News

Statement of the Meeting of Women in Latin America and the Caribbean

May 12, 2014

IV SPECIAL CONFERENCE OF THE ALLIANCE FOR THE PEOPLES FOOD SOVEREIGNTY OF LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN. In Santiago, Chile, on 2nd of May, rural women, rural, fishermen, ranchers, and agricultural wage Special Indigenous Food Sovereignty in Latin America and the Caribbean gathered the Conference declare that: We affirm food sovereignty policies contributions as a principle. We appreciate and acknowledge the previous efforts in this Conference, in which process and the implementation of the World Food Conference held in Mali under the name of the woman where Nyéléni our proposals affecting the recognition of the rights to build and socialize with sex. As regard to the progress in the process of more than 20 years of construction, the agenda for the defense of food sovereignty, the constitution of the Alliance and its founding document, must move forward to this and other documents processed by the Public Policy. We highlight the work of rural women and Aquaculture artisanal fisheries, mariculture in all areas: production, reproduction, people care, common goods and nature, women are historically transmitters of culture through values, cultural resistance, the language of defense, languages, costumes, ancient and community practices. We reaffirm the importance of social mobilization as a tool for action and political positioning of incidents and resistance because people have the right to decide freely on the marketing of production in lifestyle and trade as they want in opposition to agribusiness, the extraction and concentration model that mainly affects women in their working conditions, living and its impact on production, reproduction and conditions for the management of life and nature work. The flexible and precarious work impacts most heavily on women. We denounce that existing international conventions prohibiting child labor, still violate the rights of children in the food sector, depriving them from living a full and happy education and health guaranteed by states. We urge the governments of Latin America and the Caribbean and FAO adopt the approach of collective goods refer to our territories: earth, water and ecosystem biodiversity. Governments must ensure that all people have access to public goods and to ensure their protection. Comply with the rules defined by international treaties and conventions such as CEDAW (Convention against All Forms of Discrimination against Women). In this regard, we declare ongoing campaign against violence against women in all their (sexual, psychological, economic, national and institutional) forms. We call upon States and international organizations to ensure compliance with the legitimate rights of women. We demand the effective implementation of the Convention 169 and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and respect for customary rights. Apply for a free consultation mechanism and informed about everything that touches our territories. Promote legal certainty of land ownership for women defend the inalienable and imprescriptible right. Recognize the vision of indigenous peoples worldwide, solidarity, reciprocity and complementarity. Evaluate, recognize and respect the knowledge of women and men food sovereignty guarantors farmers, through the comprehensive agrarian reform. Include the solidarity economy in public policy that fosters partnerships, strengthening procurement, storage and marketing, other forms of exchange of own territories. Do not allow the privatization of the commons, and the patenting of all life. We oppose the right of farmers, intellectual property on seeds, medicinal plants and genetic intervention that breaks the ecological cycle of nature. Mechanisms include full compensation for women victims of violation of human rights in Latin America and the Caribbean. Strengthen the role of parliaments monitoring to promote policies for food sovereignty. Recognize the Alliance for Food Sovereignty as a counterpart to the discussion and decisions to countries and FAO. Representatives of our organizations ask women to commit to: Strengthen the role of women in the preservation, conservation and development of our cultures. Strengthen the political training of women for food sovereignty and promote the creation of a regional training program. Socialize information on the year of the peasant and indigenous family agriculture and its importance to feed the world and protect the planet. Strengthen and expand our organizations by organizing common shares. To monitor and evaluate the governments of Latin America and the Caribbean and FAO for the implementation of agreements and commitments. We will be attentive to the different political processes and work together for social movements as a whole perform this monitoring. We will not allow the manipulation and exploitation of food sovereignty. Continue to build alliances with urban women, their organizations and other sectors to maintain a balanced relationship between the production and marketing of food products. “Resistance and Rebellion, the seeds for life”