Call For Action For The 17th Of April 2003

International day of farmers’ struggle
WTO out of agriculture!

Via Campesina and other social movements will mobilize strong international protest in the days leading up to the 17th of April)° . We invite everybody to participate. At the Third World Social Forum in Porto Alegre social movements agreed to: continue their struggle against the WTO and other “free” trade agreements like the FTAA, and raise their voices for alternatives to these aggressive policies for liberalisation and privatisation.

This year we call for a period of mobilisation and action to protest against our governments’ selling off peoples’ interests in the WTO and in other regional and bilateral trade agreements. We will also voice our opposition to the continued repression of Vía Campesina organizations. For example,
José Bové, spokesperson of the• Confédération Paysanne has been sentenced to jail.  In Mexico the government is intimidating leaders of the “El Campo no• Aguanta Mas” ’ peasants’ coalition. In the period leading up to April 17th peasant and farm organizations belonging to the Vía Campesina will join with other social movements in mobilizations around the world.

The first action will take place in Geneva on the 29th of march: This protest will demand that governments stop negotiations on agriculture and services in WTO in order to avoid further destruction of public services and farmer-based production of food. The protest will emphasize the need to start working on alternatives to the WTO, liberalized trade and privatization.

We hope that it will be a period of strong protest — of worldwide action. April 17th actions will help us build momentum to pressure all governments in the run up to the WTO Ministerial in Cancun.

Let’s globalise the struggle, let’s globalise hope!

INTERNATIONAL C-ORDINATING COMMITTEE OF VIA CAMPESINA
If you want to receive all the information on the 17th of April please subscribe to the list by sending a blank message to viacam17april-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

)° The 17th of April is the celebration of the International Day of farmers struggle, established because of the massacre of 19 farmers of the Landless Movement (MST) in Brazil on the 17th of April 1996 during the second conference of Via Campesina in Tlaxcala Mexico.
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For more information on the 17th of April and the positions of Via Campesina please contact the members of the International Co-ordinating Committee of Via Campesina in your region:
South America MST-Brasil Tel/fax: ++55.11.3361.3866 Email: sri@mst.org.br ANAMURI-Chile Tel/fax : ++56-6973217 Email : anamur@ia.cl
Europe CPE Tel: ++32.2.217 3112 Fax: ++32.2.218 4509 Email: cpe@cpefarmers.org
Caribbean ANAP-Cuba Tel : ++53-7-324717 Fax : ++53-7-333044 Email : amigo@anap.org.cu WINFA (Islas Barlovento) Tel: ++1-784- 456 2704 Fax: ++1-784-456 1383 winfa@caribsurf.com
North-Southeast Asia FSPI (Henry Saragih) Tel no: Phone : ++62 – 61 – 7864286 Fax No : ++ 62 – 61 – 7862073 Email : petani@indosat.net.id
North America UNORCA -Mexico Tel/Fax: ++52-57-4150 65 o ++52-57-40 04 86 unorcared@laneta.apc.org Juan de Dios Arias, n 48Col. Vista AlegreDelegación Cuauhtehoc,México D.F. D NFU Canada Tel : ++1-306-6529465 Fax : ++1-306-664 6226 Email : nfu@nfu.ca
South Asia KRRS Tel/fax: ++91.80.330.2171 Email: swamy.krrs@vsnl.com Tel: +918352 60662 Email : krupa_krrs@yahoo.com
Central America ASOCODE Tel/fax: ++504. 235.99.15 Tel/fax: ++504. 232.21.98 E-mail: viacam@gbm BAPO-Belize Tel/Fax: (501) 923672
International Operative Secretariat (IOS), Rafael Alegria Colonia Alameda, 11 Avenida (Alfonso Guillén Zelaya), entre 3 y 4 Calles, Casa 2025, Apartado Postal 3628 Tegucigalpa, M.D.C. – Honduras, C.A. Tel/fax: ++504. 235.99.15 Tel/fax: ++504. 232.21.98 E-mail: viacam@gbm.hn Web site of Via Campesina: http://www.sdnhon.org.hn/miembros/via o http://www.viacampesina.org (both give access to the same site)