Via Campesina Support Global Day of Action January 26

As part of the world social movement, La Via Campesina has called its members –  national  peasant’s organizations all over the world to support the Global Day of Action organised on  January the 26th.

The World Social Forum emerged seven years ago as an alternative to the World Economic Forum (WEF) held in Davos, Switzerland. Usually, thousands of activists activist from all over the world gather to protest and to share ideas about the alternatives to neoliberal policies and practices. This year however, instead of gorganising a forum, the social movements are organising activities in their respective countries under the common call for a Global day of Action on January the 26th. The objective is to show to the world that people’s resitance to the neoliberal model is preading all over the world. For this global day of action La Via Campesina is mobilising around several issues including:

1. Stop Free Trade Agreement and Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) and promote alternative economic cooperation agreements based on the principles of solidarity instead of  competition.
2. Struggle against the expansion of transnational agribusiness and implement food sovereignty as an alternative.
3. Struggle against the expansion of monocultures and the agribusiness model of agriculture and promote the sustainable peasant’s agriculture.

We have farmer leaders that can be contacted for interviews due to this global day of action:
•    Henry Saragih (in Indonesia) on +628163144441
•    Paul Nicholson (in Europe) on +34636451566

Please find the list of activities organized by La Via Campesina members below.
For further information you can contact International Operative Secretariat (IOS) La Via Campesina: Tejo Pramono (email: tpramono@viacampesina.org)

List of La Via Campesina Member Activities on Global Day of Action :
1. CANADA
Name of the organisation: Union Paysanne
Name of the action: Another Agriculture is possible: citizens’ initiatives and peasant resistance
Topics discussed: seeds and GMO; urban agriculture
Date and time of the action: January 26, 2008, 12,30 – 15,30
Place (country, city/village): 3720 Ave Du Parc, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Email contact: jumentgrise@gmail.com
Activities: A Round Table entitled “Another Agriculture is possible: Peasant resistance and citizens’ initiatives”. There will be speakers on the struggles against GMOs in Brazil and against seed privatization in Canada, as well as an outline of the work of Heritage Seeds Canada and a report on urban agriculture in Cuba and in Montréal.
•    Free entrance, bring your own snack.
•    Speakers :

o    “The Brazilian peasant movement struggle against GMOs”, Anne Catherine Kennedy responsible for the development and peace program Latin America

o    “The opposition of Canadian farmers to the privatisation of seeds”, Devlin Kuyek member of the GRAIN team and special advisor for the CBAN (Canadian biotechnology action network )

o    “Urban agriculture in Cuba and elsewhere”, Ismael Hautecoeur resposible of the prject Rooftop gardens, Alternatives

o    “Protection of biodiverstity and promotion of Canadian seed diversity”, Frédéric Sauriol, general secretary of the Union Paysanne and tresurer of Seeds of Diversity

o    www.unionpaysanne.com

2. Niger
Name of the organisation: Plate Forme Paysanne du Niger
Name of the action: Peasant mobilisation
Date and time of the action: January 26, 2008
Place (country, city/village): Niger
Email contact: idrissa.moumouni@gmail.com

3. Congo
Name of the organisation: COPACO
Name of the action: Peasant mobilisation – theatre/forum
Date and time of the action: January 26, 2008
Place (country, city/village): Kinshasa
People expected: 3000
Email contact: copacoprp@yahoo.fr

4. Indonesia
Name of event: Global Day of Action: People’s Movement Against Neocolonialism-Imperialism
Organisers: Coalition of broad people’s movement in Indonesia: Serikat Petani Indonesia (SPI), Serikat Buruh Indonesia (SBI), Wahana Lingkungan Hidup Indonesia (WALHI), Sarekat Hijau Indonesia (SHI), Koalisi Anti Utang (KAU), Solidaritas Perempuan (SP), Indonesian Human Rights Committee for Sccial Justice (IHCS), Front Perjuangan Pemuda Indonesia (FPPI), Konsorsium Pembaruan Agraria (KPA), Aliansi Buruh Menggugat (ABM), Aliansi Petani Indonesia (API), ASPPUK, SHMI, FMN (Front Mahasiswa Nasional), SMI (Serikat Mahasiswa Indonesia), Institute for Global Justice (IGJ), Sayogyo Institute (SAINS), Lingkar Studi-Aksi untuk Demokrasi Indonesia (LS-ADI), Komite Mahasiswa Anti Imperialisme (KM-AI), Kesatuan Aksi Mahasiswa LAKSI 31 (KAM LAKSI 31)
Time:January 26th-28th, 2008
Place: Jakarta, and various places all around Indonesia (call for action)
Structure and theme : Series of actions: 1st day: action/demonstration and 2nd day: discussion—with internal consolidation for each sectoral, with the theme “People’s Movement Against Neocolonialism-Imperialism”

Purpose: Raising issues, awareness, citizen education and media campaign
Issues to be discussed
–        Judicial review for New Investment Law (Regulation No. 25/2007)—update, action to influence the verdict (to be taken immediately)
–        Against neoliberal practises:
1.    Free-market on foods (palm oil, soybean, rice)
2.    Privatisation of state-owned enterprise (electricity, education)
3.    Anti-debt campaign on state budget
4.    Disaster, as impact of neoliberalism and global warming (high tides on fisherfolks emergency issue)
5.    Campaign against various TNCs (plantation, oil-gas and mineral)

Participants: Indonesian people’s movement—various organisations and their respective member, NGOs, experts and academic communities, press. Around 800 people expected.
Others in various places all around Indonesia (call for action)

Action (January 26th) : Rally to Presidential Palace*

5. Mozambique
Name of Organization: UNAC (Manhiça District)
Activities: march
Topic : “defending peasant’s rights (land conflicts, justice in the rice trade and transparency in sugarcane marketing)
Date : 24 of January 2008
Place : União Distrital de Camponeses de Manhiça, Bairro Ribangua – Manhiça C

Manifesto: 
•    We demand the end of the exploitation of land by privates and we demand the implementation of the message of the Land Law Legislation
•    Water is a valuable resource, it should be controlled by peasants
•    We demand transparency in the process of production and fair pricing for the commercialisation of sugar cane and rice.
The Peasant Union of the Manhiça District is a movement formed by peasant coops and small scale farmers who by using their main resource, i.e. land, produce bananas, vegetables, rice, sugar cane, tubers, and raise cattle, sheep, poultry and more.In this way peasants are the main actors in insuring food sovereignty and development to the district of Manhiça.

United Peasants always will win!

6. Cameroun
Name of Organization: PEASANT PEOPLE, CORDAP-CAMEROON
Objective : Understand globalisation, create an opposition to neoliberal policies, establish food sovereignty in Camerun.
Participants : CORDAP-Camerun and  Pascal NKWE MAKONGO, its national president, inites you, Producers and cosumers, Bayam-salams, Traders and importers, Media, academics and students, Political representatives, Etc. to come to the markets
Place Date and time:
•    In Mfoundi (Yaoundé),  January 23 Janvier 2008 from 9.00 am, in front of the former Nigerian embassy.
•    In Mokolo (Yaoundé) on January 26  2008 from 9.00 am, in front of  en face du super marché Niki  au pavillon vivres frais.
Activities : campaign denoncing the market policies of Camerun with topic of the event is :
« Trade policies and local markets in Cameroon ». One of the objectives of our struggle is to make a direct link between producer and consumer and to get rid of the WTO influence on agricultural issues. We hope that the WSF of January 26, 2008 will give a special place to Cameroon and that will make a  first step towards the creation of a fair trade policy and Food Sovereignty.

7. Belgium
Name of organisation:  FUGEA – United Federation of Stock breeder and Farmers
Name of the activity : Action of sensibilisation on the topic of Food Sovereignty
Topic treated :  seeds, peasant rights, food sovereignty
Date of activity : 26/1/2008
Number of people expected : 300 people
Place : Bruxelles, Belgium
Contact e-mail: catherine.delaunoy@fugea.be (Annelies S., Bert D., Catherine D., Emmanuelle D., Esteban V., Kari S., Violaine W., Yannick B). Website : fugea.be www.saveurspaysannes.be

Membre de la CPE (Coordination Paysanne Européenne) – Via Campesina – COJ – CJEF.
Theatre Action January 26, 2008 – Social Forum Belgium

Activities:  Sensibilisation of the general public to the topic of food soveregnty with the participation of : Oxfam-Solidarité, FUGEA, Oxfam-Magasins Du Monde, Wervel, Inter-Environnement Wallonie. From January 19 to January 26. Every association will have local actions on difrferent topics. From 14.00 to 16.00 several groups of people will take part to a guided visit of our action. There will be a theatre show on, a game on soya and an animation on the agrofuels. There will also be a small peasant market. After 16.00 all the groups and participants to the forum will take part to a celebration with music in St-Géry square.
Where : The old seed market square between Sainte-Catherine church and Dansaert street.
Our action : We will show the short animation « The Meatrix ». We will welcome the groups of visitors, representing the consumers, and the representatives of the agro-business will stick a bar code on them. An alienated consumer with a bar code on his/her head will be tied to a chain and a stick and the only thing s/he will eb able to do will be to turn in circles. Peasants will tell the consu9more or less 1 minute) the movie will be shown 3’30”.
After the movie we will give the consumer a food sovereignty passport with the definition of the existing alternatives. Then we will offer a cheese tasting guiding them towards the other tents.

8. Galicia,  Spain
Name of the organisation:  SINDICATO LABREGO GALEGO/ SLG (Galician Peasant Union, Sindicato Labrego Galego)
Name of activities: Galician Assembly of social movements and associated
Date: January 26, 2008
Place: Faculty of history and geography,  santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain
Contact: SINDICATO LABREGO GALEGO; prensa@sindicatogalego.com, info@altermundo.org
Activities: Civil and social organisations taking part to the WSF since January 2001 are calling for a civil and social action of mobilisation to express from our country solidarity to all the organisation contrasting globalisation and for the creation of the Galician Social Forum.

9. France
Name of organization: La Confédération Paysanne’ (CP)
The CP will take part to 2 event within the framework of the WSF 2008
Date: January 21 2008 :
Activities : Conference-debate : “What agriculture and for what alimentation ? ”
Topics discusseed :
1.    food sovereignty ,
2.    Food, health and environment
Speeches by :  André Bouchut, François Dufour, José Bové et Guy Kastler
Number of people expected: 150

Place: France, Paris, 13ème
Date : January 26 2008
Activities: Demonstration, conference and debates
Speech by:  Claude Girod on food sovereignyt
Number of people expected : 700
Place: France, Paris, 11ème
Contact e-mail: scabantous@confederationpaysanne.fr

10. TIMOR LESTE
Organization : HASATIL
Activities: Hasatil organize open speech and press conference on January 25 in Dili Timor Leste, Participants:  women organization, labour organization, arts, academics, Parliament,  human rights organization, students of course Agriculture organization and etc.
Contact : Arsenio Pereira

11. Turkey
Name of organization : Farmer Union
Place: on the streets in Ä°stanbul, Ankara, Izmir
Date and time: We will be on 26th of January at 12 O’clock
Activities: Organized to gether with the union of the chambers of architects and engineers. We will join to the street demostrations in these three cities against expolitation, discrimination, poverty, starvation, environmental disasters, neolibarlism, imperialism, war and racism. The demostrations will be organized with the participation of the several organizations right along with farmers unions including public workers unions, global peace and justice coalition, chambers of the architects and engineers, several political parties and civil organizations.
Contact: Abdullah Aysu (tarvak2004@yahoo.com)

12. Dominican Republic
Name of the organisation: CONAMUCA
Name of the action: Conamuca activities, national peasant coordination. Alternative World Social Forum and the People’s Urban Network. Support to the days of Global action .
Topics discussed: Minustha intervention in Haiti; agrofuels – economic, socia and cultural rights; ALBA;
Date and time of the action: January 25th , 2008, 10 am – 5 pm; january 26th , 2008 Place (country, city/village): Dominican Republic
Email contact: conamuca@yahoo.es

13. Sri Lanka
Name of organization : Monlar
Activities: not yet send, but the have produce their position

14. Basque
Name of Organization : EHNE
Activities : The Basque Social Forum is organising a mobilisation
Place: Bilbao,
Contact person: Paul Nicholson (laukote@euskalnet.net).

15. Mexico
Name of Organization: UNORCA
Activities : has not yet sent
Contact Person : Alberto Gomez (albertogomez@unorca.org.mx)