The Executive Committee (EC) of the People’s Coalition on Food Sovereignty (PCFS) held its year-end meeting via the Zoom application on 29 December 2020.

Quorum and attendance. Four out of six EC members were present in the meeting: Razan Zuayter (global co-chairperson), Sylvia Mallari (global co-chairperson), Hakim Baliraine (Africa), and Julie Smit (Europe). Regional coordinators Gershom Kabaso (Africa) and Henry Morales (LAC) with Alejandro Barrios, as well as Global Secretariat (GS) members Rhoda Gueta (global coordinator), Steven Besana, and Gail Orduña joined the meeting. Mallari facilitated the meeting.

Agenda. Lined up in the meeting’s agenda are (1) organizational updates including approval of membership applications and (2) the report on the initiated campaigns and the activities of PCFS from September to December 2020.

Regional formations. The Steering Councils of PCFS Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean were formed this year. The establishment of PCFS Europe, however, was not successful this year. The effort will be carried over in 2021.The regional Steering Councils were tasked to submit a comprehensive report, which the GS will consolidate.

Dialogue with UNSR Fakhri. Smit asked an update from UNSR Michael Fakhri’s take of the Coalition’s stand on the UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in the Rural Areas (UN DROP), which Gueta briefly presented during the “Virtual consultation organized by Fakhri on November 20 about his first thematic draft report to the Human RightsCouncil”[1]. Gueta said Fakhri’s secretariat followed-up on the PCFS UNDROP Digest and is looking forward to continuing this important discussion with the Coalition.

Overview of PCFS in 2020. Mallari said the main contribution of the Coalition for the year is setting out the clarion call for the radical transformation of food systems, advancing the movement through its campaigns and struggles such as the Hungry 4 Change campaign and its consistent expression of solidarity to Palestine. She also noted the organizational development, although at varying degrees, of the regional formations.

Invitation to join the Front. The Anti-Imperialist Anti-Fascist United Front (AIAFUF) extended its invitation to PCFS in March 2020, but the EC was not able to table it in the previous EC meetings. With the launch slated in early 2021, the International League of Peoples’ Struggle (ILPS) followed up on the invitation. EC members raised several questions regarding the Front, particularly its difference from ILPS and the advantages of joining. After some discussion, the EC agreed to hold another meeting on 4 January 2021 and invite a resource person from the Front to respond to the questions. ###

[1] Four members of PCFS Execom were present in the said meeting: Global Chairpersons Razan Zuayter and Sylvia Mallari, Hakim Baliraine (Africa), and Julie Smit (Europe). Mariam Jaajaa (WANA Regional Coordinator) and Alejandro Barrios (LAC) also joined the meeting.