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17 April – International Day of Peasant Struggles | Call to Action
by La Via Campesina 22 Mar '23

22 Mar '23

*|MC:SUBJECT|* *|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|* 17 April – International Day of Peasant Struggles | Call to Action 17 March 2023 Food Sovereignty <https://us13.mailchimp.com/mctx/clicks?url=https%3A%2F%2Fviacampesina.org%2…>, Peasants' Rights <https://us13.mailchimp.com/mctx/clicks?url=https%3A%2F%2Fviacampesina.org%2…> La Via Campesina Call to Action | 17 March 2023 | Bagnolet: *Resist repression! Faced with global crises, we build food sovereignty to ensure a future for humanity!* *Call for Global Solidarity Actions* ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The International Day of Peasant Struggles is commemorated by La Via Campesina every year on 17 April to remember the Eldorado do Carajás massacre in 1996, where the State machinery, in cohorts with agribusiness interests, murdered 19 peasants who were defending their right to land. On this day, we also highlight and denounce the continued criminalization, oppression, and repression of peasants, workers, migrants, and indigenous people communities worldwide. *Our lives are at risk and so is the future of humanity* In the past few months alone, social movements in Brazil, Palestine, Paraguay, Colombia, Mali, Ecuador, France, Spain, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, South Korea, Kenya, Canada, Haiti, Guatemala and Peru have alerted the world about the serious violations of the rights of the peasant and rural communities. Hunger is also violence. The pandemic and ongoing conflicts have only accentuated hunger. All these so-called crises are an indictment of the dominant model of capitalism that exists today. Our territories, whose climate and biodiversity are continuously destroyed as capitalist interests impose new and increasingly dangerous technologies without any debate, consultation, or public participation, threaten every life system worldwide. Political and social instability is widespread as a result of systematic assassinations, massacres, forced disappearances, high rates of femicide, imprisonment, and arbitrary detention, intimidation, harassment, and threats, prosecution of defenders of territories, forced migration, and wars against ordinary people. *This 17th April, more than ever, we reaffirm that our fight is part of the defense of human rights and life as stated in the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Peasants and other People Working in the Rural Areas (UNDROP)*. As capital advances over territories that until recently were considered “marginal”, peasants, indigenous peoples, and other rural inhabitants represent the main frontier of resistance against the hydro-agro-extractivism of transnational mega-corporations. La Via Campesina is an expression of this collective action and resistance. This year, as our global movement marks its 30th anniversary, we are stepping up the pressure to build an alternative systemic model that guarantees social justice. *The 17th April is, therefore, a moment to reaffirm our concrete proposals. We will build a better society where our diverse societies realize their food sovereignty through the practice of peasant agroecology.* We will continue to defend our rights using UNDROP and other international instruments. We will build better societies with justice. Our local food production, self-determination with dignity, peace, popular peasant feminism, and people’s sovereignty are possible only with these tools. There is no future without food sovereignty! *Our call towards the 8th International Conference* *In November this year, La Via Campesina will convene its 8th International Conference in Nicaragua.* At this International Conference, we will bring together the diverse proposals that emerge from our 182 member organizations in 81 countries. We will learn from a diverse set of experiences that our peasant and indigenous communities have already put into practice. We will exchange and build a collective vision for the future based on these existing alternatives that are being practiced in our communities. And as we gather our proposals towards this important event, our rallying call to unite and build a new society is well expressed in the 8^th Conference slogan: *“Faced with the Global Crises, we build Food Sovereignty to ensure a Future for Humanity!”* The precondition for such a future is an immediate and unconditional end to the ongoing criminalization and persecution of peasant movements and their leaders. April is our moment to collectively denounce this persecution, to stand up united against the forces that oppress us. *This call is for all members of La Via Campesina to gather together this April and make ourselves seen and heard. Here is how we can do it:* * *Organize public demonstrations and forums* against the ongoing acts of criminalization in your territories. We are releasing a poster for you to adapt it, translate it, and share it in our communities. You can find it here <https://us13.mailchimp.com/mctx/clicks?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcloud.viacampesina…> and in its canva <https://us13.mailchimp.com/mctx/clicks?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.canva.com%2Fde…> version. * *Share the news and updates from these actions on social media* * Use the hashtags *#PeasantResistance* *#StopKillingUs #StopTheRepression*, and actively share photos, videos, and posters of your public actions, forums, and meetings. * Express our collective intent to exist, survive, and build a new society. Take our official slogan of the 8^th Conference: *“Faced with the Global Crises, we build Food Sovereignty to ensure a Future for Humanity!*” Transmit it, translate it, and adapt it through communication materials, press statements, and public actions. * Use the hashtag *#8ConfLVC* to highlight our efforts towards the 8th International Conference. * A promotional video for our upcoming 8th International Conference – our moment to gather and build our alternatives – will be released on Monday the 20th. * Follow the La Via Campesina website and social media handles for videos and more! We will also replug a series of illustrated educational materials on UNDROP popular educational materials, Peasant Seeds, and Peasant Feminism. * Email the details of your actions and events to communications(a)viacampesina.org We will be adding the details to a global map that plots all solidarity actions. *Faced with global crises, we build food sovereignty to ensure a future for humanity!* *—–* Twitter (@via_campesina) Facebook (@ViaCampesinaOfficial) Instagram (@la_via_campesina_official) Facebook <https://us13.mailchimp.com/mctx/clicks?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2…> Twitter <https://us13.mailchimp.com/mctx/clicks?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.twitter.com%2Fv…> Link <https://us13.mailchimp.com/mctx/clicks?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%…> Website <https://us13.mailchimp.com/mctx/clicks?url=https%3A%2F%2Fviacampesina.org%2…> To unsubscribe from the distribution list click here <https://us13.mailchimp.com/mctx/clicks?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmail.viacampesina.…> For questions or comments, email *lvcweb(a)viacampesina.org* <mailto:lvcweb@viacampesina.org?subject=Newsletter%20Comments%3A%20> *Website:* www.viacampesina.org *TV:* www.tv.viacampesina.org To subscribe to this newsletter - Click Here <https://us13.mailchimp.com/mctx/clicks?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmail.viacampesina.…>

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Call to Action | 08 March 2023 – International Working Women’s Day | La Via Campesina
by La Via Campesina 24 Feb '23

24 Feb '23

#8M23: "BY REBELLING, WE SOW POPULAR PEASANT FEMINISM, BUILD FOOD SOVEREIGNTY, AND ORGANIZE AGAINST CRISES AND VIOLENCE!" 23/02/23, BAGNOLET: La Via Campesina is calling for global solidarity actions on 8TH MARCH 2023, THE INTERNATIONAL WORKING WOMEN'S DAY. As peasants, landless women, indigenous women, fisherfolk, pastoralists, farmworkers, migrants, and diversity organizations within La Via Campesina, we acknowledge the specific struggles, the organization, the development of popular feminism, and the rebellion and resistance of women who fight on their own land and around the world to defend sustainability, food sovereignty, and social justice. We condemn the patriarchal and racist dimensions of capitalism that oppress society, particularly women, children, and individuals who do not conform to binary gender identities. In the current crisis of war and inequality, it is urgent to reaffirm our values of solidarity and internationalism, demand greater democracy and participation for communities, and continue to fight against all types of violence. Collective organization is essential to resist, to continue producing healthy food, and to reinforce Food Sovereignty as a way of life in our communities. As we prepare for La Via Campesina's 8th International Conference and 6th International Women's Assembly, scheduled to take place from November 23 to 28 in Nicaragua, we are actively working on the creation of the Peasant and Popular Feminism movement. Additionally, we are using our 'Stop Violence Against Women' campaign as both internal and external educational tools, engaging with communities, playing a transformative role in policymaking, and recognizing our fundamental role in food production. Our Peasant and Popular Feminism movement is anti-systemic, and we are engaged in a struggle against the hetero-patriarchal, racist, and colonialist system that imposes various forms of oppression on people and communities. Over the 30 years of our movement's existence, we have come to understand that it is only possible to dismantle this capitalist model if we simultaneously succeed in overcoming these oppressive relationships. The current expansion of capitalism in rural areas is sustained through a combination of oppression in agribusiness and extractivism, manifested in dispossession, evictions, and land grabbing. There has been a surge in criminalization and violence in rural communities. On this day of action and unity, we face the challenge of taking a stronger stance on global issues in the face of the prevailing model and the urgent need for a new society with new relationships, alternative ways of sharing work, and the creation of new values based on independence and reciprocity. As women members of La Via Campesina, we struggle for the land, because through Land Reform, peasant women are guaranteed the legal right to land. On this land, we produce food to feed our families and societies, secure our income, reduce violence, and combat machismo. Moreover, on this day, we are urging Member States to demonstrate a serious and sustained commitment to the UNITED NATIONS DECLARATION ON THE RIGHTS OF PEASANTS, PARTICULARLY WITH REGARD TO ARTICLE 4 [1], which addresses non-discrimination against women. This article states that 'Member States shall take appropriate measures to eliminate all forms of discrimination against peasant women and other women working in rural areas, and to promote their empowerment, enabling them to enjoy full and equal access to all human rights and fundamental freedoms, and to participate in economic, social, political and cultural development in the rural sector, and to benefit from it in full freedom.' In light of the alarming rates of feminicide worldwide, which expose the inadequacy of justice systems that perpetuate impunity and inaction, we must act urgently. It is imperative that we implement public policies aimed at eliminating all forms of gender-based violence and promote a more equitable society for everyone. Member states should prioritize investment in prevention, education, and communication programs that foster healthier and more compassionate communities and relationships. Today, we must remember and stand in solidarity with our peasant and indigenous women in Peru, who have been protesting in the streets for over two months against state and criminal repression in defense of their fundamental rights, including democracy. We must also celebrate the bravery of plantation workers in Sri Lanka who are striking for better wages and working conditions, and we must support the millions of peasant women in Asia and Africa who are fighting to protect their land, seeds, and forests. We must stand with Angelina, Oliva, and Rosa in Guatemala, three Q'eqchi' Maya leaders who were unjustly sentenced in a political trial for defending their land against the plundering and land-grabbing of businesses and state officials. This verdict exposes the structural racism of the Guatemalan justice system, which criminalizes those who defend their land and territory. We stand in solidarity with Palestinian women and the Palestinian people in their struggle for dignity and the right to live on the land illegally occupied by Israel for over 50 years. Let us draw inspiration from the courageous resistance in Haiti and the fight against imperialism. These rebellions are fueling the growth of popular peasant feminism, inspiring working-class women around the world to stand up and fight for their rights. In the last three years following the pandemic, the perpetuation of feminicide has undergone changes in terms of its conditions and characteristics. The violence against women has become more dangerous and misogynistic, resulting in the loss of thousands of lives and leaving children orphaned without any support from the state. This is precisely why the significance of #8M23 is more pronounced than ever before, as it provides a platform for women to voice their concerns and be seen as agents of political change. Through this movement, women can denounce the violence being perpetrated against them and expose instances of feminicide that are not limited to families alone but are also related to economic crime, territorial disputes among narco-traffickers, and the high prevalence of criminality. _BY REBELLING, WE SOW POPULAR PEASANT FEMINISM, BUILD FOOD SOVEREIGNTY, AND ORGANIZE AGAINST CRISES AND VIOLENCE!_ To find out more about Peasant and Popular Feminism, SEE OUR PUBLICATION HERE [2]. ------------------------- JOIN THE MOVEMENT! #8M23 * We are actively preparing for #8M23 by creating banners, organizing public protests, and taking direct action. * Join and follow us on social media using hashtags such as #WOMENINSTRUGGLE, #FOODSOVEREIGNTYNOW, #8CONFLVC, and #8M23. * Participate in symbolic actions such as marches, forums, fairs, and public speaking events to demand recognition of our rights in government policies and justice, and to put an end to violence against women and marginalized communities. Please send your press releases, statements, photos, and videos to COMMUNICATIONS(a)VIACAMPESINA.ORG We also invite you to make your own posters by downloading our templates and translating them into your own language. All the necessary resources for communication are available for DOWNLOAD HERE [3]. ------------------------- Links: ------ [1] https://viacampesina.org/en/undrop-illustrations/ [2] https://viacampesina.org/en/graphic-book-the-path-of-peasant-and-popular-fe… [3] https://cloud.viacampesina.org/s/6Gxct8dEPzzWkJN

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Earthquake in Syria & Turkey: La Via Campesina extends solidarity to affected communities
by La Via Campesina 21 Feb '23

21 Feb '23

*|MC:SUBJECT|* *|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|* Earthquake in Syria & Turkey: La Via Campesina extends solidarity to affected communities 20 February 2023 Emerging Regions <https://us13.mailchimp.com/mctx/clicks?url=https%3A%2F%2Fviacampesina.org%2…>, International Solidarity <https://us13.mailchimp.com/mctx/clicks?url=https%3A%2F%2Fviacampesina.org%2…> Bagnolet, 16-02-2023 La Via Campesina expresses its deepest condolences to the communities in Turkey and Syria affected by the devastating earthquakes. We mourn with those who have lost family, friends, and neighbors, and stand in solidarity with all those who have been injured or affected by the earthquakes. We also extend our gratitude to the civil movement that immediately responded to rescue and save lives in the affected areas. *While we have received information about the situation in urban areas, we urgently call for access to information about the situation of peasants and rural areas affected by the earthquake.* Beyond the loss of human and animal life, the destruction of production and means of production, such as animal feed and other inputs, is crucial for food production and survival. We request that all restrictions to communication channels enabling access to information from and toward the affected populations be removed to assess the specific needs of the affected rural communities. We urgently call for the withdrawal of any sanctions that harm the people, and for humanitarian aid to be sent to those in need of basic supplies such as water, food, and shelter, without discrimination based on race, ethnicity, religion, or gender. The earthquakes have exacerbated the vulnerability of communities in Syria affected by war and forced displacement for over a decade. In Turkey, the existing effects of the economic and political crisis on the population were multiplied by the earthquakes. *The vast majority of the human losses and damage is due to unplanned and unmonitored urbanization, which has occupied areas that were once agricultural lands.* The earthquake has also left many children orphaned and at the mercy of child-trafficking networks. Therefore, urgent policies to prevent this terrible situation are needed. We believe that the deaths and devastation resulting from the earthquakes are not solely due to natural disasters, but rather the consequence of inadequate political decisions that prioritize speculation and economic profit over life and nature. *Despite warnings of an earthquake of this magnitude for many years, constructions were not designed considering the right to safe housing. *The losses resulting from the earthquakes are not isolated incidents, but political crimes! We strongly defend the strategic importance of increasing agricultural lands in the region to ensure food sovereignty instead of real estate speculation that endangers human lives. *Therefore, we demand:* * *Immediate action to abolish any restrictions and sanctions that harm the people to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to the victims in Syria.* * *That the Syrian and Turkish governments open more crossings to allow aid delivery, rather than relying solely on the Bab al-Hawa border crossing between Turkey and Syria.* * *Holding those responsible and corrupted accountable for the destruction of agricultural lands for real estate projects and stopping this practice.* * *The Turkish and Syrian governments work together with peasants and people in the planning and implementation stages during the reconstruction and rehabilitation processes, by fulfilling their right to adequate and safe housing, and their right to food and food sovereignty so that there is no dependence on imported food and land grabbing through reconstruction and rehabilitation programs.* La Via Campesina once again reiterates its solidarity with all the peoples and peasants in Turkey and Syria during the reconstruction process. We will continue to work with our member organizations in Turkey and in the Arab Region and North Africa to globalize hope and struggle. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Facebook <https://us13.mailchimp.com/mctx/clicks?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2…> Twitter <https://us13.mailchimp.com/mctx/clicks?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.twitter.com%2Fv…> Link <https://us13.mailchimp.com/mctx/clicks?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%…> Website <https://us13.mailchimp.com/mctx/clicks?url=https%3A%2F%2Fviacampesina.org%2…> To unsubscribe from the distribution list click here <https://us13.mailchimp.com/mctx/clicks?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmail.viacampesina.…> For questions or comments, email *lvcweb(a)viacampesina.org* <mailto:lvcweb@viacampesina.org?subject=Newsletter%20Comments%3A%20> *Website:* www.viacampesina.org *TV:* www.tv.viacampesina.org To subscribe to this newsletter - Click Here <https://us13.mailchimp.com/mctx/clicks?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmail.viacampesina.…>

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La Via Campesina Greetings Card
by La Via Campesina 27 Dec '22

27 Dec '22

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UN Special Procedure on the UNDROP urgently needed to achieve social justice and equity and equality
by La Via Campesina 17 Dec '22

17 Dec '22

*|MC:SUBJECT|* *|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|* UN Special Procedure on the UNDROP urgently needed to achieve social justice and equity and equality /La Via Campesina Press Release/ (Bagnolet: December 16, 2022) This December 17th, the fourth anniversary of the international adoption and recognition of the human rights of peasants and other people working in rural areas, we reflect on the strides we have taken towards full implementation and enforcements of peasants’ rights. On this day in 2018, the UN General Assembly adopted the UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas (UNDROP) <https://us13.mailchimp.com/mctx/clicks?url=https%3A%2F%2Fviacampesina.org%2…>, beginning a new chapter to address peasants’ claims and interests and to ensure respect of their rights. It is important to highlight from the outset that the implementation of the UNDROP is underway in various forms, though not at the scale and urgency we desired, in many regions and countries[1] <https://us13.mailchimp.com/mctx/clicks?url=https%3A%2F%2Fviacampesina.org%2…>. The question of the extent to which states are making rights enshrined in the UNDROP a reality at local level is difficult to answer. The current geopolitical global context is fraught with a disturbing lack of political will to uphold human rights. Unhindered capitalism, protracted conflicts, and the climate crisis continue to deepen inequality; since the adoption of UNDROP in 2018, the world has experienced crisis after crisis. In the last four years, the number of undernourished increased by about 200 million. Hundreds of environmental and community defenders were killed defending the land rights of their people against appropriation by big businesses and state interlocutors. Under the cloud of the COVID-19 pandemic, workers’ rights were severely eroded. Instead of States upholding their obligations to safeguard the rights of marginalized people and to guarantee an enabling environment to address these interwoven crises, many governments look the other way as corporations profit on despair. The corporate false solutions (known as ‘nature-based solutions’ or net-zero schemes <https://us13.mailchimp.com/mctx/clicks?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eurovia.org%2F…>) to the climate crisis are expanding carbon markets and offsets into land and farming are a glaring example. Such solutions are terrible losses for peasants, Indigenous Peoples, fisherfolk, forest dwellers and others on the frontlines of the global climate crisis. Instead of shifting away from fossil fuel-based industrial agriculture and supporting food sovereignty and peasant agroecology – the real solutions to the current crises – many governments and leaders continue to prop up polluters in the interest of short-term economic security. Women, youth, gender and sexual diversities, migrants, farm workers and other vulnerable people, particularly those living in the rural areas, bear the full brunt of state neglect and negligence. Violence in various forms has increased against these groups as the crises worsen. More and more girls are forced in marriages, women’s sexual and reproductive rights are grossly violated, and basic health care is denied. Considering the gross injustices against peasants, their families, and other people working in rural areas, La Via Campesina (LVC) calls upon governments to accelerate the implementation of UNDROP at all levels. This is important as it empowers the peasants to improve their livelihoods, reinforce food sovereignty and agroecology, and strengthen the fight against the climate crisis and criminalization of our struggles. LVC is thus putting forth concrete demands in making UNDROP a lived reality for our communities. *Demand for a UN Special Procedure on the UNDROP* The implementation of UNDROP will only happen through mainstreaming and monitoring at the international level. Therefore, LVC and its allies are leading the struggle for the creation of a Special Procedure on the UNDROP. If created, this mechanism will allow for effective implementation through increased mainstreaming and monitoring at the international level. We call on all our allies, member organizations, and likeminded activists to increase their advocacy efforts in their countries and the UN bodies in support of the creation of the UNDROP Special Procedure at the UN Human Rights Council session scheduled in March 2023. We call on all countries to support peasant communities and to engage in the creation of this new UN monitoring mechanism. To build better and socially just societies, we urgently need transformative change from destructive, profit driven systems to people-centered systems that work in harmony with nature. A UN Special Procedure on the UNDROP will create a mechanism to begin identifying both rights violations and systemic solutions: we believe this will play an important role in the transformation process. The Special Procedure, housed within the Human Rights Council, could include a Working Group of Experts or a UN Special Rapporteur which will serve as follow-up mechanisms of the UNDROP, allowing for the monitoring of human rights situations of peasants and other people working in rural areas in different countries, and providing a space for discussion and exchange of ideas on good practices between states and between states and civil society organizations (in particular those organizations made up of the rights holders). *What have we been doing?* LVC members worldwide have brought UNDROP to our bases and grassroots at the national and local level with direct actions, formations, and creation of UNDROP popular materials. We will continue our efforts to translate UNDROP and the popular materials into our local languages to understand and increase ownership over this crucial tool of struggle. We call on our members, right-holders, and our allies to continue to raise awareness and use UNDROP as a tool in their daily fights. Cite and reference UNDROP at every available opportunity, discuss it at meetings <https://us13.mailchimp.com/mctx/clicks?url=https%3A%2F%2Fviacampesina.org%2…>, present it to lawyers and government officials, and relate it to personal and community contexts. Spreading UNDROP at the grassroots level is a powerful way to create momentum for change. *The UNDROP Popular Educational Toolkit is ready!* Between 2021 and 2022, LVC with FIAN International developed a UNDROP popular education toolkit <https://us13.mailchimp.com/mctx/clicks?url=https%3A%2F%2Fviacampesina.org%2…> to create broader awareness, promote deeper understanding and enhance capacities through training of rural people’s movements to effectively use the UNDROP to assert and advance our collective and individual rights. The toolkit, in 3 languages – English, French and Spanish, comprises of five booklets, an explanatory video <https://us13.mailchimp.com/mctx/clicks?url=https%3A%2F%2Fvimeo.com%2F771005…>, audio script[2] <https://us13.mailchimp.com/mctx/clicks?url=https%3A%2F%2Fviacampesina.org%2…>(2) and memes <https://us13.mailchimp.com/mctx/clicks?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcloud.viacampesina…>. This toolkit will play a crucial role to reconnect the UNDROP to the small-scale food producers worldwide – the same people who inspired its content, who worked on its development and whose Rights to dignified lives and livelihoods continues to be violated. *A new website to share UNDROP experiences* This month LVC, FIAN, CETIM and the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights are thrilled to launch a shared website dedicated to the UNDROP: /Defending Peasants’ Rights:Platform of rural struggles in action!/ <https://us13.mailchimp.com/mctx/clicks?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.defendingpeasan…>/–/ a broad knowledge base in three languages to share examples of UNDROP in action. On this December 17^th , we both celebrate the efforts of our movement to advocate for and implement the Declaration and call on governments to take urgent steps towards widespread adoption and implementation. There is no more time to waste: peasants and other people working in rural areas are the foundation of our agriculture and food systems and need their rights protected and upheld. We need peasants’ rights NOW! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [1] <https://us13.mailchimp.com/mctx/clicks?url=https%3A%2F%2Fviacampesina.org%2…> Bolivia, Canada, Cuba, Colombia, Indonesia, Nepal, Palestine, etc. UNDROP was used as a basis for making recommendations on the application of remedial actions in Paraguay and Argentina. [2] <https://us13.mailchimp.com/mctx/clicks?url=https%3A%2F%2Fviacampesina.org%2…> Available in January 2023 Facebook <https://us13.mailchimp.com/mctx/clicks?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2…> Twitter <https://us13.mailchimp.com/mctx/clicks?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.twitter.com%2Fv…> Link <https://us13.mailchimp.com/mctx/clicks?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%…> Website <https://us13.mailchimp.com/mctx/clicks?url=https%3A%2F%2Fviacampesina.org%2…> To unsubscribe from the distribution list click here <https://us13.mailchimp.com/mctx/clicks?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmail.viacampesina.…> For questions or comments, email *lvcweb(a)viacampesina.org* <mailto:lvcweb@viacampesina.org?subject=Newsletter%20Comments%3A%20> *Website:* www.viacampesina.org *TV:* www.tv.viacampesina.org To subscribe to this newsletter - Click Here <https://us13.mailchimp.com/mctx/clicks?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmail.viacampesina.…>

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#25nov2022 La Via Campesina: We defend Food Sovereignty and our territories from violence, evictions and agribusiness!
by La Via Campesina 15 Nov '22

15 Nov '22

LA VIA CAMPESINA: WE DEFEND FOOD SOVEREIGNTY AND OUR TERRITORIES FROM VIOLENCE, EVICTIONS AND AGRIBUSINESS! 15 NOVEMBER 2022 CAMPAIGN TO END VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN [1], PATRIACHY [2], WOMEN [3] _CALL TO ACTION_ (Bagnolet, November 15, 2022) On 25 November 2022, _International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women_, as peasants organised in La Via Campesina, we demand Food Sovereignty, the right to land, and an end to criminalisation and all types of violence in the countryside and the cities. At the same time, we condemn the fact that in the midst of a food, political and economic crisis, the rates of violence against women, children and minorities are alarmingly high. There is an urgent need to build societies free from violence and peaceful communities with social justice. In addition to the situation of structural violence experienced by women in the world, there is the high cost of living, the aftermath of COVID 19, the work of caring for the elderly and children due to lack of state infrastructure, lack of employment, forced displacement and migration, wars and climate disasters. Today more than ever we must consolidate Food Sovereignty as living spaces in the territories, and as a concrete way to confront capitalist, colonial and patriarchal policies that oppress and violate women and commodify life. Worldwide, it is estimated that 2 out of 3 women have suffered abuse in their lifetime. In the countryside, violence is further deepened by the expansion of agribusiness, extractivism and land grabbing, as well as the lack of policies to support peasants, especially women. The main economic resources are earmarked for large agricultural investments in agri-hydro and mining business. Meanwhile, violent evictions, feminicides and criminalisation continue with total impunity in complicity with the state and the judiciary. Throughout these 30 years, the political proposals of La Via Campesina have remained valid and more relevant than ever, and peasants play a fundamental role in Food Sovereignty, in the conservation of biodiversity, in the production of healthy food with agroecological practices, in markets, in the family economy, and in political and organisational life. However, peasant women, indigenous women, sea and forest women, landless women, fisherwomen, and pastoralists continue to demand structural equality, paid and dignified work in the countryside, recognition of care work, guaranteed political participation, access to land, the right to basic services and investment in peasant agriculture as recognised in the Declaration on the Rights of Peasants adopted by the UN in 2018. Article 4: Non-discrimination against women: * States shall take all appropriate measures to eradicate all forms of discrimination against rural women and other women working in rural areas and to promote their empowerment so that they may fully enjoy, on equal terms with men, all human rights and fundamental freedoms and be able to work for, participate in and benefit freely from the economic, social, political and cultural development of the rural environment. LET'S DEFEND OUR TERRITORIES FROM AGRIBUSINESS AND FEMICIDES! We cannot allow agribusiness and the plague of feminicide to advance in our territories; feminicides are today the most violent expression of patriarchy over women's bodies, and the numbers are growing all over the world. This is why we call on our member organisations and allies to commit to our STOP VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED IN 2008, which is a political and pedagogical tool for dialogue within our organisations, regions and with societies. It also allows us to articulate struggles with women's organisations and diversities in the cities to demand rights, justice and an end to impunity. Currently, the Americas is one of the most violent continents for women, with most of these murders occurring in the family environment as well as by common and organised crime. For example, in Ecuador, a feminicide is registered every 31 hours. While in Brazil, one occurs every 7 hours and a rape every 10 minutes. In Europe, the rise of the extreme right is causing an increase in cases of femicide, as in Italy, where these cases increased by 15%, in France, where femicides are recorded every 48 hours, and in Spain, where 76 femicides and other murders of women have been recorded so far in 2022. Violence against women and children is also high in Africa, particularly in conflict zones such as the Democratic Republic of Congo. In South Africa, from April to June 2022, more than 9,500 cases of rape were reported, and almost 4,000 of these rapes took place inside homes. Likewise, in Southeast Asia, 33 percent of women with intimate partners between the ages of 15 and 49 will experience physical and/or sexual violence by a current or former husband or male partner at least once in their lifetime, according to reports. In this sense, as La Via Campesina, we urge States to invest in public policies for prevention of and response to gender-based violence, we demand mechanisms so that justice bodies are aware of gender issues, so that they have empathy and respect when dealing with these cases, as well as political and economic conditions on the part of the State that guarantee sufficient experts and respect for the dignity of the survivors. Women all over the world require comprehensive public health care and guarantees of their human rights. Instruments such as the purple code, which aims to protect and give priority attention to women victims of gender-based violence, have proven not to work, and survivors are re-victimised through long and tedious legal proceedings, which is why many women drop their complaints. In many countries and cultures, girls continue to be forced to marry and give birth, while millions of women die from back-alley abortions, with no guarantee of their sexual and reproductive rights such as access to dignified menstruation. That is why as La Via Campesina, every 25 November, we raise our voice for memory, justice and reparations for all women who struggle, defenders of territories and survivors of violence. We stand in solidarity with the families and organisations, and express our concern for all defenders, women, youth and minorities who experience harassment, violence and reprisals from the state, transnational corporations and the judiciary for their active resistance to agribusiness. On this day of action, together with organised and rebellious women from all over the world, we will call for marches, forums, direct actions in courts, fairs and other events denouncing the daily and structural violence experienced by women and peasant minorities. DOWNLOAD AND SHARE! _#StopViolenceAgainstWomen #25Nov22_ [4] You are very important to amplify our voices and actions, we need to show unity of action, download our official poster and communication materials for social networks available in ES, FR and EN, you can also find a blank version to put it in your local language, HERE [4]. Check out our publication " The Path of Peasant and Popular Feminism in La Via Campesina", STUDY VERSION [5] and GRAPHIC VERSION [6] for grassroots work. JOIN US! Send us information about your actions, videos and photos to our email: communications(a)viacampesina.org, tag us on social media: Twitter (@via_campesinaSP/@via_campesina/@viacampesinaFR), Facebook (@viacampesinaOFFICIAL), Instagram (@la_via_campesina_oficial), and make our collective mobilisation for societies free from violence and agribusiness globally visible. Links: ------ [1] https://viacampesina.org/en/what-are-we-fighting-against/patriachy/campaign… [2] https://viacampesina.org/en/what-are-we-fighting-against/patriachy/ [3] https://viacampesina.org/en/who-are-we/women/ [4] https://cloud.viacampesina.org/s/xcKJdZjs7aqSbzw [5] https://viacampesina.org/en/publication-the-path-of-peasant-and-popular-fem… [6] https://viacampesina.org/en/graphic-book-the-path-of-peasant-and-popular-fe…

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La Via Campesina Call to Action for the 27th UN Climate COP
by La Via Campesina 03 Nov '22

03 Nov '22

*|MC:SUBJECT|* *|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|* (Bagnolet, October 31, 2022) Year after year, one UN Climate Conference of the Parties (COP) after another, the global climate crisis only worsens. Caused in great part by agribusiness and the destructive capitalist system it fuels, today’s crisis is a direct result of an economic system that exploits every form of life without recognizing any limits to nature. Mother Earth’s intricate systems and life-sustaining cycles are broken, with the devastating Covid19 pandemic, and the inaccessibility of health care for many, demonstrating just how cruel capitalism can be when it comes to inflicting the pain, suffering and loss, caused by the destruction of nature. Be it in Pakistan, Palestine or Puerto Rico – to name just a few – the once distant threat of “climate change” now comes in wave after wave of “catastrophic weather events” making climate-fueled tragedies an all-too-frequent part of people’s daily lives. From droughts to floods, through wildfires and hurricanes, these extreme manifestations have threatened and even destroyed people’s lives and food sovereignty, who are calling for real solutions to limit global warming to 1.5°C. As if that weren’t enough, wars, occupations and sanctions are dished out by the power-hungry with little regard for the UN-recognized rights to Food, Health, Peace and Self-Determination, much less the now universal human right to a “clean, healthy and sustainable environment” (UN General Assembly, 2022). In addition, The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI, 2022) reported that the climate vulnerable and extremes underline rising numbers of hungry people, poverty and inequality. At the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its annual Climate COPs, transnational corporations (TNCs) use their control over most national governments and multilateral institutions to commodify the crisis, deny fossil fuel capitalism has anything to do with it, and limit any real possibility of transformative change. Though the corporate food system is responsible for more than 50% of all greenhouse gasses (GHGs), the Bayer-Monsanto’s of the world offer nothing more than profit-hungry proposals packaged into shameful “net zero” schemes. Instead of a very real, urgent and necessary reduction in emissions – whose main responsibility lies with the elites of historic emitters such as the United States, Europe, Canada and Australia – corporate false solutions provide a free pass to the dominant colonial core while leading a global assault on rural communities, livelihoods and territories. So-called “nature-based solutions” (NBS) such as REDD and REDD+, “soil c/arbon for offsetting”/ and other market-based trading schemes, and the corporate takeover of agriculture through patenting, “digitalization”, “sustainable intensification” and “climate-smart(ation)” are all big wins for agribusiness but terrible losses for peasants, indigenous peoples, fisherfolk, forest dwellers and others on the frontlines of the global climate crisis. And when the great hoax of “net zero” fails to calm the climate, transnational corporations promise extremely high-risk geoengineering will somehow save the day (or at least their profit margins). This has been the norm at Climate COP after Climate COP, and the 27th Annual Conference of the Parties (COP27) is unlikely to be any different. Supposedly “Africa’s COP”, this year’s Climate COP is set to take place at the elitist and artificial enclave that is Egypt’s Sharm el Sheikh. Far removed from the African and Arab People’s steadfast struggles for self-determination, COP27 is leaving very little room for organized communities to speak truth to corporate power. For this reason, among others, many of our sister organizations of the Africa Climate Justice Collective (ACJC) organized the African People’s Counter COP demanding real solutions rooted in climate justice, a prioritization of people and the planet, and an end to corporate control of the UNFCCC. These demands are in line with our hard-fought UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas (UNDROP):/“States shall take all necessary measures to ensure that non-State actors that they are in a position to regulate, such as private individuals and organizations, and transnational corporations and other business enterprises, respect and strengthen the rights of peasants and other people working in rural areas..(and)…take appropriate measures to ensure that peasants and other people working in rural areas enjoy, without discrimination, a safe, clean and healthy environment”./ It is precisely because of this context that La Vía Campesina will be at COP27. Delegates from member organizations will make their voices, traditions, experiences and solutions heard. We will continue to promote, practice and uplift /Food Sovereignty/ as the right of peoples to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods and the right to define our food and agricultural systems. We will explain once again that peasants through agroecological practices and territories cultivate more than 70% of the food produced worldwide on less than 30% of the arable lands available. We will emphasize that /Agroecology/ is a sustainable path forward based on centuries of experience and accumulated real evidence – it is a science, a social movement and a lifestyle practised by millions around the world through meaningful work, cooperation, strategy and organization. We will amplify and share /UNDROP/, an international legal instrument that we helped to create and that defends people’s rights over their territories, seeds, waters, forests and that promotes a more sustainable way of being and living. We will stand in S/olidarity /with all who struggle for collective rights and reiterate the need for “/common but differentiated responsibilities/” among States – including a vibrant Green Climate Fund free of any International Monetary Fund (IMF) or World Bank (WB) influence, void of all neo-liberal impositions that serve only to further exploit people and the planet, and fully financed through climate reparations for the colonial legacies of the past and present. We stand in solidarity with and support those in the Climate Justice Movement demanding climate just reparations, not simple “climate finance”. Finally, we will be in COP27 continuing to expand our arms and shoulders building solidarity, action and common strategy with grassroots organizations, alliances and social movements from around the world fighting for climate and social justice. While most national governments and multilateral institutions offer capitalist solutions that systematically fail to address the climate crisis, we, the organized voice of over 200 million peasants, landless workers, indigenous people, pastoralists, fishers, migrant, farmworkers, small and medium-size farmers, rural women, peasant youth and gender-diverse persons of La Via Campesina, in convergence with a diversity of movements for Climate Justice, reiterate here and now our real solutions: *FOOD SOVEREIGNTY COOLS THE PLANET ! *We will build it with agroecology and peasants’ rights to ensure a /Just Transition/ rooted in people’s power, ecological and social well being, and solidarity at the local, regional and international context. Together, in struggle, we will win! *PEASANTS RIGHTS’ AND AGROECOLOGY FOR A JUST TRANSITION!* *GLOBALIZE THE STRUGGLE!* *GLOBALIZE HOPE!* /For media inquiries, contact:/ press(a)viacampesina.org <mailto:communication@viacampesina.org> Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/viacampesinaOFFICIAL> Twitter <http://www.twitter.com/via_campesina> Link <https://www.instagram.com/la_via_campesina_official/> Website <https://viacampesina.org/> To unsubscribe from the distribution list click here <https://mail.viacampesina.org/lists/listinfo/Via-info-en> For questions or comments, email *lvcweb(a)viacampesina.org* <mailto:lvcweb@viacampesina.org?subject=Newsletter%20Comments%3A%20> *Website:* www.viacampesina.org *TV:* www.tv.viacampesina.org To subscribe to this newsletter - Click Here <https://mail.viacampesina.org/lists/listinfo/Via-info-en>

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October 16th Statement : Food Sovereignty is the only solution and way forward
by La Via Campesina 17 Oct '22

17 Oct '22

FOOD SOVEREIGNTY IS THE ONLY SOLUTION AND WAY FORWARD 16 OCTOBER 2022 AGROECOLOGY AND PEASANTS'SEEDS [1], FOOD SOVEREIGNTY [2], LAND, WATER AND TERRITORIES [3], TRANSNATIONAL COMPANIES AND AGRIBUSINESS [4] OCTOBER 16TH STATEMENT Our fragile world faces an impending global food crisis. The impact of COVID-19 pushed more people into poverty. Lockdowns devastated family livelihoods, the economy, and disrupted supply chains. Globally, according to the Global Report on Food Crises (_GRFC 2022_) [5], levels of hunger remain as alarmingly high as in 2021, around 193 million people are acutely food insecure and in need of urgent assistance across 53 countries. This acute hunger is driven by conflicts, climatic shocks, the dramatic economic and social fallout from the COVID pandemic and lately by war in Ukraine. Food commodity prices at the start of 2022 were at a 10-year high, and fuel prices at a seven-year high. The current food crisis is about affordability; even in places where food is available its cost is beyond the reach for millions of people while rising prices deepen the challenges for those barely able to pay for food in normal times. The food crisis at the moment is unique because it is unfolding amid a more difficult global context than with the food and fuel crises of 2008. The intensity and frequency of climatic shocks have more than doubled compared with the first decade of this century. About 1.7 billion people were affected by climate-related disasters, almost 90 per cent of them became climate refugees in last 10 years. Hunger, malnutrition and poverty are harder to overcome because of on-going wars, conflicts and natural disasters. These disrupts all aspects of a food system, from the harvesting, processing and transport of food to its sale, availability and consumption. But ending hunger isn't only about supply. Enough food is produced today to feed everyone on the planet. The problem is access and availability of nutritious food, which is increasingly impeded by multiple challenges including the COVID-19 pandemic, conflict, climate change, inequality, rising prices and international tensions. As the shift from multilateralism to multi-stakeholderism proliferates across UN platforms, corporations have continued to gain control of the narratives for change. Corporate power in food and agriculture systems has continued to grow too, and financialization is converting food and land into objects of speculation. The recent UNFSS process is a clear example of this tendency. The failure of the neoliberal policies and industrial agriculture (including GMOs) in increasing yields and profits led to the concentration of corporate power in few transnational corporations (TNCs) which are controlling Big Data, agricultural land, ocean resources, seeds and agrochemicals, and aim to increasingly dominate our food systems and appropriate the 80% of the food produced by Family Farmers. Financialization led to an unprecedented market concentration to enhance new investments in Research and Development (R&D and (bio)technologies, with the aim to extend the frontiers of capitalism to capture all the world biodiversity. World-wide, there is a trend towards shrinking space for civil society and reduced ambition for defending human rights. The activists at the local level are more and more vulnerable to human rights violation, oppression, and criminalization. The physical violence of state-sponsored repression using security and military forces have targeted individuals and embattled masses of peaceful protesters around the world. On the other hand, the primacy and legitimacy of the public sector is increasingly threatened by corporate capture of policy processes and a development narrative that assigns a lead role to private sector investment, while multilateralism is under attack from virulently populist nationalism and corporate-promoted multi-stakeholderism. In the past three decades there has been a growth of an increasingly robust, diversified and articulated network of small-scale food producers, workers and other social actors ill-served by the corporate-led globalized food system who advocate for a radical transformation of food and agricultural systems based on food sovereignty. These movements have been resolutely engaged in defending and building ecologically and socially sustainable, and territorially embedded food provisioning arrangements that tend to be termed 'alternative,' although they are responsible for up to 70% of the food consumed in the world. Rethinking agriculture policies as a matter of economic and national security must be a priority. The food sovereignty movement has been a dynamic part of the articulation of transformation and solutions since 1990s, through the landmark Nyéléni Food Sovereignty forum in 2007 and agroecology forum in 2015. 25 years after the creation of the concept of _Food Sovereignty, _our movements join their voices to call for systemic change to open the path for a future of hope. WE DEMAND IMMEDIATE ACTION TO: * End of speculation on food and the suspension of trading food products on stock markets. The price of food traded internationally should be linked with the costs of production and follow the principles of fair trade, both for producers and for consumers; * End of the WTO's control of food trade and keep food production out of free trade agreements. Countries should have public food stockpiles, and regulate the market and prices, so that they can support small-scale food producers in this challenging context; * Create a new international body to conduct transparent negotiations on commodity agreements between exporting and importing countries so that countries which have become dependent on food imports can have access to food at an accessible price; * Forbid the use of agricultural products to produce agrofuel or energy. Food should be an absolute priority over fuel. * Bring a global moratorium on the payment of the public debt by the most vulnerable countries. Pressuring such countries to pay the debt is highly irresponsible and leads to socio, economic, and food crises. WE DEMAND RADICAL CHANGES IN INTERNATIONAL, REGIONAL AND NATIONAL POLICIES TO RE-BUILD FOOD SOVEREIGNTY THROUGH: * A radical change in international trade order. WTO should be dismantled. A new global framework for trade and agriculture, based on food sovereignty, should open the way for strengthening local and national peasant agriculture, to ensure a stable basis for a re-localized food production, the support for local and national peasant-led markets, as well as to provide a fair international trading system based on cooperation and solidarity; * The implementation of popular and integral Agrarian Reform, to stop the grabbing by TNCs of water, seeds and land, and ensure small-scale producers fair rights over productive resources. We protest against the privatization and grabbing of territories and commons by corporate interests under the pretext of nature protection, through carbon markets or other biodiversity off-sets programs, without consideration to the people who are living on these territories and who have been taking care of the commons for generations; * A radical shift towards agroecology to produce healthy food for the world. We must face the challenge of producing enough quality food while reviving biodiversity and drastically reducing GHG emissions. * Effective input market regulation (such as credits, fertilizers, pesticides, seeds, fuel) to support peasants' capacity to produce food, but also to ensure a fair and well-planned transition toward more agroecological farming practices; * A food governance based on the people, not on TNCs. The capture of food governance by TNCs should be stopped, and people's interests should be put at the center. Small producers should be given a vital role in all bodies dealing with food governance; * The transformation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants into a legally binding instrument for the defense of rural peoples. * The development in every country of public stockpiling capacities. The strategy of food stockpiling should be held both at the national level but also through the creation and public support to food reserves at the community level, with locally produced food coming from agroecological farming practices; * A global moratorium on dangerous technologies that threatens humanity, such as geoengineering, GMOs or cellular meat. The promotion of low-cost techniques that increase peasant autonomy and of peasant's seeds; * The development of public policies to ensure new relationships between those who produce food and those who consume, those who live in rural areas and those who live in urban areas, guaranteeing fair prices defined based on the cost of production, allowing a decent income for all those who produce in the countryside and a fair access to healthy food for the consumers; * The promotion of new gender relations based on equality and respect, both for people living in the countryside and among the urban working class. The violence against women must stop now. Facebook [6]Twitter [7]WhatsApp [8]Telegram [9]Email [10] 25 Years of Food Sovereignty [11] Links: ------ [1] https://viacampesina.org/en/what-are-we-fighting-for/biodiversity-and-genet… [2] https://viacampesina.org/en/what-are-we-fighting-for/food-sovereignty-and-t… [3] https://viacampesina.org/en/what-are-we-fighting-for/agrarian-reform/ [4] https://viacampesina.org/en/what-are-we-fighting-against/transnational-comp… [5] https://docs.wfp.org/api/documents/WFP-0000138913/download/?_ga=2.41573088.… [6] https://viacampesina.org/#facebook [7] https://viacampesina.org/#twitter [8] https://viacampesina.org/#whatsapp [9] https://viacampesina.org/#telegram [10] https://viacampesina.org/#email [11] https://viacampesina.org/en/tag/25-years-of-food-sovereignty/

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UNDROP Thematic Booklet No. 2: “Peasant Rights and Food Production” Now Available
by La Via Campesina 05 Oct '22

05 Oct '22

Send [1] UNDROP THEMATIC BOOKLET NO. 2: "PEASANT RIGHTS AND FOOD PRODUCTION" NOW AVAILABLE [2] The Second Thematic Booklet on "Peasant Rights and Food Production [2]" is now available! This is the second of four thematic booklets--part of the popular education materials to be used as a crucial step in reconnecting those who inspired and created United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in the Rural Areas (UNDROP). The right of peasants to participate and define their own food production systems is an essential part of food sovereignty. In our struggle to affirm and protect this right, we can learn how to use the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas (UNDROP) in our own contexts (See the introductory booklet [3]in this series for background information on UNDROP). The different ways peasants grow, gather, hunt, raise, and make food are together called peasant food production. Food production is the foundation of peasant food systems. Of course, equitable access to resources is vital for thriving peasant food systems (see the previous thematic booklet on access to resources [4]). THIS SECOND THEMATIC BOOKLET ON PEASANT RIGHTS AND FOOD PRODUCTION [2] EXPLORES how UNDROP can be used to (1) address and protect peasants' rights to produce food on our own terms and challenge monopolies that control the land, tools, and technology, (2) transform food production and industrial food system into one based on agroecology and food sovereignty, (3) fight for the protection of traditional knowledge systems and cultures that shape peasant food production, (4) understand state's responsibilities and empower ourselves to raise our voices, and work towards comprehensive popular agrarian reforms to achieve food sovereignty. DOWNLOAD THE PDF COPY HERE [2]DOWNLOAD [2] ABOUT POPULAR EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS The popular educational materials will help us to effectively use the UNDROP in our struggles to assert and advance our collective and individual rights. They will help to create broader awareness, promote deeper understanding and enhance capacities (through training) of rural people's movements. We should use this booklet as a foundational tool to ensure that the UNDROP will be respected, implemented and promoted at all levels, from local to international, from community customs to policymaking mechanisms. The UNDROP popular educational materials are being developed by La Via Campesina and FIAN International. ACCESS THEM ALL HERE [5]. Facebook [6]Twitter [7]WhatsApp [8]Telegram [9]Email [10] Featured [11] UNDROP Booklet 2022 [5] This article is available in * Español [12] * Français [13] Links: ------ [1] https://webmail.viacampesina.org/?_task=mail&_action=compose&_id=69… [2] https://viacampesina.org/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/LVC-EN-Thema… [3] https://viacampesina.org/en/training-modules-un-declaration-on-rights-of-pe… [4] https://viacampesina.org/en/undrop-thematic-booklet-no-1-access-to-resource… [5] https://viacampesina.org/en/tag/undrop-booklet-2022/ [6] https://viacampesina.org/#facebook [7] https://viacampesina.org/#twitter [8] https://viacampesina.org/#whatsapp [9] https://viacampesina.org/#telegram [10] https://viacampesina.org/#email [11] https://viacampesina.org/en/tag/zoom-on-featured/ [12] https://viacampesina.org/es/cartilla-tematica-n2-derechos-campesinos-y-prod… [13] https://viacampesina.org/fr/le-livret-thematique-n2-de-lundrop-droits-des-p…

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August News Wrap: News and Updates from LVC members Worldwide!
by La Via Campesina 02 Sep '22

02 Sep '22

*|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|* August News Wrap | LVC Subscribe [1] | Donate [2] AUGUST NEWS WRAP: NEWS AND UPDATES FROM LVC MEMBERS WORLDWIDE! _Monthly news wrap of updates and articles posted by the members of La Via Campesina on various social media platforms. Here are the updates from August!_ ------------------------- Pakistan is in the grip of unprecedented flooding that has already taken over 1300 lives and affected more than 50 million people. The torrential rains have also washed away roads, crops, homes, bridges and other infrastructure. The country's Federal Minister of Climate Change, Sherry Rehman, described the situation as a "climate-induced humanitarian disaster of epic proportions." Pakistan Kissan Rabita Committee, the LVC member in Pakistan, has worked with other citizen groups to mobilise materials and volunteers for relief camps [3] in Southern Punjab, Sindh, and Balochistan. Civil society members in Lahore came together to collect materials [4]and put together a team of volunteer doctors who could work in the relief camps. Monstrous floods in Pakistan are not isolated events. News of heatwaves, droughts and wildfires have been increasingly hogging headlines worldwide. In May, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) predicted that the world is poised to break a crucial heat barrier by 2025. ------------------------- YET, DESPITE THESE EXTREME CLIMATIC EVENTS, WHICH DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECT PEASANTS, FISHERFOLKS AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLES, GOVERNMENTS AND AGRIBUSINESSES ARE UNRELENTING IN REPRESSING THOSE WHO RESIST AND QUESTION THE STATUS QUO. The July Newswrap ended with an alert about Thailand's growing repression against protestors and students. In August, instances of repression of social movements and human rights activists only grew further, with the news of the arrest of Chintaka Rajapaksa of MONLAR [5] and other activists in Srilanka for taking part in peoples' protest, and then detention, imprisonment and criminalisation of five peasants in Indonesia [6] for protesting land grabbing by a plantation firm. Chintaka was granted bail [7] on August 26. La Via Campesina also condemns [8] the recent arrest of Walden Bello in the Philippines over statements he made during the electoral campaign. It is unacceptable that governments everywhere are resorting to brutal police actions and illegal detentions to silence and intimidate us. In another shocking incident this month, the offices of six Palestinian human rights organisations, including LVC's member organisation UAWC, were illegally raided and locked up [9] by the Israeli Occupation's military forces. Multiple International institutions, such as the UN Human Rights Council [10], denounced the intimidation and criminalisation tactics followed by the Israeli army. Yet, these illegal and criminal acts continue with impunity. In another instance in Peru, the headquarters of the National Agrarian Confederation, a member of LVC, was attacked [11] on August 9. A pellet shot destroyed the glass façade of the building. The attack occurred after several national peasant and indigenous leaders announced a press conference regarding the country's political crisis. This building is usually a meeting point for several national organisations to build a process favouring Food Sovereignty and the recent Agrarian Reform Law. Part of this trend of persecution and harassment by private groups interested in land grabbing is what is happening in Santiago del Estero, Argentina, where several peasant families have been violently evicted from their homes [12] with the backing of court orders. These actions blatantly violate the many provisions cited in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas and many other International Humans Rights Instruments. DESPITE THESE HARDSHIPS, THE PEASANT MEMBERS OF THE MOVEMENT CONTINUE TO ADVANCE THEIR STRUGGLES FOR PEASANTS' RIGHTS. In Thailand, the Assembly of the Poor held webinars [13] and public meetings [14] on land reform and land use in the country's South and Central regions. The Northern Peasants' Federation (NPF) held a public demonstration [15] against the Forest Reclamation Policy, which, in essence, accuses the people who live in "forest areas" of causing climate change and natural disasters. In related news, to mark the World Amazon Day, the Mouvement d'Action Paysanne [16] and other associations have called for a demonstration at the central station in Brussels on September 4. They insist that governments must assume their responsibilities regarding the climate crisis, which ravages populations with heat waves, forest fires, torrential rains and droughts worldwide. The peasant and indigenous movements in Chile are living a crucial moment [17] for advancing their struggles. On September 4, the government will put the proposal for a New Constitution to referendum. The peasant and indigenous peoples' organisations that are part of the process have included, among their main recommendations, the right of peasants and indigenous peoples to the unrestricted use and exchange of traditional seeds. If approved, this would mean a significant advance against the neoliberal policies that the country has been promoting for years. India's peasant movements caught the world's attention in 2021 after a year-long protest against attempts to introduce market-friendly reforms in the agricultural sector. They also demanded a legally guaranteed minimum support price (MSP) for their produce. The historic protest had forced the Indian government to withdraw the controversial laws, and the State had guaranteed to set up a consultative committee to review the Support Prices. Yet, several months later, the coalition of farm unions that led the protest remained disillusioned by the lack of meaningful and concrete actions to bring MSP. In August, they held a 75-hour-long rally at Lakhimpur Kheri [18] in India, the site of a gruesome murder of protesting peasants last year, demanding the resignation of a Senior Minister whose son is allegedly involved in the crime. Similar protests were also held in other locations. They have warned of widespread agitation [19] if their demand for a legally guaranteed support price is not met. Bhartiya Kisan Union and Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha, both LVC members, are part of the coalition of farm unions leading this agitation. Tea garden workers in Bangladesh are protesting on the streets. [20] Nearly 150,000 tea garden workers, among the lowest paid in the country, demand an increase in daily wage by 150 per cent. Meanwhile, even as workers struggle for basic wages, grain traders to supermarkets, transnational corporations are binging on profits [21] throughout the food chain! In similar news from Florida, United Farm Workers and the farm workers in California completed a 335-mile walk to the state capitol [22] to tell Governor Newsom to sign the bill giving farmworkers greater voting rights for workplace unionisation. The Union Paysanne in Canada [23] alerts us about a collective action against Syngenta, a herbicide manufacturer, in Quebec: it is being filed on behalf of all Quebecers diagnosed with Parkinson's disease after being repeatedly exposed to this herbicide traded mainly under the Gramoxone brand. The Union Paysanne has also announced its participation at the Urban Harvest Festival [24] in Quebec City on September 10, where members will share their knowledge of organic and peasant agriculture. PEASANT AGROECOLOGY IS AT THE HEART OF THE MOVEMENT La Via Campesina has repeatedly pointed out [25] that a radical overhaul of the global food system is urgent and necessary to address the ongoing crises of hunger, migration, poverty and global warming. The movement has insisted that food sovereignty achieved through peasant agroecological methods is a critical pillar in this fight for systemic change. The agroecological schools run by peasants demonstrate how pragmatic these solutions are. As part of a series on agroecology for Mongabay, author and sustainable food advocate Anna Lappé had a chance to catch up with peasant leader Chukki Nanjundaswamy in August (via Zoom), where they explained this philosophy [26] further. On similar lines, in the last episode of a three-part podcast series - [27]_Agroecology and Building a Food System that Works!_ [27]- Jessie MacInnis, a peasant farmer, academic, activist, and NFU board, explains how agroecology is helpful for her farm and can benefit farmers of all scales. Similar educational processes are taking place in France, where our members, MODEF and the Confédération Paysanne, are organising a conference [28] to raise awareness of food sovereignty on September 3 and a meeting of women land workers [29] on September 17-18, respectively. To connect these solutions to our peasant struggles in the United States, our members, the National Family Farm Coalition and Rural Coalition, are participating in a joint event on land grabbing [30]this September 7, addressing land rights issues, eco-justice, climate and financial speculation. In Uganda, the Eastern Africa Eastern and Southern Africa Small-scale Farmers' Forum Uganda (ESAFF Uganda) started an initiative [31] to train journalists and communicators on agroecology [31]. Small-scale farmers in Uganda are determined to scale agroecology through practice and policy actions. The organisation believes that if the journalists and communicators understand agroecology, they will report more and help upscale the practice. Brazil's Latin American School of Agroecology (ELAA) [32] offers a course for students and young adults who have already finished high school and are looking for political and technical training in agroecology. The school is a product of the struggle of peasant organisations of LVC Brazil and has just celebrated its 17th anniversary. >From the Caribbean region, a political declaration of the XVII CLOC - Via Campesina Youth Camp [33], held from August 25 to 28 in the Dominican Republic, tells us about the process of political and agroecological formation in which young people from several countries in the region are protagonists. The Dominican Republic also hosted the Training School of the Articulation of Women of the Caribbean Region. The Korean Women's Peasant Association held a policy workshop for its peasant members to study and analyse the legal status of women farmers in the country. KWPA and the Korean Peasant League members also attended an agroecological learning exchange hosted by Serikat Petani Indonesia [34]. They use the peasant-to-peasant learning method at the workshop to share agroecological practices. The Sister's Garden continued to promote its agroecological produce [35] on its Facebook page. Korean Peasant League also issued the latest edition of its peasant newsletter [36] that summarises the many actions in the country. The Land Workers Alliance Film Club will kick off its second season by screening the critically acclaimed, award-winning feature documentary 'The Island and the Whales' on Sunday, September 18, followed by a live Q&A. You can either watch along live [37] or on catch-up until September 25. They will also participate in the People's Food Summit [38], with workshops, talks, food and music on how to build food sovereignty in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. In the Western and Central Africa region, our members have started preparing for the 8th International Conference (scheduled to be held in Nicaragua). La Via Campesina members from Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Gambia, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Congo and Togo gathered to discuss various issues affecting the peasants in the region. In Mali, CNOP organised an exchange workshop between producers and consumers on marketing products from Peasant Agroecology. The exchange establishes dialogue and modalities on pricing and supply. Over 40 participants from the peasants and consumers attended the meeting. In rural Vermont in the USA, the agroecological meeting "Each One, Teach One" witnessed the participation of a large delegation of farmers from the area and different countries. The host organisation was Vermont Rural, part of the National Family Farmers Coalition. The event facilitated an exceptional sharing of the various agroecology training experiences that the movement has through the IALA and more. ------------------------- _Have we missed an important update? If so, you can email the links to __communications(a)viacampesina.org__, which we will include in the next edition. Only Updates from La Via Campesina members will be part of this news wrap. For a thorough update of different initiatives __in August, visit our website_ [39]_._ [40] [41] [42] [43] To unsubscribe click here [1] Links: ------ [1] https://mail.viacampesina.org/lists/listinfo/Via-info-en [2] https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/viacampesina [3] https://viacampesina.org/en/floods-in-pakistan-solidarity-and-urgent-appeal… [4] https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid02JxDQQG5BZnNti58H1B… [5] https://viacampesina.org/en/sri-lanka-stop-illegal-arrests-of-activists-now/ [6] https://viacampesina.org/en/indonesia-stop-criminalising-peasants/ [7] https://www.facebook.com/vimukthi.desilva/videos/378779234421276 [8] https://viacampesina.org/en/freewaldenbello-speaking-the-truth-to-power-is-… [9] https://viacampesina.org/en/the-israeli-occupation-attacks-the-headquarters… [10] https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2022/08/un-experts-condemn-israeli-… [11] https://www.facebook.com/cnaperuoficial/photos/a.115522036917535/5911227526… [12] https://twitter.com/MOCASE_VC/status/1563211391842291714 [13] https://www.facebook.com/2015384848580832/videos/1438310763316166 [14] https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid02A4XMN2aHxwgGLGsp39… [15] https://www.facebook.com/northernpeasantfederation/posts/pfbid0G85A5dxypavX… [16] https://www.facebook.com/MouvementActionPaysanne/photos/a.2991686587774930/… [17] https://resumen.cl/articulos/las-semillas-tradicionales-en-la-nueva-constit… [18] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjOOOi-cis0&feature=youtu.be [19] https://www.facebook.com/kisanektamorcha/videos/960197768713291 [20] https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/8/21/why-are-bangladesh-tea-workers-pro… [21] https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fenvironm… [22] https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-08-20/united-farmworkers-marc… [23] https://www.facebook.com/unionpaysanne/ [24] https://www.instagram.com/p/ChctGlXrRtT/ [25] https://www.commondreams.org/views/2021/10/17/food-sovereignty-manifesto-fu… [26] https://news.mongabay.com/2022/08/farmer-to-farmer-agroecology-qa-with-chuk… [27] https://anchor.fm/who-will-feed-us-podcast/episodes/Agroecology-and-Buildin… [28] https://twitter.com/ModefNational/status/1564188754046324739 [29] https://twitter.com/ExpansiveInfo/status/1542834099588562948 [30] https://twitter.com/GrassrootsIntl/status/1559226500536213505/photo/1 [31] https://www.esaffuganda.org/blog/?link=esaff_uganda_to_start_training_journ… [32] https://www.facebook.com/escolalatinoamericanadeagroecologia/ [33] https://cloc-viacampesina.net/xvii-campamento-juventud-cloc-lvc?fbclid=IwAR… [34] https://www.facebook.com/serikat.petani.indonesia/photos/a.1015135296404692… [35] https://www.facebook.com/kwpasistersgarden/posts/pfbid02HpgsHRbJhptSxGFwCiQ… [36] http://ijunnong.net/go/index.php?mid=achive&document_srl=52178 [37] https://www.facebook.com/LandWorkersAlliance/photos/a.635714083188952/53815… [38] https://www.instagram.com/p/CgMjqEJIny6/ [39] https://viacampesina.org/en/2022/08/ [40] http://www.twitter.com/twitter.com/via_campesina [41] http://www.facebook.com/ViaCampesinaOfficial [42] http://www.viacampesina.org [43] http://instagram.com/la_via_campesina_official

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