Indonesia: SPI marks the 4th anniversary of the Peasants’ Rights Declaration (UNDROP)

JAKARTA, 17 December 2022:

The Indonesian Peasants Union (SPI) commemorated the fourth anniversary of the of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas (UNDROP) at its secretariat in Jakarta on Saturday, 17 December 2022. Chairperson of SPI, Henry Saragih, said that this declaration is a human rights instrument that specifically regulates the recognition, fulfilment and protection of human rights attached to peasants and rural community.

“This declaration represents years of struggle of SPI along with La Via Campesina (LVC) as an international peasant movement, as well as other peasant and social movements that seek to stop the oppression of peasants” he said. He also emphasized that it has been four years since UNDROP was adopted but there has been no implementation so far. “There will be no such implementation if the peasants themselves are not fighting for it. So our struggle, the peasants, is still long,” he continued.

Agus Syahputra, the National Assembly of Peasants of SPI (MNP) said that even though the peasants’ rights have become a UN declaration, this does not mean that peasants should just remain silent.
“The Universal Declaration on Human Rights, for example, has been around for decades but there are still many violations that occur. Therefore we cannot remain silent, we must fight and take advantage of all the space so UNDROP can be implemented,” he said from Aceh.

Joining the hybrd event online, Zainal Arifin Fuad from SPI and also the International Coordination Committee member of La Via Campesina, explained that SPI together with other La Via Campesina member organizations are pushing for the establishment of a special procedure at the UN Human Rights Council which functions to oversee the implementation of UNDROP in UN Member States. “In March 2023, the UN Human Rights Council will hold a resolution whether this institution will be formed or not, so we need to strengthen our struggle to continue to encourage countries to vote for this resolution,”

Zubaidah Tambunan, Chairperson of the SPI of North Sumatra (DPW) said that peasants must not be afraid and doubtful in fighting for our rights, especially for women peasants whose rights are regulated in the UNDROP. “Women Peasants must be stronger in fighting for their rights,”. Fuad Abu Saif from UAWC, the Palestine Peasant Organization, stated that UNDROP was a major achievement for the struggle of peasants around the world. “The world knows that currently the Palestinian people are struggling to claim their rights, and encouraging the implementation of UNDROP is a way to make this happen,” he said online.