For more than a decade, the failure of this institution to reach a consensus on a lasting resolution for public food stocks clearly illustrates its alignment with the interests of the US, and other strong export-oriented countries. As the 13th Ministerial Meeting commences in Abu Dhabi on 26th February, La Via Campesina urges its members across countries to take to the streets and mobilize against the WTO.
It has been twenty years since the World Trade Organization’s imperialist, neoliberal and neo-colonial free trade policies led to the sacrifice of one of our peasant leaders – Lee Kyung Hae – at the gates of the Ministerial meeting venue in Cancun, Mexico. Since then things have only worsened for both people and the planet. The Agreement on Agriculture (AoA), which forms the core of the WTO’s food and agriculture trade policies, continues to wreak havoc on people’s lives.
Recently, La Via Campesina received a request to participate in a civil society “council” to the WTO executive. After careful consideration, we decided to decline this invitation. Through this open letter, we wish to explain why we believe it is impossible to reform the WTO in a way that is favourable to peasants and, more generally, to the interests of the people.
Uniterre, a Swiss member of La Via Campesina, is calling for the promotion of food… Read more →
