The CSO Statement was born out of a very challenging process, given the diversity of perspectives, experiences and nature of CSOs who participated in the CSO Side Event to the Investment Forum  for Food Security.  CSO signatories to the Statement are indicated in the document.

Investments for Food Security in Asia-Pacific: For Whom and For What? – CSO Statement – CSO Side Event, APRC Program

We, representatives from national and regional organizations and cooperatives of small scale women and men farmers, fishers, and indigenous peoples, rural youth and women, and development NGOs in the Asia-Pacific region, wish to present to the delegates of this investment forum organized jointly by Asian Development Bank (ADB), Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) the following:

Away from “Business as Usual” Approach
Partnerships and investments to promote food security in the Asia-Pacific region cannot proceed in the “business-as-usual” approach. Our work and study with poor communities consistently show that large scale trade, technology and business practices of large agro-industrial corporations have marginalized and further displaced small holder producers, who lost their access to and control over productive resources and assets.

National and regional policies, particularly in financing and trade, have reinforced these failures and continuing food insecurity in many countries.

Click here to read or download the full statement…..

We’re a bit proud to say that we had a little hand in the production as WRF entrusted us with the design and layout of the booklet.

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Learn more about the Campaign for the International Year of Family Farming

ASEAN Secretariat, 17 May 2010

The cost of doing business in ASEAN will be lower and trade-related transactions simpler as the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement (ATIGA), one of the region’s landmark economic agreements, entered into force today.

The ATIGA, which is comprehensive in its scope and brings transparency to regional trade liberalisation, consolidates all commitments related to trade in goods. It focuses on not only tariff liberalisation and non-tariff measures, but it also includes matters related to simplification of rules of origin and its implementation. Various agencies and regulatory bodies dealing with entry of goods, such as the Customs, and health and agricultural authorities, will jointly operate in ensuring smoother operations at the Customs entry points.

“The ATIGA is a major achievement towards the establishment of a single market and production base under the ASEAN Economic Community 2015,” said the Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr Surin Pitsuwan. The entry into force of the ATIGA will help facilitate trade by simplifying processes and procedures thereby reducing transaction time and cost of doing business hence benefitting the business community and the public, he said upon the deposit of Thailand’s instrument of ratification with his office in Jakarta. All ASEAN Member States have now ratified the ATIGA.

The ATIGA contains the full import duty liberalisation schedule among ASEAN Member States and spells out the tariff rates to be applied on products. This provides businesses with transparency and certainty in making business and investment decisions. Dr Surin also urged the ASEAN Member States to implement the ATIGA through timely incorporation of the ATIGA commitments into domestic legislation to meet the agreed tariff reduction schedules.

With the coming into force of ATIGA, Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand will issue their legal enactments in 90 days, while Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Viet Nam will do so in 180 days. Thereafter, tariff liberalisation commitments under the ATIGA will be implemented retroactively from 1 January 2010.

This paper analyses the gender sensitivity of selected trade liberalisation initiatives pursued by the countries of Southeast Asia. It primarily argues that trade policies and agreements pursued by both ASEAN and its member countries are far from being gender sensitive. In order to improve the standing of women in society, the authors propose a number of recommendations to the countries of the region, both individually and collectively, which include: (1) Putting women at the centre of trade policy analysis and deliberations and ensuring that trade policy changes are not made at the expense of the quality of the lives of women; (2) Ensuring that policymakers undertake the necessary gender-oriented review of trade liberalisation initiatives; (3) Ensuring that women gain easy access to any social safety nets schemes that help them to cope with economic adjustment resulting from trade liberalisation; (4) Enhancing trade-related capacity building among women so as to enable them to reap the benefits of trade liberalisation; and, finally, (5) Providing the necessary resources to support the region’s commitment to advancing gender equality.

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Oxfam Briefing Note 21 December 2009
Climate Shame: get back to the table -Initial analysis of the Copenhagen climate talks

Copenhagen was a unique opportunity to turn the world’s course away from climate disaster, towards a safe future for all of us on this small planet. Massive global public mobilization demanded it. But leaders of the major powers negotiated for their national interests, instead of safeguarding our shared destiny.

In the closing hours of negotiations, world leaders drew up the Copenhagen Accord. It grabbed headlines, but offered no lifelines – and so may end up on the sidelines. The talks ended with little more than agreement to keep talking, offering just a dim beacon for the way forward.

At a time when the urgency of the climate challenge is blatantly clear, stand-offs between the most powerful countries have left the world heading towards 4oC global warming – a catastrophic prospect, especially for the world’s poorest people. Negotiations must get straight back on track. All countries need to get back round the table and deliver what science – and people worldwide – are demanding: a fair, ambitious and binding deal in 2010.

Earth Negotiations Bulletin Vol. 12 No. 459
Summary Of The Copenhagen Climate Change Conference: 7-19 December 2009

The UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen was, in many ways, an historic event. It marked the culmination of two years of intensive negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Bali Roadmap, which was agreed by the thirteenth Conference of the Parties (COP 13) in December 2007. Millions of people around the world hoped that “Hopenhagen” would be a turning point in the battle against climate change. The high-level segment brought together 115 Heads of State and Government, and was widely reported as one of the largest high-level gathering outside New York.

More than 40,000 people applied for accreditation for the Conference, far exceeding the 15,000 capacity of the Conference venue. Large, and at times violent, demonstrations took place in Copenhagen during the Conference as people urged the world’s leaders to reach a meaningful agreement.

There is little doubt that the Copenhagen Conference left its mark in history – never before has climate change featured so prominently on the international agenda. However, feelings about the outcome are, at best, mixed and some even consider the Conference to be a failure.

José María Zeberio-Executive Secretary of the World Rural Forum-WRF

REPORT ON THE IYFF

Before the end of 2009 we wish to update our report on the IYFF.

In the world today there are 3,000 million people who live in the countryside. The greater part of these women and men, some 2,500 million, are farmers. More than 1,500 million work 404 million plots which are less than five acres in size, the majority are less than two and a half acres. The rural population involved in industrial agriculture is less than 20 million people.

Of the more that 1,020 million people who suffer hunger in the world, a great number are peasant families, with little land, few resources and no public support. Neither do they have infrastructures, nor technical assistance, nor access to credit, nor markets close at hand, nor educational or sanitary installations, etc.

In this so significant, so dramatic context, at the end of 2007, a thought-provoking proposal arrived at the Executive Secretariat of the World Rural Forum: that of promoting the recognition and the support of family farming by means of the declaration by the United Nations of an International Year of Family Farming-IYFF.

We, in the WRF, began to dialogue about this proposal and we arrived at the conclusion that it was worth while to try and take it forward: we were very mindful of the very serious problems of family farming in general and those of the developing countries in particular.

The ideal occasion to make known this idea came with the celebration of the 2nd Farmers’ Forum in Rome, 11-12 February, 2008, a note-worthy meeting of agricultural organisations from all over the world. This meeting is organised periodically by International Fund for Agriculture Development-IFAD whose headquarters are in Rome. The WRF had been invited as an observer.

After the end of the Farmers´ Forum, we launched the first pamphlet about the IYFF Campaign.

From that time until now, more that 200 farmers and rural organisations etc. from the different continents have given their official support to the WRF Campaign in favour of the IYFF. (See up-dated list in the WRF web:
www.familyfarmingcampaign.net).

Our great priority at this moment is the achieving of more government support which would lead to the introduction in the agenda of the General Assembly of the UN the proposal of the declaration of an International Year of Family Farming. At this moment we can count on the support of 4 governments: Belize, Pakistan, Peru and Switzerland. We confidently await the support of the governments of Brazil, India, Belgium, Luxemburg, Spain, Uruguay and many others.

In this context, we earnestly ask all those organisations which have joined this Campaign to take the necessary steps to ask their respective governments for their official support for the IYFF.

We have already taken the first steps to arrange political support in the UN headquarters in New York, as well as financial support to the IYFF activities from donor institutions.

During the months of October, November and December, 2009, the Campaign for the IYFF has been a permanent feature in the World Forum of High Level Experts (FAO) in Rome October 12-13, in the Forum parallel to the World Summit on Food Security, Rome, November13-17: in the Specialised Meeting on Family Agriculture-REAF, extended Mercosur (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Venezuela, Chile, Bolivia and Uruguay) December 1-4; ILEIA Jubilee, The Hague, December 15, etc. In all these events the Campaign for the IYFF has been spread and new adhesions have been obtained.

On many occasions, linked to the participation in the diverse Forums in Rome, we have maintained contacts with the FAO and the IFAD as international organisations linked to agriculture in which we have explained everything in relation to the Campaign in favour of an IYFF.

Along 2010 four Continental meetings about the Campaign for the IYFF will take place. The first, in Asia, planned on December 2009, has had to be postponed until March, 2010, for financial reasons. During the following months Continental meetings will be held in Africa, America and Europe. Once these have ended the first World Consultative Committee of the IYFF Campaign will be organised with two representatives elected by each Continental meeting.

We have also set in motion a IYFF Scientific Committee which will be able to get diverse world experts together, women and men capable of laying the basis of all things relevant to Family Agriculture as the principal of food production and the preservation of environment-friendly conditions.

The new Web is a very effective tool to make known to the world the up to date evolution of all the activities of the IYFF Campaign. Visit it and use it as a sensitizing instrument with the existing diverse material to promote the Campaign.
Many millions are the peasant families throughout the world that will be able to get most benefit from the implementation of an International Year of Family Farming, sponsored by the United Nations Organisation. We will give maximum possible projection and effectiveness to the official IYFF through the organisations participating in the Campaign.

To make this dream a reality is in the hands of everyone. We need cooperation, support and help to make it come true.

December 2009

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Monday, 16 November, 2009

Early morning greetings from Rome:

Since the evening of Friday, 13 November, we have been here taking part in the activities of the parallel forum to the World Summit, centred on food sovereignty.

We have in our hearts and our minds all the organisations which support the campaign in favour of the International Year of Family Farming, trying to assure that their common proposals form part of the aspirations of the greatest number possible of associations and institutions. It is of the greatest importance that the UN endorses Family Farming: peasantry, indigenous, pastoral and community farming, and by extension, craft fishing, by declaring an International Year of Family Farming as a sign of recognition of the efforts of the hundreds of millions of country women and men to produce the food that humanity needs.

Here united, we are more than 500 participants, 60% women representing more than 300 organisations from all continents. The organisation has made an extraordinary effort to make this parallel Forum possible and merits rotund congratulations.

On that day, 13 November, we had a work session with the UN special rapporteur about the right to food, Olivier De Shutter who explained his efforts to us and the limitations in the framework of the different UN agencies. Frequently he has the right to express himself before them, but he is not always listened to nor supported in his proposals in favour of the fundamental right to food.

In the morning of Saturday, the 14, the parallel forum officially began with the presence of FAO General Secretary, Jacques Diouf and the Mayor of Rome, Giovanni Alemano, both as guests of honour. Their speeches were very encouraging although they did point out the enormous difficulties they have to be listened to by those who should contribute to the eradication of the horrendous drama of hunger. It appears that many governments are not prepared to take adequate measures, to make changes in their food policies which would give priority to the effective production of healthy and sufficient food.

Afterwards, the Argentinean Ambassador to FAO-FIDA-PAM, a person worthy of respect and very committed, Ms. Maria del Carmen Squeff, until now president of the Food Security Committee – CFS of the FAO and Mr. Noel de Luna, the Philippine Ambassador to those organisations and the new president of CFS, introduced us to the perspectives of the new institutional framework, based on the reform of the Committee open it to the participation of new agents and civil society.

Until now we have united around three groups: women, young people and country people, and a seminary about the establishment of alliances to achieve the objective of food security.

Since yesterday evening, Sunday 15, we have been working in 4 thematic groups: 1º- Who directs food policies? 2ª- Who controls the food production resources? 3ª- How is food produced? 4- Who has access to and who needs access to food? The work of these groups continues.

Today, Monday 16, the World Summit about Food Sovereignty begins in the FAO with the participation of numerous governments. Towards midday, the people who are here in the parallel forum will be present in the FAO headquarters to express our aspirations and requests.

We shall continue informing.

Cordially

José A. Osaba
WRF-FRM
IYFF-AIAF Campaign Coordinator
T + 34 649 638996
osabajose@gmail.com
www.familyfarmingcampaign.net
www.ruralforum.net