlds. They show that we are questioning the assumption of a single truth based on objective knowledge. Also that our understanding of the world is enriched by considering it from multliple perspectives, multiple cosmovisions. They indicate that for these multiple cosmovisions to enter into an equal dialogue, common languages must be found. They show the need to challenge academic knowledge, but also to be open to being challenged by it. We need to radically transform dominant knowledge and ways of knowing for food sovereignty. Click here to download the english edition [1] or read it directly in the website at www.nyeleni.org [2]! Links: ------ [1] http://www.nyeleni.org/ccount/click.php?id=56 [2] http://www.nyeleni.org

1 0

Jump to page:

2025

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

Via-info-en