Food Sovereignty Ghana (FSG) is suing the government over the commercialization of GM cowpeas and GM rice for safety issues of concern for the organization, although commercial distribution has not been approved yet. Edwin Baffour, Director of Communications of FSG, explained to RWR why they are suing the government: "Right now there is no commercial granting of any GMO, but government…
The Black Fraternal Organization of Honduras (OFRANEH) denounced in its social media accounts that on Wednesday several armed men entered the Garifuna community of Vallecito, Department of Colon, harassing the inhabitants. The organization warns that this territory has been experiencing increasing threats and militarization in the past weeks. These lands have an immeasurable economic value and are located in a…
On August 5, the Emgesa company issued a yellow warning in the area near El Quimbo Dam, due to rising water levels in Magdalena River, which affects artisanal fisherfolk who live downriver. The alarms went off at midnight, when the company opened the dam gates, releasing a large amount of water. Miller Falla, an artisanal fisherman of the area, testified:…
Mozambique is rapidly becoming one of the Liquified natural gas (LNG) giants of the world. With little international media coverage, oil and gas monsters such as Exxon, Eni, Chevron, Shell and BP are rubbing their hands at the million dollar business prospects in this African country. Ongoing projects, whilst still in their exploration and construction stages, are already displacing local…
“The attempts to establish the supremacy of human rights over corporate logic are not covered in the entire text of the Draft 1”, warned Brazilian expert Manoela Roland about the new document presented by the Ecuadorian Chair in UN negotiations for a legally binding treaty on transnational corporations and human rights. “In addition, the scope of the future treaty has…
The order was issued on July 9 by Judge Elton Pupo Nogueira, member of the Minas Gerais Justice Tribunal. While the amount to be paid by the company has not been defined yet, the court has blocked Vale´s assets for 3 billion dollars and commissioned an independent technical investigation to assess socioenvironmental impacts and technical assistance for the people affected…
After many months of debate and with a strong support from the public opinion, the Liberian government passed the Land Rights Act in September, 2018, which officially recognizes the rights of local communities over their productive lands, without the need of long entitlement proceedings. With this huge step, Liberia could promote deep land and forest reforms in Central and Western…
Over 160 social, environmental and feminist organisations, together with different unions, make up the Peoples´ Summit 2019, which was presented on July 9 in Santiago, Chile. The Peoples´ Summit will take place in Chile in resistance to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum -APEC 2019- and the United Nations Summit on Climate Change –COP 25– which will take place in November…
José Graziano da Silva´s term as Director-General of the FAO is coming to an end after seven and a half years. Qu Dongyu, who served as Vice-Minister of Agricultural and Rural Affairs of China will succeed him. As one of his last activities as Director General, Graziano participated at the closing ceremony of the 7th Continental Congress of the Latin…
The communications team of the 8th Continental Congress of the Latin American Coordination of Rural Organizations (CLOC-La Vía Campesina) interviewed Rafael Santiesteban, head of the National Association of Small Farmers (ANAP), present at the Congress. The event took place on June 28 in El Laguito, in Havana, Cuba. Santiesteban reflected about the importance of the first law on Agrarian Reform…
