Manila, Philippines - The International League of Peoples Struggle (ILPS) Commission 6, Asian Peasant Coalition (APC) and Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) organizes the ILPS commission 6 workshop held on July 7 and July 8, 2011 carrying the theme “Agrarian Reform and the Rights of Peasants, Farm Workers and Fisherfolks against Feudal, Semi-feudal and Capitalist Exploitation and Oppression.”
The event was attended by 43 participants from 13 countries namely the Philippines, Nepal, Malaysia, Indonesia, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Sri Lanka, The Netherlands, USA, Australia, Venezuela, Kenya, Denmark and Pakistan.
Rafael Mariano, peasant leader/legislator and Peasant Movement of the Philippines (KMP) national chairperson officially welcomed the participants. To cap his welcome remarks he led the unveiling of a mural depicting the struggles of peasants and other rural people. The mural was designed by peasant and fisherfolk activists and advocates from the Pamalakaya, Sinagbayan and NNARA-youth.
The workshop’s’ first speaker was comrade Muhammad Burhanudin, head of organizational department of Allliansi Gerakan Reforma Agraria (AGRA), an alliance of peasant organizations in Indonesia. He spoke on the current phenomena of global land grabbing in Indonesia and other parts of the globe. Burhanudin cited the peasant struggles and victories against global land grabbing and for land and justice in India, the Philippines, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Nepal and Indonesia.
The second workshop speaker was Ms Azra Talat Sayeed from Roots for Equity, Pakistan. She elaborated on the current imperialist onslaught on global agriculture, particularly in underdeveloped nations. Among the major issues and concerns raised were: the structures and policies executed by imperialist countries to ensure their exploitation of underdeveloped agriculture and economies, include the SAP, multilateral and bilateral free trade agreements; the waves of struggles against IPR, market access; and the current food crisis facing the people of the world noting the surge in prices of food from 2006 to 2008 and in 2011, citing trade liberalization polices have pushed countries to become food net importers; about 105 countries out of 148 countries have become food net importer over the last five to six years; the most affected sectors of imperialist onslaught to the peasantry are women and children in rural areas
She also mentioned the problem of global land grabbing serving the purpose of: large scale monoculture, agro-chemical production, food production for export, production of food for the rich – hunger for the poor, profit-oriented food production and climate crises.
After the open forum, the participants discussed and approved Resolution No. 6 and 16 specific resolutions from the Philippines and other countries.
The ILPS Commission No. 6 approved a 3-year program of action and the composition of secretariat were identified such as the KMP, All Nepal Peasants Federation (ANPFa) and the Eastern and Southern Africa Small Farmers Forum (ESAFF).
The commission no. 6 also passed a resolution endorsing the nomination of Mr. Rafael Mariano (Philippines) and Mr. Chennaiah Poguri (APVVU, India) to the ILPS International Coordinating Council (ICC).
Finally, the participants of the commission 6 workshop unanimously agreed to its call to resist imperialist-led global landgrabbing. #