Coordination Committee of La Via Campesina

Coordination Committee of La Via Campesina
Name	Coordination Committee of La Via Campesina
Type	International peasant movement committee
Region served	Global
Leader title	Coordinators
Parent organization	La Via Campesina

Coordination Committee of La Via Campesina The Coordination Committee of La Via Campesina is the executive organ of La Via Campesina, coordinating political strategy, campaign implementation, and liaison among regional platforms such as Via Campesina Europe, La Vía Campesina Latin America, Asian Farmers' Association for Sustainable Rural Development, and African Union. It operates at the intersection of global fora including the Food and Agriculture Organization, the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, and transnational advocacy networks like Friends of the Earth and Via Campesina Brasil. The Committee links national peasant unions such as Confédération paysanne, MST (Brazil), Kenya Smallholder Farmers Forum, and Union Paysanne to international policy processes like the UN Committee on World Food Security and the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.

History

The Coordination Committee emerged from early assemblies of La Via Campesina in the 1990s, influenced by mobilizations including the 1996 World Food Summit and protests at the 1999 WTO Ministerial Conference in Seattle, where networks such as International Planning Committee for Food Sovereignty and World Social Forum converged. Founding actors included leaders from Mouvement des Paysans and delegations from Philippine peasant movements, Indian Farmers' Movements, and European Coordination Via Campesina who had prior engagement with Via Campesina International and campaigns like International Year of Rice advocacy. Over successive assemblies and conferences—parallel to events like the 2007 UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and negotiations around the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources—the Committee formalized roles integrating unions such as La Federación Nacional de Trabajadores Agrícolas and advocacy groups like ActionAid.

Structure and Membership

The Committee comprises elected coordinators drawn from territorial regions represented by constituencies including Asia Pacific Farmers' Forum, African Network, European Coordination, North America, and Latin America and Caribbean. Member organizations range from Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra to La Coordinadora Nacional de Unidad Campesina and smaller collectives affiliated with networks like Pesticide Action Network and Women in Development Europe. The Committee interfaces with specialized working groups on seeds, land, and agroecology that include experts connected to institutions such as the International Fund for Agricultural Development and researchers from universities like University of California, Davis and Wageningen University. Leadership rotation reflects representation from unions, indigenous organizations such as COICA, and youth platforms linked to Via Campesina Youth.

Mandate and Functions

Mandated by La Via Campesina's international congresses, the Committee coordinates implementation of declarations on food sovereignty, seed sovereignty, and land rights articulated alongside instruments like the UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas. Functions include strategic planning for campaigns targeting Free Trade Area of the Americas negotiations, monitoring impacts of agreements at the World Trade Organization and engaging with policy arenas including the Committee on World Food Security and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The Committee also convenes training inspired by pedagogies from Nyéléni forums, supports documentation linked to the International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development, and liaises with solidarity organizations like Via Campesina Europe and Friends of the Earth International.

Decision-Making and Governance

Decision-making follows mandates approved by international assemblies such as the La Via Campesina International Conference and implements consensus or qualified-majority procedures practiced by member organizations including Confederación Nacional Agraria and United Farmers' Movement. Governance includes periodic elections, accountability measures modeled after multi-stakeholder bodies like the UN Committee on World Food Security, and reporting to constituent networks across continents. The Committee coordinates with regional secretariats—examples include Via Campesina Africa and La Via Campesina Asia—and ad hoc coalitions formed during episodes like the G20 summit protests or mobilizations around the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Key Activities and Campaigns

Key activities have included coordinating international campaigns for agroecology promotion in collaboration with IFOAM Organics International; resisting land grabs associated with investors documented in reports by Oxfam and International Land Coalition; and advocating for peasants' rights during negotiations at the UN Human Rights Council. Campaigns have targeted multinational corporations such as Monsanto and regulatory frameworks like the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights to defend farmers' seed systems, alongside mobilizations for climate justice coinciding with UNFCCC conferences and solidarity actions with movements like Occupy and La Via Campesina Brasil.

Regional and International Coordination

The Committee acts as a bridge between regional entities including European Coordination Via Campesina, La Vía Campesina Latin America, Asian Farmers' Association, and networks such as the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature. It coordinates representation to international meetings at bodies like the Food and Agriculture Organization and liaises with civil society platforms such as the International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Associations and Sustainable Development Goals fora. It also partners with research centers including IPES-Food and advocacy coalitions like La Via Campesina UK to synchronize campaigns across continents.

Criticisms and Controversies

Criticisms have addressed representation imbalances noted by observers from International Development Research Centre and debates over strategic priorities highlighted by member groups including Confédération paysanne and MST (Brazil). Controversies have arisen concerning relations with donor-funded NGOs like Oxfam and tensions over engagement with intergovernmental processes such as the World Trade Organization and the Committee on World Food Security, with some national federations arguing for more radical direct-action tactics while others favor institutional advocacy. Allegations of insufficient transparency and the pace of internal reform have been raised in forums like the World Social Forum and internal assemblies, prompting calls for governance changes and broader inclusion of youth and indigenous constituencies like COICA and Adivasi organizations.

Category:La Via Campesina