Kabul Declaration- Food Sovereignty Network South Asia

We the citizens of South Asia, representatives of governments, human rights
organizations, members of civil societies from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal and
Pakistan, met in Kabul on June 22nd and 23rd 2011, in a regional workshop on VGRF,
ICARRD and MDG-1 guidelines organized by Food Sovereignty Network South Asia
(FSNSA) and Afghanistan Human Rights Organization (AHRO).
We strongly advocate for Food Sovereignty, a development model which incorporates the
right of individuals, communities, peoples and countries to define their own agricultural,
labor, fishing, food and land policies, which are ecologically, socially, economically and
culturally appropriate to their unique/diverse circumstances.
Food Sovereignty includes the true right to food and to produce food, which means that
all people have the right to safe, nutritious and culturally appropriate food and to foodproducing
resources and the ability to sustain themselves and their societies. Food
security is an integral part of food sovereignty but is incomplete without the holistic
approach of food sovereignty.
This Declaration represents the collective will of the participants present to work for
promotion of right to food and all other human rights. We embrace sustainable
development for the definitive eradication of poverty and the betterment of the lives of all
people in the region, particularly those living in poverty and without rights, those
suffering injustice and the effects of conflict and discrimination. When the world is
facing unprecedented food price crisis, worst recession, when climate change concerns
are intensifying and when global demands for Food Sovereignty is gaining momentum;
we, the above representatives of various countries demand the followings:
 Constitutionalise Food Sovereignty as a fundamental right and uphold it as the
alternative development paradigm
 Operationalise Food Sovereignty by implementing genuine agrarian reform,
genuine fisheries, forestry and pastoral reforms, which will ensure gender justice
and the rights of women to own land and productive resources.
 Protect and promote local industries/small industries through appropriate policy
measures and ensure sustained employment for the citizens, respect labour rights.
 Men and Women working in the unorganized sector should receive appropriate
protection from the state which will allow them to live with dignity.
 Ensure proper implementation of Food security programmes of the government
with transparency and participation of the community.
 End gender discriminations and all forms of discriminations (Class, caste, ethnic
etc). Acknowledge and realize rights of indigenous people, Dalits, minorities and
other vulnerable groups to determine their livelihoods and to access natural
resources immediately.
 End gender discrimination at all levels, starting from household and ensure right
to food of women.
 Resist imperialist globalization, fundamentalism, feudalism, patriarchy,
militarization, which increase food crisis for poor and ensure peace
 Sensitise and motivate state actors about Food Sovereigntry and fully realize
Right to Food (RTF).
 Aware larger communities about human rights, in particular right to food.
 Stop land grabbing and encroachment on properties.
 Ensure human rights of victims of war/internal conflicts.
 Ensure Right to Food, Right to Water and Right to Health for displaced and
particularly for slum dwellers in urban areas. Stop eviction in both rural and urban
areas and adopt appropriate policies to reduce distressed migration. If eviction is
unavoidable, comply with guidelines of adequate compensation and rehabilitation
to the victims as elaborated in UN Guideline on eviction, compensation and
rehabilitation.
 Prioritise people over profit. Put those who produce, distribute and consume food
at the heart of food systems and policies rather than the demands of markets and
corporations.
 Ensure market access for the poor and marginalized people, and fair price for their
harvests.
 Ensure climate justice by endorsing the People’s Protocol on Climate Change,
which provides the framework of peoples demands of social justice, sovereignty,
respect for the environment, gender justice and call for an economic system that is
sovereign, socially just, democratic and ecologically sustainable.
 Ensure development of pro-people disaster management plan in line with food
sovereignty principles.
 Ensure free movement of people across borders (Visa free South Asia) and ensure
transportation of food across borders without hurdles.
 Promote strong and vibrant grassroots governance and strong networking among
NGOs/CSOs and social movements at national and regional levels to realise food
sovereignty.
 Ensure appropriate revision/reform of legal framework/policies to create
conducive climate for full realization of all human rights.
We the participants of this workshop fully acknowledge the role of social and human
rights movements in the countries to promote food sovereignty, by doing effective
advocacy and lobby work with state authorities. We demand genuine political will of the
state for upholding Food Sovereignty as the peoples’ alternative development for food
production and distribution, and for national and international trade and investment
policies. We call for end of Hunger now and realization of food sovereignty in South
Asia. We would work towards this end in a responsible and accountable way.