There is a shortage of food in the world. There is a price increase in food all over the world. There are about one billion people in the world who go to bed hungry every day. What are the reasons for this sudden crisis? The policies and un-elected power of multilateral agencies like the FAO, WTO, WB, and IMF. These agencies must admit that their policies were wrong. They then must accept their responsibility for this crisis along with the all the governments that have supported these devastating policies.
The faulty policies of the multilateral, ruling agencies have come to fruition in the midst of natural disasters one after another due to climate change, collapsing fish stocks and farms, additional pressure by agro fuel production, conversion of agricultural land to Special Economic Zones, and the rising prices of petroleum products. All of these elements are creating food shortages and rising food prices.
We reject industrialized agriculture like the “green revolution” and the “blue revolution” in fisheries. We also reject intensive aquaculture, which has accelerated the food crisis in the world. All of these have alienated and obliterated small scale farming, which has used artisanal and traditional fishing practices. As a result, people who have been depending on these practices for livelihood are marginalized all over the world. There have been food riots in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Many economists forecast that this trend will continue. At the same time food production is increasingly in the hands of large industrial companies.
We reject all kinds of globalization that declare food sources the sovereign property of profiteers. The free movement of capital to make profit at the expense of sustainable food sources for all created this emergency situation in the world.
Therefore, we demand that all of the international organizations consider food for all first before anything else. These organizations can only legitimize themselves by putting food for all first and reversing their historical emphasis on profit for the few at the expense of the many.
All of the national governments have to keep the basic needs of all people in the public sector. These rights should be legislated as fundamental rights. Courts should recognize them in their considerations of justice.
The UN should be reformed so that the Security Council (SC) is created by the proportionate representation of people in the World. SC should be a watch dog for realizing the basic needs of all people met in the World.
Land Reform and Aquatic Reform should be initiated and collaborated on by all the national governments in the world for achieving food sovereignty in the world.
The SC of the UN should see that militarization and mass destructive weaponization get a subsidiary role towards the realization of Basic Needs of all people in the world.
All of the international courts and the UN bodies should become active in realizing the Basic Needs of all people in the World. It is an international duty and responsibility.
All trade agreements should be subsidiary to achieving Basic Needs of the people all over the world.
By an international agreement, all of the countries in the world should agree to the creation of a National Disaster Prevention and Management Autonomous Authority in each Country through a national legislation.. This Authority should be and remain autonomous and multi-nationally collaborative. The contributors and actions of this Authority should be interlinked by an International Law and Agreement.
We agree to plant trees and mangroves all over the world wherever there is barren land. Students should get grace marks for planting trees and researching their growth.
All encouragement should be given to public transportation, reduction of the use petroleum and reducing the production of carbon dioxide. All nations of the world (with particular emphasis from industrialized nations) should create all out efforts for increasing the efficiency and use of wind and solar energy in the world.
We have to go back and say, ‘The small farmer has a productive capacity.” We have to look at history and recognize that in China, India and Vietnam, the growth stories of the last ten years have been based on the agricultural expansion of the small scale farmer.
We have to unearth the hording of food by the super markets and MNC (Multi-National Corporation) networks in the World.
We have to stop making winter, summer and summer, winter. We have to learn the art of simple living.
The life of planet and the dependent health of the whole humanity should not be sacrificed by the proprietary desires of a few in the world.
We have to learn the art of loving and respecting Mother Earth. Privatization of natural resources should be stopped.
Name
Fr. Thomas Kocherry
Organization and address
World Forum of Fisher Peoples (WFFP), Special Invitee,
48, Vayakarai, Manavalakurichy, KK Dt, Tamilnadu-629252
India. Email : thomasksa@gmail.com, Mobil +91 9360645772
Statement to be made on 5th June, 2008 Registration number 119/47410.
Rome.
Contact number- +39 06 49 490-217
Fax-+39 06 49 490 684
Email: thomasksa@gmail.com
