Message-ID: <Pine.GSO.3.96.970908092803.19885A-100000@verdi> Date: Mon, 8 Sep 1997 09:29:41 -0600 From: JC WANDEMBERG <mailto:juwandem@NMSU.Edu> Subject: Press release To: mailto:DEVEL-L@AMERICAN.EDU
PRESS RELEASEAfter three days of debate, 26 representatives of regional and Global networks from five continents, gathered in Brasilia, decided to create the Global Forum on Sustainable Food and Nutritional Security - with a strong Southern perspective.
The Forum is a platform with a strong southern perspective for all civil society networks and organizations who share the concern for food security and who agree to work collaboratively.
The main purpose of this Forum is to guarantee that the right to food, for all men and women of all ages, will be placed above the interests of the market, through the creation of an international collaborative effort that will secure a say in National, regional and International policy negotiation processes that affect in a way or the other the Sustainable Food and Nutritional Security of our peoples, with a special emphasis on the follow up of the World Food Summit and on the preparation for the WTO revision of the GATT agreements in 1999.
To reach its main purpose, a collaborative open structure based on voluntary participation and created by the will to work collectively was established. It will allow to articulate efforts and multiple initiatives of individuals, networks and all forms of private and public organizations, governments, urban and rural small producers, workers, peasant, consumers, civil society, NGOs, etc of all continents. It is a multilingual network with communications in Portuguese, Spanish, French , English and other languages as well. The Forum was built to promote growth and the possibility of learning collectively and from each others experience.
This Global Forum is composed of: a Sovereign Global Assembly; an elected steering Committee composed of five regional representatives, with the role of taking agile political decisions in between meetings of the Global Forum Assembly; a Global Secretariat, always located in the South, which is responsible to facilitate the work of the task forces, make all operational contacts for the Global Forum, implement the decisions taken by the assembly and by the steering committee; and finally of voluntary and self regulated task forces, each with a focal point. The focal point has the task of coordinating the work and to provide general information, which will be widely available on the Internet. All founding participants are expected to broaden the Forum by inviting interested individuals, organizations and networks to become part of the Forum by working with a specific task force described below at national, regional or international level.
Ágora - Associação para Projetos de Combate à Fome (Brasília/Brazil) was chosen to host the Secretariat of the Global Forum from now until the WTO Meeting in 1999.
The specific objectives that will guide our actions are the following:
· To formulate and develop ideas, proposals, policies, etc. about Sustainable Food and Nutritional Security
· To sensitize governments, civil society organizations and public opinion on Sustainable Food and Nutritional Security by the establishment of national, regional, and international relations and the diffusion of information
· To mobilize the social base and organizations regarding the theme of Sustainable Food and Nutrition Security
· To coordinate efforts with other networks and similar initiatives at the national, sub-regional, regional and international levels.
To operationalize these sub-objectives a work plan was devised with 11 themes. For each one were identified initiators and Focus point for the baseline work:
1. Compilation and elaboration of case studies demonstrating the effects of the WTO norms or other international organizations with regards to food production and security and the quality of life of women and men of all ages, small producers, peasant communities, marginal rural and urban populations and consumers in different countries. Focal point: ACTIONAID/India; Initiators: IATP/RIAD, ACTIONAID/SOUTH ASIAN NETWORK, FOVIDA/REDCIN, APRODEV, CNIRD, FONGS/COASAD, Rede Mulher Educação/WEDO; baseline work: ANGOC, Agora/RGSA, APM, Consumers' International, IIRM.
2. Elaboration of an alternative global proposal about Sustainable Food and Nutritional Security based on regional proposals and/or otherwise. Focal point: IATP/RIAD; Initiators: IATP/RIAD, ACTIONAID/partners, Consumers' International, ANGOC
3. Compilation and follow up of the calendar of international activities related to the subject in order to obtain our active participation in the next WTO meting in 1999. Focal point: Ágora/GFSFNS-Secretariat; Initiators: Ágora/GFSFNS-Secretariat, IATP
4. Mapping of international initiatives (regional and sub-regional), governmental and from civil society, in process or to be implemented, related to Food and Nutritional Security to facilitate exchange of knowledge and help identify partners in order to establish links. Initiators: All networks and organizations inside the Forum will provide information about the main activities they are developing. Focal point: Ágora/GFSFNS-Secretariat; Initiators: Ágora/GFSFNS-Secretariat, UNAC/GNFS
5. Increased participation of the Network with the incorporation of urban and rural small producers, workers and consumer organizations and other institutions representative of different countries of the region, by means of the diffusion of our proposal to the public and expand the social base. Initiators: AIPE, WEDO
6. Auditing of implementation of commitments made and the agreements accorded by the governments in different Conferences and Summits in relation to food and nutrition security, with emphasis on the World Food Summit. This would include the auditing of the implementation of agreed commitments on Food and Nutrition Security in the Uruguay Round Negotiations. Focal point: ACTIONAID/India; Initiators: ACTIONAID/India; South Asian Coalition; CNIRD.
7. Publication of newsletters by the civil society for the monitoring of the food and Nutrition security policy of each country, to be issued on an annual basis on World Food Day. Initiators: All
8. Setting up a Steering Group of NGOs/CBOs for seeking participation of civil society in the WTO process. Focal Point: IATP/RIAD; Initiators: IATP/RIAD, IIRM/LACSA, ORAM, Latin American and Caribbean Forum on Sustainable Food and Nutritional Security, ANGOC, Rede Mulher Educação, WEDO
9. Capabilities development in the NGOs in negotiating and lobbying. Focal point: Ágora
10. Development of communication strategy. Focal point and initiator: AIPE/Bolivia
11. Fund raising. Focal point and initiator: APRODEV Each region has also its focal points: In Asia they are ACTIONAID/India and ANGOC; in Africa it is FONGS/COASAD; in North America they are UNAC/GNFS and IATP/RIAD; in Latin America and Caribbean they are: FOVIDA/REDCIN and CNIRD; and in Europe, CHRISTIAN AID is responsible to find a representative.
For any further information or for any individual or organism that would like to participate in any ways, on one or more of these task groups, contact one of the initiators or the global secretariat.
List of founding organizations and networks. Amitava Mukherjee Actionaid/South Asian Network India Aquilés D. Saravia AIPE Bolivia Ana Maria Acevedo FOVIDA/ RED CIN Peru Christiane Costa, Polis/ Aliança por um Mundo Responsável e Solidário Brasil Clive Robinson CAID/UKFG/ European NGO Liaison Comittee Erick Zaballos AIPE Bolivia Flavio Luiz Schieck Valente Agora/Global Network on Food Security Brasil Gary Sealey UNAC/GNFS Canada Herbert Wasen MST/CLOC/Via Campesina Brasil Ibrahima Seck COASAD Senegal Juan Carlos Wandemberg LACSA/IIRM EEUU Julie Cavanagh UNAC/Agora Canada/Brasil Luis Meneses UNORCA/VIA CAMPESINA México Francisco Rohn ALOP Equador Karen Lehman IATP/RIAD USA Kholisile Mazaza IRED South Africa Luciano Wolff CPT/FIAN Brasil Marino Bohn CARITAS Latino Americana Brasil Mario Ahumada MAELA Chile Mirta Crovetto Consumers International/LA Chile Moema Viezzer Rede Mulher - Educação Brasil Nerle Robertson CNIRD Trinidad-Tobaggo Paulo Cuinica ORAM/Rede DMA/PLP Mocambique Peter Muchambo APM Zimbabwe Roel Ravanera ANGOC Philippines
This Press Released was produced by Julie Cavanagh
For more information contact: Flavio Luiz Schieck Valente Secretariat of the Global Forum on Sustainable Food and Nutritional Security c/o Ágora - Associação para Projetos de combate à Fome SCLN 210 Bloco "C" Salas 215 a 218 70.862-530 Brasília. DF Brasil fax + 55 61 3479002 tel +55 61 3474914 e-mail mailto:agora@brnet.com.br http://www.brnet.com.br/rededma/plp