By_Eri Trinurini Adhi / Asian Solidarity Economic Council

Myself and Diordre Moraes from ASEC were attending the Nyeleni Regional Consultation Meeting held in Colombo Sri Lanka from 10 -13 June 2024. 

Nyeleni is a global food sovereignty movement, where RIPESS is one of the allies. In the global steering committee, Drazen Simlesa is the representative of RIPESS. The attendance of ASEC in this consultation is part of the RIPESS commitment to support the food sovereignty movement in Asia. There was also the representative URGENCI from China  Ms.ZHANG XIAO attending the meeting.

The objectives of this consultation have been:

  • To build a common political agenda, strategies, and ways of working aimed at transforming the global system to achieve economic, social, gender. Race, environmental, ultimately realizing food sovereignty 
  • To build a common analysis taking into account the intertwined challenges 
  • Create a space for exchange and convergence across social movements to foster collective solidarity 
  • To build new common strategies to achieve a new vision of a just and resilient society. 

The regional consultation was attended by NGO and movements from 11 countries, mostly from Asia. The Nyeleni movement has a lot of common with RIPESS and ASEC in them of anti-capitalism and neoliberalism and many other issues such as agroecology, right for food, childcare for peasant, popular feminism for food sovereignty, micro finance etc. In looking for the improvement of the food system eventually, the consultation has put the people at the centre of the development as well as agreed on the need for a strong civil society. To this therefore an alternative economy seems the foundation for food sovereignty. On the 3rd day, there is  panel on Strengthening Solidarity and Alliances for Food Sovereignty in Asia Pacific. Building intersectional convergence between food sovereignty movement and other movements and sector struggling for systemic transformation. RIPESS/ASEC was part of the panelist to share on what is RIPESS/ASEC and why it has joined this movement and what the RIPESS will do to move forward on food sovereignty. I have shared that the RIPESS/ASEC global advocacy in promoting the SSE.

Challenges: 

  • How to go beyond the peasant and farmers approach. Each community group such as street vendors, home based workers, domestic workers, waste pickers etc have developed their own strategies on food   procurement/food cooperative etc. It should beyond the relation of the farmers who sell the agroecological product to the consumers
  • Providing a good case study as a tools for advocacy

At the end of the consultation, a regional declaration has been drafted. The regional consultation meeting in Asia was part of the preparation toward the 3rd Nyeleni Global Forum that will be held in March 2025 in India. The regional Asia Pacific consultation also discussed regional delegation slots and managing organizational work for the 3rd Nyeleni Global Forum.

3rd day Session on Strengthening Solidarity and Alliances for Food Sovereignty in Asia Pacific

Eri speaking at the resentation on the 2nd day, Group Presentation of South East Asia and East Asia 

Field Visit to Matara Village in the Southern Province, Sri Lanka