NEWSLETTER APRIL 2013 Hello FIANistas, Below you’ll find the latest news updates regarding cases and issues relevant to FIAN’s work.   We would like to thank all those who participated in World Yoga Day. Some 500 yoga sessions took place in more than 50 countries in support of the right to adequate food! We are happy to report that we have raised approximately 33,000 Euros to date and we are still in the process of collecting donations. The funds raised will be used in FIAN International’s fight against right to food violations all over the world. You can visit the   World Yoga Day Facebook page for great pictures and stories from those who contributed to make this a memorable day.   Happy reading and please do not hesitate to   contact us with your questions or feedback.    FIAN Demands Justice for Murder of Guarani Teenager   FIAN Successfully Petitions European Parliament to Intervene on behalf of Guarani   International organizations welcome World Bank Ombudman's initiative to scrutinize investment project in Bajo Aguán, Honduras   Criminalization of Human Rights Defenders in Ecuador   Promising Steps Toward Recognition of Women’s Right to Food   FIAN Endorses Statement on Alarming Trends in Negotiations during UN Commission on the Status of Women   Declaration of the First National Conference on the Right to Adequate Food in Philippines   FIAN Calls Upon Human Rights Council to Renew Mandate of Special Rapporteur for the Right to Food FIAN Demands Justice for Murder of Guarani Teenager In response to the murder of a 15 year old Guarani teenager and the continued violations of the Guarani’s human rights, FIAN Brazil and Belgium have sent a letter to the Brazilian government demanding, among other things, guaranteed security for the Guarani-Kaiowá people. On March 5, 2012, the Office of the Presidency replied stating that the matter was transferred to the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights Secretariat.   Read more FIAN Successfully Petitions European Parliament to Intervene on behalf of Guarani In December 2012, FIAN Brasil, supported by FIAN Belgium sent a letter to the new president of the Human Rights Subcommittee of the European Parliament, regarding the situation of the indigenous Guarani-Kaiowa of Brazil. The letter set out to remind the president of the commitment made to defend the human rights of the Guarani and requesting that she interpellate the government of Brazil on the matter, which she then did in the form of a letter to the Brazilian Embassy in Brussels on January 30, 2013.   Read more International organizations welcome World Bank Ombudman's initiative to scrutinize investment project in Bajo Aguán, Honduras International organizations welcome the World Bank Ombudsman´s initiative to scrutinize an investment project of the International Finance Corporation due to allegations of human rights violations of peasant communities in the Bajo Aguán valley, Honduras, and demand immediate halt to the project.   Read the full statement. Criminalization of Human Rights Defenders in Ecuador On March 21, 2013, Carlos Perez, Federico Guzmán and Ephraim Arpi, human rights defenders from the community of Azuay, appeared before the Ecuadorian courts to serve an 8 day jail sentence. The penalty was imposed for their advocacy of the right to water and resistance to a mining project that threatens the Quimsacocha wetlands which are the main and only source of water for their communities.   Watch the video. Promising Steps Toward Recognition of Women’s Right to Food In celebration of International Women's Day, FIAN International applauds recent efforts to develop international frameworks in support of the right to adequate food for women. A number of different initiatives have been undertaken at the UN level with regard to mainstreaming gender within relevant international policy.   Read more FIAN Endorses Statement on Alarming Trends in Negotiations during UN Commission on the Status of Women