More than 145 organisations and more than 2,750 individuals from around the world have signed the petition launched by La Via Campesina on 21 October 2023 regarding the relentless attack on the Palestinian people. If you agree with these demands, we urge you to send an email to the UN Secretary General.
Gaza faces an imminent risk of starvation under a complete blockade imposed by the Israeli army. The silence of the CFS Plenary on the situation is shameful. Measures taken so far are not only modest but insufficient to move towards effective and operational proposals to address the food situation.
In response to the genocidal war being waged on the people of Palestine, La Via Campesina reiterates its support for the BDS campaign. The peasant movement offers its steadfast solidarity with the peasants, fisherfolk and working families of Palestine, many of whom dedicate themselves daily to the realization of Peasants Rights and Food Sovereignty.
In response to the unprecedented and genocidal war being waged on the people of Palestine, La Via Campesina joins the growing call to boycott COP28. We stand united in our global demand that all people and governments act now to end Israel’s genocidal war on Palestinians.
Israel is waging a genocidal war on Palestinians. It is urgent that third states take immediate action by organising an International Conference of Governments to stop this crime against humanity and bring immediate relief to Palestinians. This conference is also a critical step to ending the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestine.
In October, we continued to promote international solidarity, denouncing the violation of human and peasants’ rights. In the framework of the Day of Action for Peoples’ Food Sovereignty and against transnational corporations #16oct23, many actions of training, exchange and denunciation took place around the world.
Union of Agricultural Work Committees is spearheading an international campaign to provide aid to Gaza and the West Bank. The aid will support thousands of affected Palestinian families by providing food, water, and life essentials to bolster their resilience against the crimes of the Israeli occupation seeking to displace them.
On this day of action #25N23, together with organised and rebellious women from all over the world, we will call for a day of mobilisation, training and exchange, with forums, direct actions, fairs and other events.
In this era of growing neo-fascism, La Via Campesina cannot ignore any type of violence. Taking a stance against discrimination, persecution and criminalization of people of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities means strengthening a project of a livable future for the planet and humanity
The Amrita Bhoomi Learning Centre in Karnataka is one of dozens of education hubs around the world providing a space for farmer-to-farmer training in agroecology. The centre was born out of organising efforts of the local farmers’ movement KRRS (Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha) founded by Professor Mahantha Devaru Nanjundaswamy.
At its core, Food Sovereignty defends the right to healthy and culturally appropriate food, produced sustainably and ecologically. It empowers people to define their own food and agriculture systems, ensuring small-scale food producers’ control over essential resources such as land, water, seeds and biodiversity.
This assembly will bring together young members from various backgrounds, including peasants, indigenous people, fishers, pastoralists, agricultural workers, migrants, and landless youth. As representatives of La Via Campesina’s youth, they advocate for the peasant alternative, founded on the principles of peasant agroecology.
On the 11th of October, the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) adopted a resolution to establish a Working Group on the rights of peasants and other people working in rural areas. The Working Group, over the next three years of its tenure, is expected to identify challenges and gaps in its implementation at all levels of governance.
ESAFF Uganda Women participated in the 5th Women in Agriculture Conference, an annual event that empowers small-scale women in agriculture. Women as primary producers and custodians of our food systems are committed to ensure their contributions are valued and recognised but face numerous challenges.
The High Court has extended the ban on GMOs in Kenya and the hearing deferred to February 2024 for further directions on how to proceed and pronounce final determination of the petitions. Kenyan Peasants League and other petitioners are challenging the lifting of the ban on GMOs in Kenya.
La Via Campesina stands in solidarity with the Kenyan Peasants League in their legal struggle to continue the ban on GMOs in Kenya. In October 2022 the Kenyan Government lifted the ban on importation and cultivation of GMOs that had been in place for ten years.
The CSIPM reaffirms the call for peace and respect for international law in its closing statement at #CFS51. The right to food must be realized everywhere, for everyone. The CFS cannot stop the war, but can strive to realize the right to food for all.
On October 28, armed settler groups violently attacked several Palestinian agricultural communities in east Hebron. Homes of 55 families vandalized and children traumatized. Livestock stolen. Families given a 24-hour ultimatum to vacate their homes and lands or risk being killed.
We continue to receive terrible news from our local organisations in Gaza and the West Bank. We call on member organisations to join global demonstrations to express our horror at the massacre of the Palestinians and demand an IMMEDIATE STOP to the war and for entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza without delay.
The question of the fair distribution of land is at the heart of the struggle for generational renewal and soil conservation, and is also key for tackling the climate and biodiversity crisis, as well as ensuring food sovereignty.
