National Information Tour on Right to Food in Indonesia
Heidelberg/Jakarta, 22.12.09 - The Right to Food Network in Indonesia, a network of 20 non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations, and peasants' organizations, is launching a national information tour in 6 islands (Java, South Sulawesi, Sumatera, Papua, West Nusa Tenggara, and East Nusa Tenggara), with an aim to raise awareness of more than 500 landless peasants, indigenous peoples, and others on their fundamental right - the human right to food.
“More than 12% of population is suffering from hunger in Indonesia today. The global food crisis has had its impacts in Indonesia – reports on starvation deaths have made headlines in a flurry of news. There is enough food but people either have no money to purchase food or lack access to land to produce their food”, says Nanang Hari Supraptyo, a head of advocacy division at Bina Desa, an non-governmental organization serving as a secretariat for the network. “Through the National Information Tour, we want to reach as many victims of the right to food as possible, and engage in dialogues with local governments”, Nanang adds.
The first stop of the information tour is Kediri District, East Java. Between 14- 17 November, 26 people who are from actual victims of the right to food and supporting organizations attended the training. The tour will then head off to Medan of North Sumatera in December, Maros in South Sulawesi in December, Merauke in Papua in January 2010, Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara in February, and the final stop in Kupang of East Nusa Tenggara in March 2010, before all network members gather together in Jakarta to attend the Forum of the Right to Food, in which the results of the tour and different dialogues with local authorizes will be presented. Representatives from the Central Government will also be invited to attend the forum and involve in the drafting of the national strategy towards the fulfillment of the right to food.
FIAN International – together with Bina Desa – have initiated the creation of the right to food network, and currently still serves as a right to food consultant for the network.