Peasants’ rights: closing gaps in protection

HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL
21st session
Item 3 : General debate

September 2012

[Excerpt of the declaration]

We are currently facing a new surge in food prices particularly maize, wheat and soybean: after the price spike occurred across almost all commodities in 2007/2008 and a new spike in 2011, food prices are peaking again, reaching the levels of 2008 when high prices pushed – according to the FAO – the number of hungry people in the world to over one billion. The most affected by food price volatility have been countries highly dependent on imports for their food and poor food consumers in rural and urban areas. Price volatility, lack of proper support for peasant agriculture, dumping of agricultural products on local markets, weather-related events and increasing pressures over natural resources are putting peasants in an ever worsening and unbearable situation.

Read the CETIM’s oral declaration