ECVC expressed its deep concern regarding the untransparent and illegitimate process surrounding the organisation of the United Nations Food Systems Summit (UNFSS), in a letter.
Brussels, 26 April 2021 Farmers’ organisation European Coordination Via Campesina (ECVC) expressed its deep concern regarding the untransparent and illegitimate process surrounding the organisation of the United Nations Food Systems Summit (UNFSS), in a letter to policymakers and representatives involved in this week’s EU Council meeting to discuss and endorse the EU priorities on the FSS. The summit, which was not convened by UN Member States nor validated by the UN General Assembly, has raised serious concerns among civil society organisations and organisations of food producers. The initiator and main partner of the summit is the World Economic Forum (WEF), which brings together the richest and most powerful corporations in the world. These corporations are largely responsible for the degradation of the environmental state of the world, the rise in inequality and food insecurity. On the other hand, civil society organisations and in particular organisations of food producers (peasants, fisherfolk, indigenous peoples, rural women, pastoralists, agricultural workers, etc.) have been totally marginalised throughout the process leading to the “summit”, as have a large majority of UN Member States. Despite this, at present the EU and some European countries are concrete supporting the event. In this context, we as European Coordination Via Campesina see no other option than to not participate in this “summit”. We will not give legitimacy to such an undemocratic and untransparent space. We therefore demand that the European Council clearly develops a strategy to return to a multilateral functioning, as agreed by the States and based on “One country = One vote”. The EU Council should prevent any follow-up on the “summit” and make sure that the Rome-based agencies and the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) remain the central spaces for multilateral discussions and governance on food and agriculture. ·