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*PRESS RELEASE* *7 October 2008* * * *Groups across Asia call for 16 October as World Foodless Day* Pesticide Action Network Asia and the Pacific (PAN AP), People's Coalition on Food Sovereignty (PCFS) and other civil society organizations, are initiating a call to observe October 16, 2008, World Food Day as the World Foodless Day. Various groups from Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Korea, Japan, China, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Mongolia, Hongkong, Indonesia, Philippines, Uganda and Kenya have expressed their intention to participate in this event, assert people's food sovereignty and commit to a *Day of Global Action* with simultaneous events, protest actions and activities. "World Foodless Day is about reality - the reality among majority of people who go hungry everyday. While governments and intergovernmental organizations such as the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) will talk about the World Food Day and how everyone is working to bring food to the table, the reality is that there are more hungry people today than ever before - over 150 billion," says Antonio Tujan, co-chair of PCFS. He adds, "The irony is that many of the policies being promoted under neo-liberal globalization such as Green Revolution for Africa or the so-called Gene Revolution will only result in more hunger as has been proven in past experiences in Asia." "The impact of these policies on peasants, agricultural workers, women, small food producers and the poor was tremendous including displacement of rural communities, increased loss of livelihoods, and escalating hunger and poverty. Overall, these policies and their impact were the recipe for the current food crisis," says Sarojeni V. Rengam, Executive Director of PAN AP and adds, "The occasion of World Food Day on October 16 is an opportune time to send a strong message to highlight people's strategies to address the food crisis." The objectives of the World Foodless Day include: create public awareness on the root causes of the food crisis; provide policy recommendations and organize meetings with government officials, opinion makers and leaders; conduct activities to raise people's voices against neo-liberal policies and their impact; and make people's recommendations on responses to the world food crisis. * * *According to Dr. Ujjaini Halim of IMSE (India), a member organisation of the Asian Peasants Coalition*, there are *three major issues that need to be highlighted during the World Foodless Day: 1)** *Right to Land as a part of Right to Food. This cannot be compromised for corporate profits. Land alienation of poor must be stopped; 2) States must comply with their Right to Food obligations and implement genuine reforms in agriculture, fishery, forestry and other sectors; 3) Peoples movements for Right to Food must include a focus on the role of women. PAN AP has published a special handbook for the occasion - "The Politics of Hunger: When Policies and Markets Fail the Poor", which focuses on the impact of the crisis and its real solutions. It will also distribute a Special Release on the "Global Food Crisis: Hype and Reality" detailing the root causes of the crisis. Besides the events and activities in Asia and Africa, in New York (USA), Pesticide Action Network of North America is co-sponsoring an event to launch an urgent "Call to Action to end the Food Crisis" where invited speakers will be talking about the causes and solutions to the crisis. The call will send a strong message to the US presidential candidates and current political leaders that they need to step up to the plate to end the food crisis. PAN AP calls on everyone to participate in observing October 16, 2008 as World Foodless Day, and join its various activities across Asia. Please check http://www.panap.net/wfd for details. ### Contact: Clara Guzman PAN Asia and the Pacific P.O. Box 1170, 10850, Penang, Malaysia Contact Number: +604 657 0271 or +604 656 0381 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Pesticide Action Network (PAN) is a global network working to eliminate the human and environmental harm caused by pesticides and to promote biodiversity based ecological agriculture. PAN Asia and the Pacific is committed to the empowerment of people especially women, agricultural workers, peasants and indigenous farmers. We are dedicated to protect the safety and health of people, and the environment from pesticide use and genetic engineering. We believe in a people-centered, pro-women development through food sovereignty, ecological agriculture and sustainable lifestyles. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth?hl=en-GB -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
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