In this audio excerpt, David Otieno from the Kenyan Peasants’ League, speaking at a seminar on Debt Crises, underscores this link by referencing the several Free Trade Agreements, which now permit cheap imports of pesticides, eggs and sugar. In January 2024, the KPL also became part of the opposition against the EU-Kenya Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA)
MONLAR in Sri Lanka has called upon the national government to ensure guaranteed prices. This is particularly relevant in the context of the 13th Ministerial Meeting of the World Trade Organization, set to begin in Abu Dhabi next week, where such domestic support measures by developing countries often come under attack.
Indonesia is in a dire situation as it becomes increasingly dependent on food imports. Especially for rice, the import of 3.3 million tons in 2023 was the largest rice import by the government in the last 25 years. Rice imports in 2023 increased by 613.61% compared to 2022.
To find the roots of the problems that are now flourishing in the form of discontent in the countryside, one needs to point to the beginning of the establishment of international trade rules in this latest era of globalization. The WTO has become a space where the Rule of Might prevails, with a few developed countries determining the course of world trade.
The SKM has defended everyone’s right to protest and repeated their call for a one-day nationwide strike by farmers and trade unions on February 16th, especially in the rural areas. The unions calling for this national strike have demanded pensions for farmers, minimum support price for crops, withdrawal of the amendment of labour laws and more.
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.
Dr. Nataraj Huliyar’s play, “Direct Action,” based on the life and struggles of the late Prof. M.D. Nanjundaswamy (MDN), a historical leader in La Via Campesina, founder of the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS), and legendary organizer of peasants in India, has resonated with farmers across his home state of Karnataka.
Honoring the memory of Lee Kyung-hae, who died opposing the World Trade Organization, and emphasizing the importance of expanding agroecology, Kim Jung-yeol, Internal Coordination Committee of La Via Campesina for Southeast and East Asia spoke on the climate crisis, food sovereignty, and women farmers.
Agreements include Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) Mechanisms that hamper governments from enacting new legislation and regulations to protect human and environmental health. Canadian investors in the mining, oil and gas sector have initiated the highest number of Canada’s ISDS cases – 70 percent! The warning Mr Lee left us is especially relevant as Mexico currently struggles to uphold its food sovereignty by prohibiting GM corn.
La Via Campesina commemorates the International Day of Action Against the WTO and Free Trade agreements and announces that the endeavor to construct an alternative trade framework based on food sovereignty and solidarity among peoples, will commence in 2023 during the 8th International Conference in Bogota, scheduled for this December. This year coincides with the 20-year anniversary of the tragic passing of Lee Kyung Hae.
