We, leaders and members belonging to the Asian Farmers’ Association for Sustainable Rural Development (AFA), gathered here at Phnom Penh, Cambodia for a “Forum on WTO and ASEAN: Asian Farmers’ Perspectives in Engaging Intergovernmental Bodiesâ€, this 11th of April 2006, on the occasion of AFA’s Strategic Planning and Second General Assembly , declare the following:
Many of our members come from ASEAN countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Philippines) and those that ASEAN is forging bilateral relations with (Japan, South Korea).
We share the ASEAN vision of Southeast Asian nations “living in peace, stability and prosperity, bonded together in partnership in dynamic development and in a community of caring societies.†We know that the member countries in this region have different social, economic and political situations. But while some farmers in ASEAN may be more well-off than others, we know that many of the farmers in this region, like us, are living in poverty, suffer from government’s inadequate support to the small men and women farmers, fishers and indigenous communities. This vision, therefore, gives us hope that we can make our governments show their “care†for small farmers, fishers and indigenous peoples.
We appreciate the efforts of ASEAN to develop an ASEAN Charter that will serve as a legal and institutional framework of ASEAN to support the realization of its goals and objectives.
We are concerned with the impact of the ASEAN Free Trade Agreement to the livelihoods of small farmers in the region, as the continuous reduction of tariffs to many basic agricultural products have made many of our products uncompetitive with others.
As national organizations and as a regional organization, we would like to engage our respective governments and the inter-government ASEAN body as well in the making of this Charter through the following:
a. We will make efforts to analyze the documents of the ASEAN, which will form part of the principles of the Charter.
b. We will work with other national and regional advocacy groups in the formulation of proposals in terms of content and process in the making of the ASEAN charter, with us focusing on issues related to the agriculture sector.
c. We will initiate efforts to dialogue with the member of the Eminent Persons Group in our countries, to ensure pro-small farmer provisions to protect farmers’ rights and welfare.
We call on our governments and the ASEAN to create provisions on the following in the ASEAN Charter:
a. ASEAN governments shall ensure equitable access to land, water and natural resources to small men and women farmers, producers, fishers and indigenous peoples. The determined and vigorous promotion of access to land and resources is an effective strategy to combat poverty in rural areas. There is a global recognition that access to resources by small producers can break the cycle of poverty and degradation of natural resources. Secure resource tenure is known to be a vital link between food security, sustainable resource management, peace and security and the eradication of poverty.
b. ASEAN governments shall promote sustainable agriculture as an effective way to ensure environmental sustainability and livelihood. Much research has pointed out to the destructive effects of intensive chemical farming to both the land and the people. Moreover, many of the agricultural practices and technologies have displaced/dislocated and marginalized the small farmers and indigenous communities. Policies and programs that support and furthermore, mainstream, sustainable agriculture contribute immensely to the preservation of the environment and protection of livelihoods of the poor farmers and indigenous communities
c. ASEAN governments shall promote an international trading system that primarily targets the following: elimination of dumping, curbing of overproduction, regulation of transnational corporations, control of imports through various trade instruments and the strengthening of state interventions in domestic and external trade to stabilize domestic price and supply and ensure that the poor has access to cheap and nutritious food at all times.
d. ASEAN governments shall ensure the broadest participation of the basic sectors, including small men and women farmers, fishers and indigenous peoples, in decision-making involving trade and agriculture policies.
AFA (Asian Farmers’ Association for Sustainable Rural Development)
11 April 2006
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
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