The member of FIAN International, Sofia Monsalve, talked about the work around the Voluntary Guidelines, while she expressed her concern over the attitude of some countries to avoid recognizing the issue of the use and tenure of land and other natural resources under a Human Rights perspective.

“It is unacceptable that using the term Human Rights around this issue is considered politically incorrect”, said Monsalve in an interview by the communications team of La Via Campesina International in Rome.

“There are large and powerful countries who oppose mentioning Human Rights around these issues”, despite the denunciations by delegations of the civil society, said Monsalve, reminding them that
these negotiations take place in the framework of the United Nations.

"We think it is extremely worrying that there are countries that threaten to leave the negotiation table if the Human Rights framework is mentioned. We must call the attention of the international community with reference to this, because this is a way of undermining the basis of international coexistence", said Monsalve.

With reference to the outcome of the negotiations, Monsalve regretted the fact there is no language on the prohibition of land grabbing, although there are some safeguards that are left to the countries’ will to apply.

In addition, she said that a regulatory framework is probably needed to prevent and regulate the impacts of investments in agriculture that imply land grabbing in Southern countries by states or transnational corporations of the North. “That was not our position, but it was the resolution made by the states”, highlighted the FIAN member.

She also expressed the importance of having tools to allow the “enforceability” of this framework that will be put forward for consideration of the Committee on Food Security next October since "we know that the states themselves are not going to make it effective if national and international organizations don’t demand it."

Meanwhile, the member of La Via Campesina, Angel Strapazzon highlighted that peasants, artisanal fisherfolk and pastoralists produce over 70 per cent of food in the world.

“If we manage to include the principles we seek in these Guidelines, we believe that in ten years we’ll be able to solve the problem of hunger in the world. Our struggle is for a new civilization which will be brought by the social movements that fight for Food Sovereignty”, said Strapazzon, who participated in the three rounds of the negotiation around the Voluntary Guidelines.