We are deeply shocked and outraged by the escalation of crimes against humanity committed by the Israeli occupation in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. As a global peasant movement, we firmly reject violence against civilians and military conflict to resolve disputes.
OCHA reports that the assaults have disrupted the UNRWA food operation, impacting at least 112,759 families. The poultry and livestock sectors are on the brink of collapse due to the severe shortage of fodder, endangering the livelihoods of more than 1,000 herders and affecting over 10,000 producers.
Land grabbing across Sri Lanka has exploded — villagers are evicted from their homes and land, as farms and forests are taken for tea, rubber, palm oil and banana plantations, and the development of tourist infrastructure such as all-inclusive hotels for mass tourism, all of which comes with huge environmental impacts.
On October 2, 2023, during the United Nations Security Council meeting in New York, the United States and Ecuador succeeded in passing a resolution authorizing the deployment of a multinational force in Haiti. The Haitian people have had enough of so-called humanitarian interventions.
In Brazil, the Parliamentary Inquiry Commission against the Landless Rural Workers Movement (MST) has concluded its work and did not bring forward any real problems.
Mayotte is experiencing a severe water crisis as water sources run dry and the distribution network in a poor state requiring urgent attention. Rains to replenish the sources not expected until November. Water cuts are common.
La Via Campesina has over 200 million members in more than 80 countries. There are three levels within La Via Campesina. The member organizations, which include unions, cooperatives, or associations, form the first level. Then, all these organizations are grouped by region, with nine regions in La Via Campesina. These nine regions together constitute La Via Campesina. Every four years, a conference is organized to decide the working priorities for the next four years. The next conference will be held in Colombia in December. We expect 500 delegates from all over the world.
The threat of military intervention looms large in Haiti. To make matters worse for the people, the neighboring Dominican Republic is closing the border amid accusations of river diversion. The Dominican government’s decision is unjustified and violates the legitimate right of the Haitian people to the equitable use of shared water resources at the border. Under international law and existing bilateral treaties, Haiti has the right to use this shared water source.
The Communications Collective of South Asia, with support from the Youth Media Collective of MONLAR, is releasing the first edition of La Via Campesina’s South Asian Dispatches. Episode 1 focuses on the ongoing farmworkers’ strike in Bangladesh, organized by the Bangladesh Agricultural Farm Labour Federation since July 21, 2023. The struggle has compelled the government to establish a committee to study the matter and provide recommendations.
On September 14, 2023, during the 54th session of the Human Rights Council, a biennial “Panel discussion on unilateral coercive measures and human rights” was held in Geneva. Fatimatou Hima from the Plateforme Paysanne du Niger, a member of Via Campesina, intervened on behalf of CETIM to declare and denounce the consequences of economic and financial sanctions against Niger and its people, particularly the impact on Nigerien peasants.
