ACP Civil Society Calls on the ACP, the Africa Group and the LDCs to Defend Food Sovereignty and Support the G-33
Bali
As developed countries ratchet up pressure at the 9th WTO Ministerial at Bali and blame India for the stalemate on food security, it is critical that the ACP, the Africa Group and the LDCs step up and defend the interests of their peasantry and food sovereignty of their populations.
The ACP, the Africa Group and the LDCs are being led to believe that any deal on development and the LDC package (which is still just best endeavor) is contingent on all developing countries falling into line with the US demand that government support to food security programs cannot violate a flawed amber box. As Ministers may recall, the Agreement on Agriculture boxes were crafted by the US and the EU to shelter their own agriculture programs. It is not only unfair, but unethical that developing countries now be denied the right to increase public support for domestic and publicly funded food stockholdings for ensuring food security for their populations.
Let us not be in any delusion that this is an “India” only issue. The recent food crises in over 30 countries have shown us that global trade is a highly unreliable mechanism to ensure food security for our populations. Countries need robust and predictable systems of food procurement and stable food supplies to ensure food security. Many countries in Africa, Caribbean and Pacific already have food procurement/food security programs that need flexibility for the future
We wish to remind you that a Bali package that requires our countries to take on onerous and costly commitments on trade facilitation for empty verbal promises on finance do not merit giving up our food security. This would be a tragic mockery of the so-called ‘development agenda’ at the cost of our right to develop a robust domestic response to food price volatility in the future.
Rather than blindly praising the so-called Bali package, all developing countries including the ACP, the Africa Group and LDCs, must amplify their voices to support the Indian position that the development and LDC package should be accepted and that there should be no further negotiations in Bali on the G33 proposal until a consensus is reached in Geneva that supports food security outcomes for all developing countries.
Signed by
Africa
ACAISA- Association Commerciale, Agricole, Industriel et du Service African Coalition on Debt and Development (AFRODAD) |
Agricultural Workers Union of TUC |
Alliance Pour La Reconstruction Et Le Developpement Post-Conflit (ARDCP) |
Botswana Council of Non Governmental Organisations : BOCONGO |
CILONG – TCHAD |
Civil Society Movement of Sierra Leone |
Civil Society Organization Network for Development (RESOCIDE) Cadre de concertation des OSC pour le suivi du CSLP (CdC/CSLP) |
Civil society Plat-form “Action Développement et IntégrationRégionale” "ADIR" |
CNONGD - Conseil National des ONG de Développement |
ConcertationNationale Des Organisationspaysannes et des Producteurs (CNOP) |
CONGAC ( Conseil des ONG AGREES DU CAMEROUN |
Conseil de Concertation des ONGs de Développement (CCOD) du Congo Brazzaville |
CONSEIL INTER ONG EN CENTRAFRIQUE (CIONGCA) |
consumer education trust |
consumer education trust |
Council for NGOs (CANGO), Swaziland ECONEWS Africa, Kenya |
Federation de Femmes Enterpreneurs et Affairs de la CEDEAO (FEFA) |
FONGDD - Forum des ONG pour le Développement Durable |
Fórum das OrganizaçõesNãoGovernamentaisAngolanas – (FONGA) Forum of NGOs in Angola (FONGA) |
Foundation pour le Developpment au Sahel – FDS |
Grouped'Action et de Reflexionsurl'Environnement et le Développement (GARED) |
Grouped'Action et de Reflexionsurl'Environnement et le Développement (GARED) |
Groupe de Recherche et d'Action pour la Promotion de l'Agriculture et du Développement (GRAPAD) |
InstitutoNacional de Estudos e Pesquisa (INEI) LDC Watch |
Lesotho Council of NGOs (LCN) |
Malawi Economic Justice Network (national NGO platform) |
Mauritius Council of Social Service (MACOSS) |
Namibia Non-Governmental Organisations Forum Trust |
National Association of NGOs (NANGO) |
National Association of NGOs (NANGO) |
National Association of Nigerian Traders- (NANTS) |
National Council of NGOs |
National du Réseau des Ong de Développement et Associations de Défense des Droits de l'Homme et de la Démocratie-RODADDHD- |
National Forum for Mozambiquan NGOs and CBOs (TEIA) |
PANE &Cotonou Task Force Chairperson |
Plate-forme des acteurs non étatiques pour le suivi de l'Accord de Cotonou au Sénégal |
Plate-FormeNationale des Organisations de la SocieteCivile de Madagascar |
Rwanda Civil Society Platform |
Seychelles Civil Society Organisations (Liaison Unit of the non-governmental organisations of Seychelles - LUNGOS) |
South African NGO Council (SANGOCO), Southern African Development Community Council of NGOs (SADC-CNGO) SEATINI-Uganda |
Tanzania Association of NGOs |
West African Women Association- WAWA |
World View |
Zambia Council for Social Development |
Carribean
The Gilbert Agricultural and Rural Development Centre (GARDC) |
Civil Society Bahamas |
Barbados Association of Non Governmental Organizations (BANGO) |
Belize Enterprise for Sustainable Technology |
SociedadEconómica de Amigos del País.(Economic society of friends of the country) |
KalingoCarib Council |
Alianza ONG |
Inter Agency Group of Development Organizations (IAGDO) c/o Grenada National Organisation of Women YWCA |
Women Across Differences (WAD) |
Iyanola (St.Lucia) Council for the Advancement of RastafariIncorperated (I.C.A.R.) |
Windward Islands Farmers’ Association (WINFA) |
StichtingProjekta, Suriname |
Grassroots Organisations of Trinidad & Tobago (GOTT) |
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Pacific Cook Islands Association of Non-Governmental Organisations – CIANGO |
Pacific Network on Globalisation |
Kiribati Association of Non-Governmental Organisation - KANGO |
Marshall Islands Council of NGOs – MICNGOS |
FSM Alliance of NGOs - FANGO |
Nauru Island Association of NGOs – NIANGO |
Niue Island (Umbrella) Association of NGOs – (NIUANGO) |
Melanesian NGO Centre for Leadership – MNCL |
Samoa Umbrella for Non Governmental Organisation– SUNGO |
Development Service Exchange – DSE |
The Asia Foundation |
Civil Society Forum of Tonga – CSFT |
Tuvalu Association of NGOs – TANGO |
Vanuatu Association of NGOs – VANGO |