The People's Forum
One does not sell the earth upon which the people walk.
Given that, for the first time in history, the growing numbers of the hungry has surpassed the one billion mark, the FAO Council has decided to hold a world summit on food security, November 16th to 18th in order to keep the challenge of food insecurity on top of the international agenda.
The overall purpose of the Summit is to agree on key actions to tackle this crisis. In words of FAO Director General Jacques Diouf « The silent hunger crisis – affecting one sixth of all of humanity – poses a serious risk for world peace and security. We urgently need to forge a broad consensus on the total and rapid eradication of hunger in the world. »
In addition to the meeting of Heads of State and Government, parallel to the summit special events will be organised by National Parliaments, the Private Sector, NGOs, CSOs and farmers’ and other food producers’ organizations.
Social Movements/NGO/CSO Parallel Forum as soon as the summit was announced, social movements, NGOs and other CSOs started to dialogue with FAO to organize a parallel Forum of Civil Society which will include farmers, indigenous peoples, rural youth, women and other social organizations. The moment is particularly important for civil society and thus requires their major mobilization to change mainstream agricultural and food policies and effectively address the root causes of hunger and poverty in the current situation of multiple crises (climatic, economical, financial and food crises). This change can only by affected through the active participation of the food producers’ social movements and NGOs/CSOs representing the people most affected by hunger.
An International Steering Committee of the Forum (ISC) composed of different constituencies and balanced in terms of regions and gender was autonomously set up by the organizations interested in actively organizing this Forum. The ISC is made up of representatives of the two main global farmers’ organizations, three regional farmers’ organizations, the two main fisherfolk’s global forums, pastoralists, Indigenous Peoples’ organizations, agricultural and food workers, environmental organizations, agro-ecological networks, the urban poor, youth, human rights organizations, international nongovernmental organizations, the ad-hoc group of international nongovernmental organizations in formal status with FAO, the secretariat of the International Planning Committee for Food Sovereignty, and the Italian Platform for Food Sovereignty acting as the national host committee[1].
1. Food sovereignty is the right of peoples to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, and their right to define their own food and agriculture systems. It puts those who produce, distribute and consume food at the heart of food systems and policies rather than the demands of markets and corporations. It defends the interests and inclusion of the next generation. It offers a strategy to resist and dismantle the current corporate trade and food regime, and directions for food, farming, pastoral and fisheries systems determined by local producers. Food sovereignty prioritises local and national economies and markets and empowers peasant and family farmer-driven agriculture, artisanal-fishing, pastoralist-led grazing, and food production, distribution and consumption based on environmental, social and economic sustainability. Food sovereignty promotes transparent trade that guarantees just income to all peoples and the rights of consumers to control their food and nutrition. It ensures that the rights to use and manage our lands, territories, waters, seeds, livestock and biodiversity are in the hands of those of us who produce food. Food sovereignty implies new social relations free of oppression and inequality between men and women, peoples, racial groups, social classes and generations.
