Towards an international recognition of the environmental component of peasantry – Pathways from the Convention on Biological Diversity.
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Towards an international recognition of the environmental component of peasantry – Pathways from the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Notes from the authors Introduction In this article we propose three approaches to recognize the “environmental component of the peasantry” in international environmental law. This concept, introduced by the Colombian Constitution through Legislative Act 01 of 2023, mandates that decision-making processes affecting peasants take into account their special relationship with the ecosystems they rely on….

How to implement the UNDROP at the European and national level to promote peasants’ rights
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How to implement the UNDROP at the European and national level to promote peasants’ rights

On September 16, the European Coordination Via Campesina (ECVC) published a report on the implementation of UNDROP in Europe. You can find the launch press release here. This new publication presents the Declaration: its origin, purpose, content and how it should be implemented. It lists policy recommendations for international and regional organizations, European decision-makers and…

The UN Working Group on the UNDROP – Video presentation by Geneviève Savigny
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The UN Working Group on the UNDROP – Video presentation by Geneviève Savigny

Belgium, July 2024. Geneviève Savigny, Chair of the UN Working Group on UNDROP, introduces us to the group, its mandate, prerogatives and initial projects.She also explains how to contact the Group’s experts. She emphasizes the importance of being able to interact with peasants and rural workers.She concludes her presentation with a message of support and…

Video from the training: The UN Working Group on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas
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Video from the training: The UN Working Group on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas

The video of the complete training is online! The United Nations (UN) General Assembly adopted the UN Declaration on the rights of peasants and other people working in rural areas (UNDROP) on 17 December 2018. Four years later, on 12 October 2023, the Human Rights Council created the UN Working Group on the rights of…

Fisheries and the right to food in the context of climate change
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Fisheries and the right to food in the context of climate change

Report of the Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Michael Fakhri At the 55th session of the Human Rights Council in March 2024, the Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Michael Fakhri, presented his annual report. This year, he highlights the challenges facing small-scale fishermen in the context of the climate crisis. He…

UNDROP in the Work of United Nations Human Rights Mechanisms
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UNDROP in the Work of United Nations Human Rights Mechanisms

Since its adoption in 2018, UNDROP has been included in the work of some United Nations human rights mechanisms. We present how this has been done in this contribution, in which we also present the new Working Group on the rights of peasants and other people working in rural areas created by the Human Rights…

Defending Peasants’ Rights – Newsletter n°5 
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Defending Peasants’ Rights – Newsletter n°5 

The webinar video is now available! We are delighted to announce that the video of our webinar on the UN Working Group on UNDROP is now online. We were thrilled to have three of the Working Group’s experts with us: Shalmali Guttal, Carlos Duarte and Geneviève Savigny. The experts had the opportunity to explain their…

Kenyan Farmers Challenge the Constitutionality of Seed Law
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Kenyan Farmers Challenge the Constitutionality of Seed Law

In 2022, fifteen farmers from different regions of Kenya filled a lawsuit against the Seeds and Plant Varieties Act. This law prohibits and even criminalizes the sale and exchange of peasants seeds by the farmers that have developed them. The claim of the fifteen farmers is based on the Constitution of Kenya. As you will…

“UNDROP from local to global!” – Interview with Serge Peereboom from MAP Belgium
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“UNDROP from local to global!” – Interview with Serge Peereboom from MAP Belgium

Serge Peereboom describes himself as a “city child who moved to the countryside to become a peasant market gardener. A peasant resisting in a world that moves too fast and forgets the true values of life”. He is a member of the Mouvement d’Action Paysanne (MAP) in Belgium, and played an active role in drafting…

Video of our webinar “The next chapter in the struggle for UNDROP: learning about the new UN Working Group”
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Video of our webinar “The next chapter in the struggle for UNDROP: learning about the new UN Working Group”

For the International Day of Peasant’s Struggles on April 17, Defending Peasants’ Rights and La Via Campesina held a webinar on the UN Human Rights Council’s Working Group on UNDROP, with three of its experts: Shalmali Guttal, Carlos Duarte and Geneviève Savigny. The UNDROP Working Group was created by a resolution of the Human Rights…