Kenya’s seed sharing ruling a milestone for peasants’ rights and food security: UN experts
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Kenya’s seed sharing ruling a milestone for peasants’ rights and food security: UN experts

ByDefending Peasants' Rights

Image: https://static2.pelahatchienews.com/data/articles/xl-why-seed-sovereignty-is-vital-for-indigenous-peoples-1694443833.jpg Defending Peasants’ Rights hereby republishes the press release issued by the UN Working Group on Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas on 11 December 2025 (available here) GENEVA – UN experts* today welcomed a landmark ruling of the High Court of Kenya declaring unconstitutional provisions of the Seed and Plant Varieties…

Landmark victory for Kenyan peasants and seed sovereignty
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Landmark victory for Kenyan peasants and seed sovereignty

ByKarine Peschard

Editor’s note: A new court ruling marks a historic milestone for peasants’ rights and the right to seeds in Kenya and internationally. In an unprecedented decision, the High Court has reaffirmed that rights protected by the Constitution must be interpreted in light of international frameworks such as the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of…

Statement of the UN Working Group on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas on the Occasion of COP30, Belem, Brazil
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Statement of the UN Working Group on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas on the Occasion of COP30, Belem, Brazil

ByUN Working Group on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas

Defending Peasants’ Rights hereby republishes the statement released by the UN Working Group on UNDROP on the occasion of COP30, taking place in Brazil from 10 to 21 November 2025 (also available here). Geneva, 10 November 2025 Peasants and Rural Workers Rights at the Heart of Climate JusticeAs world leaders and civil society gather for…

Ecuador postpones visit by UN Working Group on peasants’ rights
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Ecuador postpones visit by UN Working Group on peasants’ rights

ByDefending Peasants' Rights

Defending Peasants’ Rights hereby republishes the statement released on the website of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (available here). Editor’s note: The experts’ visit, initially planned for November 4–14, 2025, was postponed despite its critical timing, following recent protests in Ecuador that were met with a state of emergency and…

The right to participation – The 3rd Report of the UN Working Group on UNDROP
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The right to participation – The 3rd Report of the UN Working Group on UNDROP

ByDefending Peasants' Rights

On 16 October 2025, the Working Group on the rights of peasants and other people working in rural areas presented its third thematic report (A/80/180) to the UN General Assembly in New York. The report delves into the right to participation of rural peoples and highlights the entrenched barriers suffered by them when it comes…

UN experts urge binding accountability for agribusiness to safeguard peasants’ rights and global food security
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UN experts urge binding accountability for agribusiness to safeguard peasants’ rights and global food security

ByDefending Peasants' Rights

Ahead of the upcoming UN negotiation session (20–24 October 2025) to elaborate a legally binding treaty on transnational corporations, the UN Working Group on Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas and the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food have issued a powerful joint statement calling for “binding accountability for agribusiness to safeguard…

UN Working Group on UNDROP Demands Urgent Action to Uphold Rights of Rural Women
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UN Working Group on UNDROP Demands Urgent Action to Uphold Rights of Rural Women

ByDefending Peasants' Rights

Image: https://www.rvasia.org/history/international-day-rural-women GENEVA – October 15, 2025 – On the International Day of Rural Women, the UN Working Group on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas issued an urgent call to action, demanding States and corporations end the systemic discrimination, violence, and economic exclusion faced by rural women worldwide. Despite…

Side event at the UN: Challenges and best practices in promoting the rights of peasants and rural workers in Latin America
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Side event at the UN: Challenges and best practices in promoting the rights of peasants and rural workers in Latin America

BySophie Claeys, CETIM

On 18 September 2025, on the occasion of the 60th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, a parallel conference brought together actors committed to the protection of the rights of rural communities at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. Entitled “Advancing the rights of peasants and other people working in rural areas through…

Exclusive interview with Carlos Duarte, Chair of the UN Working Group on UNDROP.
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Exclusive interview with Carlos Duarte, Chair of the UN Working Group on UNDROP.

ByDefending Peasants' Rights

Defending Peasants’ Rights conducted an exclusive interview with Carlos Duarte, current Chair of the UN Working Group on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas. The conversation took place during his visit to Geneva, on the occasion of the presentation to the Human Rights Council of the newly released report on…

Systemic Challenges and Good Practices in Rural Areas – The 2nd Report of the UN Working Group on UNDROP
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Systemic Challenges and Good Practices in Rural Areas – The 2nd Report of the UN Working Group on UNDROP

ByCETIM

This article was originally published on the website of La Via Campesina on 25 September 2025 (available here). Seven years after the adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas (UNDROP), the situation remains mixed: undeniable legal and political progress has been made, but violations…

Video of our webinar: RURAL STRUGGLES IN ACTION! UNDROP’s rights holders fight for sustainable and just food systems
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Video of our webinar: RURAL STRUGGLES IN ACTION! UNDROP’s rights holders fight for sustainable and just food systems

ByDefending Peasants' Rights

Held on 25 June 2025, this webinar showcased and brought visibility to the wide diversity of UNDROP rights holders, highlighting their struggles for sustainable and just food systems. It also shed light on their efforts and views regarding the mobilisation of the UNDROP in rural peoples’ struggle for their rights. The webinar was honoured by…

Challenges facing the Brazilian Peasantry: The UNDROP as a Tool for Struggle
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Challenges facing the Brazilian Peasantry: The UNDROP as a Tool for Struggle

ByLa Via Campesina Brasil, Terra de Direitos, CETIM

Contribution from La Via Campesina Brazil to the UN Working Group on the UNDROP La Via Campesina Brazil has submitted a written contribution in response to the call from the UN Working Group on peasants’ rights, outlining the main challenges faced by the Brazilian peasantry. Drafted collectively following a training session on the UNDROP for…