La Via Campesina supports Colombian Government’s ICARRD+20 initiative for a Comprehensive and Popular Agrarian Reform
(Cali, Colombia, 25 October 2024) Following the consensus approval by the FAO Committee on Food Security in Rome for the Second Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development, ICARRD +20, La Via Campesina has backed the Colombian government’s initiative to host this significant international conference, originally proposed to the FAO 18 years ago.
This announcement was made during a press conference held by the Colombian Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on 24 October 2024, as part of the COP16 proceedings. Representatives from La Vía Campesina, including Nury Martínez Silva and Anuka Vikhmuti, attended alongside members of the National Peasant Convention and Minister Martha Carvajalino.
La Vía Campesina stressed the importance of eradicating hunger and fostering global peace through Food Sovereignty, supported by a robust Comprehensive Agrarian Reform, particularly in light of ongoing genocides and ecocides that have plunged the world into crisis. In this context, the Minister expressed the Colombian Government’s commitment to hosting this crucial conference in 2026. She also underscored the need to strengthen food systems based on responsible land tenure, facilitating a shift towards fair, resilient, and sustainable food practices.
For La Vía Campesina, this also presents an opportunity to advocate for the full implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries, and Forests, championed by the peasant movement in collaboration with the International Planning Committee after the first ICARRD in 2006.
For queries, write to press@viacampesina.org