August 2009

CALL to People's Food Sovereignty Forum 2009

Sat, 08/29/2009 - 03:22 -- apc secretariat

Dear Friends,

The Asian Peasant Coalition (APC) supports the initiative of the International Planning Committee (IPC) CALLING for an independent "People's Food Sovereignty Forum 2009" on November 13-17, 2009 in Rome with the theme “Eradicating Hunger and Poverty now! Nothing against us, nothing without us.” This is the forum of people’s organizations, social movements and NGOs parallel to the World Summit on Food Security on November 16-18, 2009 in Rome propsed by the FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf to agree on key actions to tackle global economic crisis by affecting jobs and deepening poverty.

Request for Support: IPC Sign-on Letter to FAO Director General

Sat, 08/29/2009 - 02:52 -- apc secretariat

Dear Friends,

We are requesting you to SIGN-UP the International Planning Committee (IPC) letter to Dr. Jacques Diouf, FAO Director General. The deadline to SIGN-UP the letter is until SEPTEMBER 15.

As you might know, the process to facilitate an independent parallel Forum of Civil Society to FAO Summit in November 2009 is risky. We are sending a letter to Dr. Diouf asking to respect the two basic principles of autonomy and self-organization.

Campaign against WTO

To: All APC Member Organizations
From: Danilo Ramos, APC Secretary General
Subject: Campaign against WTO

We call on all member organizations of the Asian Peasant Coalition (APC) to plan and carry out information campaign and mass actions to protest the World Trade Organization (WTO) epecially the ‘WTO Informal Ministerial Meeting to be held in New Delhi , India on September 3-4. We request your organization to submit campaign plans to APC Secretariat on or before August 31.

KMP Spearhead anti-WTO Mass Campaign in the Philippines

Wed, 08/26/2009 - 04:37 -- KMP

The Philippine-based groups representing farmers, peasant women, workers, agricultural workers, urban poor, government employees association, NGOs and church sector coming from different organizations such as the PUMALAG (Peoples’ Network against Liberalization of Agriculture), Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP), IBON Foundation and Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) has developed a campaign plan against WTO and FTAs until December 2009. The Asian Peasant Coalition (APC) is supporting this campaign plan.

IRRI acting as sales rep for hybrid rice, threats land grabbing in many countries

The Asia-wide peasant group Asian Peasant Coalition (APC) said that on March 7, 2009, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) led by its Director-General Dr. Robert Zeigler has met with high-ranking government officials of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia regarding efforts to secure rice production overseas.

Reference: 

DANILO RAMOS, KMP and APC Secretary-General

KMP Leader Randy Echanis Released

Fri, 08/21/2009 - 14:06 -- apc secretariat

After nineteen long months, Randy Echanis will be having his
first break from detention with the Supreme Courts order granting him
provisional release for six months. Friends and family celebrated his
temporary freedom in a gathering at the BAYAN office immediately after
his release from Camp Crame

All Nepal Peasants Federation Celebrates YORA with Interactive Rice Workshop

Fri, 08/21/2009 - 13:57 -- apc secretariat

As part of its ongoing celebration of the Year of Rice Action (YORA), the All Nepal Peasants Federation (ANPFa) hosted an interactive rice workshop in Kathmandu on the 15th and 16th of August. The successful event was one of a number of activities organized by ANPFa to bring attention to the issue of rice in Nepal and featured presentations on genetically engineered rice, the importance of rice to the Nepalese economy, the System of Rice Intesification and rice culture.

Keynote address to International Conference on Education, Imperialism and Resistance

Wed, 08/19/2009 - 08:01 -- apc secretariat

The availability of formal education at the basic and higher levels to comparatively larger numbers of people differentiates the modern world of the bourgeoisie and working class from the ancient world of the slave masters and feudal lords. The wider extent of education is made possible by the larger amount of surplus product created by the modern forces of production and is required by the greater need for mass literacy, professional and technical skills to maintain as well as to advance the level of material and cultural development.

Resources: 
ILPS Commission 6

A call to campaign for livelihoods and social justice

Wed, 08/19/2009 - 07:58 -- apc secretariat

The loss or erosion of livelihoods is the most concrete and widespread impact of the current crisis of the world capitalist system on people’s lives, both in the advanced capitalist countries as well as in the underdeveloped countries. Despite recent pronouncements from state officials and the business press that economic recovery is in sight, the global economy continues to tumble with the gross domestic product of the leading capitalist countries still contracting, consumer spending still in decline and unemployment still rising.

Resources: 
ILPS Commission 6