ACP Civil Society Calls on the ACP, the Africa Group and the LDCs to Defend Food Sovereignty and Support the G-33

4 December, 2013

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-Zimbabwe

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)

 

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 OrganisationSUNGO

Development Service Exchange – DSE

The Asia Foundation

Civil Society Forum of Tonga – CSFT

Tuvalu Association of NGOs – TANGO

Vanuatu Association of NGOs – VANGO