MEDIA ADVISORY – 29 January 2007

PEOPLES MOVEMENTS BUILDING ANOTHER FOOD SYSTEM Nyéléni 2007: Forum for Food Sovereignty in Mali, 23-27 February 2007

Farmers, fisherfolk, women’s groups, rural and urban workers, indigenous peoples, migrants, pastoralists, environmental organisations and non governmental organisations have joined hands to organise the World Forum For Food Sovereignty “Nyéléni 2007” to be held in Mali, 23-27 February, 2007. Over 500 women and men, from 98 countries around the world will design dynamic strategies to implement global and local food systems which support small producers and consumers rather than transnational companies. This important forum is organised by an alliance of international social movements, namely La Via Campesina, ROPPA (Network of Farmers’ and Agricultural Producers’ Organisations of West Africa), the World March of Women, the World Forum of Fish Harvesters and Fish workers, the World Forum of Fisher Peoples, the International Planning Committee on Food Sovereignty, The Food Sovereignty Network, and Friends of the Earth,.

A forum in the countryside The forum is taking place in Sélingué, a small town located 140 km from Bamako. A plenary structure and residential areas with huts and eating areas are currently being built with traditional materials and techniques to house delegates. These will be used afterwards by Malian organisations as a training centre. Building a global political agenda for change The programme of the Nyéléni Forum allows the different sectors represented to formulate a global action agenda that will be the basis of the social movements’ struggles and activities in coming years. It is an innovative international process where delegates from 98 countries will collaborate on a global people political agenda for food sovereignty. A media event Food is an issue that affects every human being on the planet. The forum will be an opportunity for the media to understand how consumers groups promote local food instead of globalised food, why farmers develop sustainable agriculture and fight against GMOs, what fisher folk are doing to protect the oceans, how indigenous people promote peoples’ control over land, water and seeds and oppose privatisation, why pastoralists defend their nomadic lifestyles and diverse local breeds of livestock… Nyéléni 2007 will also give journalists a fantastic opportunity to meet leaders and members of social movements from every continent, hear their stories, and consider their proposals on how to organize trade in food products based on autonomous family production, which is the basis of food sovereignty.

More information: www.nyeleni2007.org

· Conferences, workshops, debates… · Leaders and representatives of social movements available for interviews. · Daily press briefing on specific issues, speakers and stories. · + Music, cultural events, speakers’ corner, food…

PROGRAMME AT A GLANCE

22 February: Special Women Forum in preparation of Nyéléni 2007

23 February: Official opening day with World leaders sympathetic to the idea of food sovereignty Personalities invited: · President of Mali : Amadou Toumani Touré · President of Venezuela : Hugo Chavez · MP and former deputy Prime Minister of Nepal : Mr. Bamdev Gautam. · …

24-25 February: Working groups and plenary discussions on the 7 central themes: Trade, Local knowledge and technology, Access and control (land, water,…), Conflicting interests between sectors, Conflict and disaster, Living conditions and forced migration and Model of production and environment.

26 February: Group meetings and plenary discussions on the priorities of the 6 sectors represented (Peasants and small farmers, Fisher folk, Pastoralists, Indigenous people, Workers and migrant workers and Consumers and urban movements) and the three interest groups (Women, Youth and Environment).

27 February: Public presentation of the final Action Agenda and closing ceremony.

Media Information:

Jean-Marc Desfilhes- e-mail : international@confederationpaysanne.fr Phone : +33-685679733 (France) +22-39273716 (Mali)

Isabelle Delforge- e-mail : idelforge@viacampesina.org Phone: +62-81513224565 (Indonesia)

Get media updates about the Forum for Food Sovereignty: Go to www.neyeleni2007.org to subscribe to the email list