La Via Campesina mobilises for the Cochabamba People’s Conference on Climate

Media Advisory

(April 13, 2010) The international peasant’s movement La Via Campesina will join the People’s Conference on Climate change and the Rights of mother earth organised by the Bolivian president Evo Morales in Cochabamba, Bolivia from April 19 to 22. More than 80 farmers representatives from Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas will take part in this event in order to contribute to the building up of a new international front to combat climate change.

The proposals put forwards by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change show a complete lack of commitment by most governments, especially in industrialised countries, to really tackle the problem. The climate disaster will not be halted by the development of a new market for carbon and the invention of “rights to pollute”, by the expansion of genetically modified seeds designed to resist climate change, or by the development of industrial agrofuel plantations.

Only a radical change in production and consumption patterns will lead us to a more sustainable way of living. Via Campesina hopes that the Cochabamba gathering will draw the lines towards a resolute international policy towards climate justice.

The farmers movement is organising several side events, including a seminar on “Land, Territory and Climate change”, another on “Sustainable agriculture cools down the earth”. La Via Campesina is also actively involved in the working group 17 “Agriculture and Food sovereignty” set up by the conference organisers.

Apointments with the media:

• 17 April: International Day of Peasant’s Struggle
• 20 April 10 am – Via Campesina Press conference: “Farmers contribution to climate justice” (venue to be confirmed)

Contacts for the media (to interview farmers representatives)

• Boaventura Monjane – phone: (00591) 74815401, from April 14
  e-mail: <boa.monjane@viacampesina.org>
• Isabelle Delforge – phone: (00591) 74306257, from April 16
  e-mail: idelforge@viacampesina.org

More on www.viacampesina.org