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An Open Letter signed by 140 organizations was sent to Mr. Jacques Diouf, Director General of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), on the occasion of the World Summit on Food Security in Rome to be held from the 16-18 November 2009.
On October 16, the 29th annual World Food Day, the National Network on the Right to Food in Nepal held a seminar on the state of food security and food sovereignty in Nepal and the obligations of the state. The chief guest of the program was the Right Honourable Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal.
October 16th was World Food Day; however some groups found it more appropriate to commemorate 'World Foodless Day' in remembrance of the millions of people suffering from hunger and food insecurity around the world.
Momentum is building among people's organizations as World Food Day (WFD) quickly approaches. Parallel to events hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on October 16 in Rome, the Pesticide Action Network Asia and the Pacific (PAN AP) and the People's Coalition for Food Sovereignty (PCFS) have jointly organized activities beginning this week and culminating at the FAO World Food Summit in Rome on November 16-18, 2009. Instead of celebrating the World Food Day, these grassroots organisations consider it more appropriate to remember the countless number of hungry people across different countries.
The latest edition of SPEAK OUT entitled ''Rampaging the Rainforests'' was launched at the 'Randau Pemansang' (Forum on Development of Indigenous People) organised by the Sarawak Dayak Iban Association (SADIA) in Bintulu, Sarawak on 21 February 2009. More than a hundred indigenous people and community leaders converged to once again call for a stop to violations of their Native Customary Rights (NCR) and for the oil palm industry and state government to follow the guidelines set by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).
Today, the IUF* and the Berne Declaration** published the report "Goodbye Paraquat"1 which shows that leading producers of palm oil, bananas and tea are increasingly abandoning the highly toxic herbicide, paving the way for a global ban. The report leaves no doubt that the use of Paraquat in modern agriculture is neither essential nor justifiable.
Randall "Ka Randy" Echanis, Deputy Secretary-General for External Affairs of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP, Peasant Movement of the Philippines) who marked his 1-year imprisonment by going on fasting inside the Manila City Jail, was joined by peasant leaders, his son, friends and supporters who went on fasting the whole day while camping out in front of the Supreme Court, along P. Faura street. Echanis filed a petition for certiorari, thus, his supporters appealed to the high court to look unto his case immediately, in order for them to release him because of his innocence.
We, one hundred and twenty women representatives from Bhutan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, representing peasants, agricultural workers, indigenous, dalit, landless peasants and social activists met in Kathmandu from 20-21 January 2009 to assert our rights to land, ensure livelihood and access and control over productive resources, fair wages, health, security, food sovereignty and democracy. We, hereby have agreed to release this Kathmandu Declaration.
The inaugural session of the South Asian women peasants' conference was organized by All Nepal Peasants' Federation (ANPFa) in collaboration with South Asia Alliance for Poverty Eradication (SAAPE). The inaugural session was chaired by Sahana Pradhan, a politician and a women's rights advocate in South Asia , ex foreign minister and leader of CPN UML. Chief guest J. N. Khanal, parliamentary leader at constituent assembly and General Secretary of CPN UML. Other guests include Dias Kunti Gurung from Bhutan , Manowara from Bangladesh , Prof A.B deo IMSE , India,BibiNaheed Akhtar, Pakistan, Rosemary, Sri Lanka.
On the occasion of global "No Pesticides Use Day" this 3rd December 2008, Pesticide Action Network Asia and the Pacific (PAN AP) calls for the global ban and phase out of the production and use of Endosulfan, one of the most dangerous organochlorine pesticide in the world.
A Biotechnology Center is not enough to provide food for the people nor will it boost the country's science and technology if it will merely serve the giant transnational corporations' interests. This is the statement of RESIST network in response to the proposed establishment of a biotechnology center.
Leaders of the militant peasant group, Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP, Peasant Movement of the Philippines ) called on the Arroyo government to leave the health issue of Randall Echanis to the doctors on whether he should stay longer at the Philippine Heart Center. About 100 activists and supporters from KMP, Pamalakaya-Pilipina s, Amihan, UMA, Anakpawis Partylist and other groups, picketed in front of the said hospital along East Avenue carrying placards and performed songs of freedom endowed to Echanis.
The Kuala Lumpur High Court has acquitted Dr Irene Fernandez, co-founder and executive director of Tenaganita.
A fact-finding monitoring team composed of non-government organizations (NGO) from Asian countries called on the national government to end oil exploration activities in the Visayas.
An International Fact-Finding Mission (IFFM) today declared that it found overwhelming evidence that off-shore mining exploration activities of foreign transnational companies in marine biodiversity centers in Central Visayas, Philippines violates the social, economic, and cultural rights of thousands of fisherfolk and encroaches upon the country's national patrimony and sovereignty.
Last September 17, intelligence agents of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in collaboration with the Philippine National Police (PNP) abducted James Balao at gunpoint in Lower Tomay, La Trinidad. The incident took place in front of the St. Therese School and Church, a few meters from Camp Dangwa - the PNP Cordillera regional headquarters.
Today, 16 October, 2008, millions of farmers, agricultural workers, fisherfolks, pastoralists and herders, indigenous peoples, women, migrants, consumers, youth and urban poor are in unison in resisting neoliberal policies that created and maintain the food security crisis and the financial meltdown.
Eighty four national and international NGOs and People's Organisations from 23 countries have called on the United Nations (UN) Task Force and Ban Ki-moon, UN secretary general and Task Force head, to draw comprehensive measures to resolve the global food security crisis. These groups represent or work in solidarity with millions of farmers, agricultural workers, fisherfolks, pastoralists and herders, indigenous people, women, migrants, consumers, youth, urban poor across the world.
Pesticide Action Network Asia and the Pacific (PAN AP), People’s Coalition on Food Sovereignty (PCFS) and other civil society organizations, are initiating a call to observe October 16, 2008, World Food Day as the World Foodless Day. Various groups from Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Korea, Japan, China, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Mongolia, Hongkong, Indonesia, Philippines, Uganda and Kenya have expressed their intention to participate in this event, assert people’s food sovereignty and commit to a Day of Global Action with simultaneous events, protest actions and activities.
This is to update you on our continuing efforts for the immediate
surfacing of James M. Balao. The response to our urgent alert, call
for support and missing bulletin is widespread. It is inspiring that
the support continues to pour in. Sadly, we have not gathered new
information on the whereabouts and state of James and thus, we need
to continue and even double our efforts to locate, appeal and call
for the immediate release of James from those who keep him in their
custody. Each day that passes with no positive developments, his life
in the hands of his captors, is an unimaginable torture to all of us.
Each day, the family and us wait and hope for new information yet at
the same time dread that it is of his death. Thus, your continuing
support becomes more urgent in saving the life of James.
The 15-million strong Asian Peasant Coalition (APC) calls for the immediate release of peasants who were arbitrarily arrested in separate occasions in Indonesia.
"The worsening food crisis is the fault of the neo-liberal policies of imperialist globalization which incessantly oppress the peasants who till the land to feed the world. Asian farmers have long been victims of the liberalization of agriculture, but the current crisis manifested by the escalating price of staples and other commodities and the decrease of food production across Asia and other parts of the world attests to these crimes," stated Biplab Halim, Chairperson of the Asian Peasant Coalition (APC).
Continuous rising prices of food and increasing graph of poverty and unemployment have driven the fishers of coastal areas of Pakistan up to the wall. They are compelled to live but to live hunger and poverty ridden lives. Keeping in view the fishers' marginalized state, Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum announced to observe a hunger week which started on 26th May and ended on 31st June, 2008.
The continued arrest of indigenous community leaders by the police, acting in collusion with plantation companies in Sarawak must stop immediately. The recent arrests of five community leaders in the Kg. Wawasan area with trumped up charges organized by the company with the support of the police reflects the high handedness in which plantation companies violate the native customary rights to land by the indigenous communities.
Three harrowing days after they were hijacked by the police, and with their passports confiscated, the 15 international activists attending the WORA events in Jakarta, Indonesia to highlight the threats of genetically engineered (GE) rice, were today freed, but asked to leave Indonesia within three days.
After being hijacked yesterday by the Jakarta Police for attending a people's demonstration against GE (genetic engineered) rice outside the Ministry of Agriculture, and then being interrogated at the Immigration Office for nine hours, the 15 detained overseas activists were finally released at 3 am today but without their passports.
Fifteen people from six countries were arrested today in Jakarta (Indonesia) by Polda Jaya (the Police Corps of Jakarta Raya Territory) for participating in a peaceful people's gathering to voice their protest against GM rice and call for saving the diversity of local rice to ensure people's food security.
On March 4 to 6, 2008, a Training and Workshop of Policy Advocacy on Food Sovereignty and Food Safety will be held in Khustai National Park, UIaanbaatar in Mongolia. The training will be organised by the Pesticide Action Network Asia and the Pacific (PANAP), People's Coalition on Food Sovereignty (PCFS) and Center for Human Rights and Development (CHRD) in Mongolia.
Tirupati, India - An International fact-finding mission, comprising eminent civil society representatives from Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines and India, visited Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh (India) and expressed great concern over the displacement and loss of livelihoods of poor and landless tribal communities in those districts due to construction of Special Economic Zones (SEZ) and expansion of a Port in Krishnapatnam.
Andhra Pradesh (Khammam district) - Chhattisgarh (Dantewada and Bastar district) states share a common boundary which is densely covered by reserve forests. The main dwellers of this forest are Gothikayas and koyas.
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