Backing up the Struggles of the Rural World

Despite family farming feeding the vast majority of the world’s population, the current global food system is undermining small-scale producers. The dominant approaches are enabling aggressive land and resource grabbing and threatening the livelihoods of communities. In a context where human rights defenders are systematically criminalized, a mechanism to fully recognize and protect the human rights of people living in rural areas is urgently needed. FIAN International calls on States to listen to the voices of those affected and support the negotiation and further adoption of the advanced draft, which will be under scrutiny in May. 

The International Day of Peasants’ and Farmers’ Struggles sees its 20th anniversary today. In 1996, La Via Campesina (LVC) declared April 17th the International Day of Peasants’ and Farmers’ Struggle, after  nineteen peasants – both male and female members of the Landless Movement – were assassinated while they were taking part in a legitimate struggle to obtain land in southern Pará, Brazil. This is called the Eldorado dos Carajás massacre.

Fast forward to 2009, LVC presented its own declaration on the rights of peasants in which they succinctly expressed the need to realize the rights of rural populations around the world. In September 2012 the Human Rights Council (HRC) passed a resolution establishing an Open-Ended Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG) with the mandate to elaborate a draft UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas.

Together with LCV, FIAN International and Centre Europe – Tiers Monde (CETIM) and with the participation of other constituencies and allies, have contributed to this process from the beginning, by facilitating the participation of peasants, fisheries, small scale producers, rural workers and women organizations in the session at the HRC and by actively participating in the sessions of the Working Group. Currently, the support for this process is growing amongst governments, civil society organizations and social movements. The last resolution of the HRC was passed with only one vote against (USA).  

For their part, the European countries continue abstaining, contrary to all African countries, which voted in favor. Bolivia, as chair of the IGWG, together with Ecuador, Cuba and South Africa are playing a role as a core group of sponsors. Brazil, Switzerland and Indonesia are deepening ties with the core group. 

• The third session of the IGWG will be taking place from 17 to 20 May 2016 in Geneva.
• According to the Human Rights Council Resolution A/HRC/RES/7/14 on the right to food, 80 percent of people suffering from hunger live in rural areas and 50 percent of people suffering from hunger are smallholder farmers.
• Around 500 million small farms in developing countries feed nearly 2 billion people – representing one third of humanity http://www.ifad.org/operations/food/farmer.htm  
• Family farming produces over 70% of world food http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=15172