---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Guus Geurts <guusgeurts@yahoo.com>
Date: 2013/11/7
Subject: Re: pledge for food sovereignty and climate justice and more information
To: Giba Wataramy <wataramy@gmail.com>
Pledge
for food sovereignty and climate justice
by Guus Geurts
Eichwaldmond (Austria): stop global warming
- Proposals,
background of fast and hunger strike, to cope with the ‘forgotten’ food-,
energy and climate crises
I met Giba Wataramy of CIMI Mato Grosso in October
2012 in the Netherlands during a conference about the negative effects of the
huge dependency of Dutch animal husbandry of the soy imports produced in Latin
America. We agreed that I would write an article about the pledge for food
sovereignty and climate change, which were developed by the Working group Food
Justice in 2011.
In this document you will find the proposals
for a more just trade, agricultural, climate and energy policy, which are
supported by 39 development, environmental, farmers, human rights,
indigenous people and women’s’ organisations and enterprises, and by 270 civilians inside and
outside the Netherlands. These proposals were directed to the Dutch politics
and have been send at 10 October 2011 with an accompanying letter to members of
Parliament and ministers. Also the CEO’s of Solidaridad, World Wildlife Fund
and the Initiative for Sustainable Trade (IDH) received these proposals,
because they support the green washing of industrial produced ‘responsible’
(GMO)soy within the RTRS and ‘sustainable’ palm oil within the RSPO. To enforce
these proposals more than 30 people fasted for 24 hours, and I started a fast for
40 days at 1 November 2011. After 40 days I went on not eating and called it
‘hunger strike’ to put more pressure on the proposals. At 14 December I had to
stop on doctor’s advice.
1.
‘Proposals for food sovereignty and
climate justice
In this document we give proposals for a more
just trade, agricultural, climate and energy policy. We do this at this moment
because the coming months crucial decisions will be made for the supply of
basic needs and the future of our planet. So the Climate Summit COP17 will be
organised in Durban South Africa (28 November – 9 December) and the WTO-summit
will be from 15 until 17 December in Geneva. Also the G20 summit will be
organised at 3 and 4 November and these months negotiations will start about a
new European Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for 2014-2020. Besides that
protection of the right to food and right to a livelihood, and the prevention
of disastrous climate change have everything to do with the political choice
for competition on the world market in WTO and other free trade agreements.
1.1 We have now the chance to say no to:
-
Liberalisation
of agricultural markets; a political choice which has been made (only) twenty
(EU, WTO) to twenty five (World Bank, IMF) years ago. Before that time
politicians realised that agriculture and free trade don’t go together, because
farmers can only produce sustainably when they get remunerative prices.
-
Those
free trade agreements because they also lead to access to and on-going
depletion of natural resources, especially in developing countries. These
resources such as land, water, minerals and energy are used to produce even
more luxury products for the happy few who have purchasing power, instead of
supplying basic needs for everybody now and in future.
-
The EU
trade strategy Trade, Growth and World Affairs
[1].
This strategy – unknown to the general public – seems to have been written to
maximize the profits of European multinationals, but is leading to a social and
environmental crisis in and outside Europe. This strategy considers access to
markets and natural resources in other countries as ‘constitutional rights’.
This political choice for competition on the world market blocks effective
policies in areas such as agriculture, energy, climate change and biodiversity,
because every environmental and social regulation then weakens competitiveness.
-
Misleading
‘solutions’ such as self-regulation by the corporate sector (for example by
‘round tables’ on soybeans and palm oil) instead of market regulation, binding
social and environmental regulations, and protection, fulfilment and respect of
human rights.
-
Unjust
and ineffective climate ‘solutions’ such as the Clean Development Mechanism,
Carbon Emissions Trade, biofuels and tree plantations, that allow developed
countries to avoid taking their responsibility to reduce their energy
consumption drastically. Moreover the proposals made in Cancun in 2010 will
(possibly) lead to an increase in temperature of 4 – 5 ºC [2],
even though an increase of 2 ºC can already lead to an irreversible and
disastrous situation.
Former attempts such as demonstrations,
petitions, advocacy letters to politicians, non-violent actions, or opinion
articles in newspapers and magazines and other publications, have hardly led to
a change of policy. Arguments for a political change towards an ecologically
sound and socially just future for all don't seem to count. The influence of
big multinational corporations on governments is too big, the courage of
politicians to deviate from ‘Business as Usual’ is too small and the belief in
the neoliberal ‘world religion’ is on-going despite the current crises.
Hence this ultimate demand in the decisive
months for the climate, regulation of world trade and the European common
agricultural policy, to change for the better now when it’s still possible.
1.2 We demand from the Dutch government to
change its policy – towards the EU – in the following way:
* Food sovereignty
within agricultural and trade policy:
-
The
WTO-summit in December is a good opportunity to break down the current
negotiations in the Doha Development Round. The Agreement on Agriculture about free trade in agriculture also needs
to be reformed drastically in such a way that food sovereignty and the respect
for human rights will be the central focus. [3]
-
Europe
stops imposing liberalisation in agriculture on the poorest developing
countries in bilateral and regional trade agreements, such as the Economic
Partnership Agreements with former colonies of the EU, the so called
ACP-countries.
-
Developing
countries should be able to increase their import taxes to protect the food
production by their own farmers as soon as possible. The World Bank and the IMF
should delete the orders to liberalise trade from their country strategies and
adjustment programmes.
-
Free
trade agreements and the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for 2014-2020 should
be reformed in such a way that the EU becomes as self-sufficient as possible in
food, feed and energy. In order to achieve this the following measures should
be taken:
o Import taxes and supply management are
established or maintained for all agricultural products so that all farmers can
get remunerative prices.
o All income subsidies and export subsidies are
abolished so that dumping in developing countries is prevented.
o European farmers produce alternatives for
products which are now imported from the Global South and are leading to a
social and ecological disaster, e.g. soybeans, palm oil and biofuels.
o Environmental and animal welfare standards should
be raised considerably. In combination with European ecotaxes – and the import
taxes already mentioned – this will lead to internalising all environmental and
animal welfare costs in the price the consumer pays.
o The 25 billion Euros [4]
which are saved by changing the CAP in this way can be used to stimulate
ecological, small scale, local agricultural production and processing, and
decentralised sustainable energy production in Europe and in developing
countries.
-
European
companies and investment funds must be prohibited from buying land in
developing countries in order to stop the European share in the current
landgrab.
-
A
renewed European trade strategy should lead to fair trade with developing
countries, a more self-sufficient Europe in which the mineral cycles are
closed, with much lower energy use and more employment. In this way developing
countries will get their markets and natural resources back for their own
development, in the speed they choose themselves.
* Climate justice and energy security:
-
A
renewed The EU should take its responsibility and cut the use of fossil fuels and greenhouse gas emissions by 50% before 2017. Those figures are analogous to The People’s Agreement
drawn up in Bolivia in 2010 [5].
In order to achieve this the
following measures should be taken:
o
the
Clean Development Mechanism and Carbon Trade are abolished;
o
European
ecotaxes on fossil fuels are increased drastically (and taxes on labour are
decreased);
o
subsidies
on fossil fuels are abolished (7,5 billion Euro per year in the Netherlands);
o
no
more public money goes to construction of new highways, airports and harbours;
o
drastic
expansion of public investment in public transport;
o
also
greenhouse gas emissions by ships and by airplanes are decreased drastically;
o
a
German style feed-in-tariff system is established European wide, in order to
stimulate decentralised sustainable electricity production for remunerative
prices;
o
the
construction of new Dutch and European coal power plants is cancelled, working
coal plants are closed as soon as possible (but 2020 at the latest);
o
a
European-wide prohibition of imports of oil(products) from tar sands;
o
50
to 75% of all global GHG-emissions can be prevented or stored by bringing back organic matter into the soil, re-integrating animal and crop production, putting local markets and fresh food
back in the centre of the food
system and by halting land
clearing and deforestation. [6]
o
cancellation
of the European bio fuel directive (10% bio fuels in 2020) and a European
prohibition of imports of bio fuels from developing countries;
* Stop the Dutch and
European violations of human rights and Green
washing:
-
A
parliamentary research (Parlementaire Enquête) will be conducted to investigate
the past, current and future human rights abuses, especially in developing
countries, that result from free trade policies imposed by WTO, bilateral- and
regional Free Trade Agreements and structural adjustment programmes imposed by
the World Bank and IMF. Especially violations of the right to food, water and a
livelihood should be investigated. The Netherlands and the EU reform these
treaties to prevent these human right violations as quickly as possible.
-
The
same investigations are conducted concerning the climate treaty.
-
Trans
National Corporations that violate human rights during the exploration of raw
materials and the production, processing, import or trade of products in
countries outside Europe, are prosecuted in the country of origin and/or in the
country where the crime took place;
-
Specific demands to Dutch NGO’s: The World Wildlife Fund and Solidaridad retire
from the Round Table of Responsible Soy and the Roundtable on Responsible Palm
Oil.
-
The
Dutch government stops putting public money into these green wash platforms.
Also the 100 million Euros in subsidies to the Initiative for Fair Trade (IDH)
will be cut drastically. Their programmes on soy, palm oil, sugar, tropical
timber and aquaculture are abolished. Sustainable imports and production of
these products on a massive scale is impossible, and the IDH gives importing
companies undeservedly a green image paid for with public money.
-
To
prevent the misuse of the term ‘sustainable’ by companies a society-wide
discussion is organised in order to determine which criteria should be met.
These criteria are binding for all purchases by national, provincial en local
governments.
Some suggestions: no (indirect) violations of
human rights, closed cycles of nutrients and fresh water, no destruction of
nature and no eviction of farmers, pastoralists and indigenous people from
their land - including by indirect land use changes, as little use of
fossil fuels as possible, no genetically modified organisms, respect the
species-specific behaviour of animals on farms and the smallest possible
ecological footprint.
2.
Current situation
During the fast and hunger strike in 2011 the Dutch
Socialist Party and the Party of the Animals made six proposals in the Dutch
Parliament to change policy accordingly to our proposals. Sadly none of them
got a majority. But this year a proposal to stop importing oil from tar sands
got a majority in Dutch Parliament. Of course a European ban of this oil is
needed, and this will take some more time.
Moreover the Common Agricultural Policy for 2014 to 2020 was developed, which meant an on-going neoliberal agenda. The WTO agenda is still about removing trade barriers instead of more market regulation. And the EU keeps on pushing for more FTA’s with developing countries like India, with ACP-countries and with the US and Canada. Although that the Climate Crisis is worsening we are still far from an effective international Climate Deal. There are however some encouraging developments:
Moreover the Common Agricultural Policy for 2014 to 2020 was developed, which meant an on-going neoliberal agenda. The WTO agenda is still about removing trade barriers instead of more market regulation. And the EU keeps on pushing for more FTA’s with developing countries like India, with ACP-countries and with the US and Canada. Although that the Climate Crisis is worsening we are still far from an effective international Climate Deal. There are however some encouraging developments:
-
A
European platform of civil society organisations was developed which developed
an alternative for the current trade strategy Trade, Growth and World Affairs.
This platform and alternative is called the Alternative Trade Mandate. More
information: www.alternativetrademandate.org A
campaign will start from November onwards and is directed towards the European Parliamentarian
elections in May 2014.
-
Olivier
de Schutter, the UN rapporteur on the Right to Food made some very good
statements during the last years, which are in line with our proposals. According to de Schutter, “in no
circumstances should trade commitments be allowed to restrict a country’s
ability to adopt measures guaranteeing national food security and the right to
adequate food: a waiver to allow the adoption of such measures should be
envisaged.” [7]
-
In
October this year the FAO recognized the international farmers’ movement La Via
Campesina's crucial role as the major international small food producer's
organisation. According
to Elizabeth Mpofu from the General Coordination of La Via Campesina, “this is
an important step forward in our efforts to address UN institutions and
governments to have a policy shift towards food sovereignty.” [8]
-
At this
moment the proposals for food sovereignty and climate justice are supported by
39 civil society organisations and enterprises and 270 individuals. See for
their names and more information: www.guusgeurts.nl/hungerclimate More support is welcome!
In this document you will find also the proposals and the letter as mentioned before, with background and inspiration of the fast / hunger strike. Finally this document gives more information about how you could support these actions.
In this document you will find also the proposals and the letter as mentioned before, with background and inspiration of the fast / hunger strike. Finally this document gives more information about how you could support these actions.
-
At
facebook you can join this cause at: https://www.causes.com/causes/635070-support-for-hunger-strike-for-food-sovereignty-and-climate-justice
Guus Geurts
Amsterdam, the Netherlands
7 November 2013
[1] Trade, Growth and
World Affairs – Trade policy as a core component of the EU’s 2020 strategy, European Commission DG Trade,
November 2010, see: http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2010/november/tradoc_146955.pdf
[2] The Cancún
Agreement: Not Worth Cheering, Friends of the Earth Europe, 20
December 2010, page 2, see:
[3] Rebuilding the WTO Agreement on Agriculture on food sovereignty, Jacques Berthelot, Solidarité, 30
May 2011, see: http://solidarite.asso.fr/IMG/pdf/Rebuilding-the-Agreement-on-Agriculture-on-food-sovereignt.pdf
[4] Assessment of the
budgetary effects of the ‘New Policy’, JM Boussard and
others, Dec. 2010, p. 8, see: http://aardeboerconsument.nl/wp/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/10-12-13-budget-21-dec.doc
[5] The People’s Agreement was drawn up during the World People's Conference on Climate Change
and the Rights of Mother Earth in Bolivia in 2010. See: http://pwccc.wordpress.com/support/
[6] See:
Small farmers can cool the planet http://www.grain.org/o_files/climatecrisis-presentation-11-2009.pdf
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