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...at the Website of MIJARC/IMCARY, the International Movement for Catholic Agricutural and Rural Youth.
International Secretariat
53, Rue J. Coosemans
B - 1030 Brussels
Belgium
Phone: +32 2 734 92 11
Fax: +32 2 734 92 25
E-Mail: world(at)mijarc.net
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 - www.fao.org
The Education for Rural People (ERP) initiative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) organised a workshop which was held at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy, from 4 to 5 June 2009. The workshop aimed at fostering the partnership between and within countries and agencies that are necessary to strengthen education and training of rural people, sharing successful policies and practices as well as challenges and coming to a joint understanding of key actions to which the diverse stakeholders could contribute.
The workshop gathered national and international policy-makers, managers and experts responsible for education and training for rural people as well as civil society organizations. Among the invitees was Carolin Grieshop for MIJARC. Other invitees were from the main strategic partners operating in Africa.
One out of six people is suffering from hunger and illiteracy
The situation of education and training in many African countries is characterized by low school access and achievement among rural people. ...read more
click here to download press release as pdf
more information about the workshop:
http://www.fao.org/sd/erp/erpeventsworkshopjune2009_en.htm
 - George Dicon Fernandez
Pontifical Council for laity and the youth section of Vatican invited MIJARC to take part in an International Meeting which held in Rome from 3 to 5 April 2009.
The purpose of the meeting was to evaluate WYD in Sydney 2008 and to initiate the pastoral and logistic planning of WYD in Madrid 2011. One person from National Bishops conferences and International Youth Movements, Associations and Communities were only invited for this important meeting. Representatives from the Australian and Spanish organising committees were also present. This meeting evaluated the pastoral impact of the Sydney WYD2008 and organisational aspects as well as made proposals for the planning of the forthcoming Madrid WYD 2011 where it is expecting about 2million young people from all over the world..click here to download press release as pdf
 - Photo:www.lux09.lu
Around 600 people from all parts of the world participated from April 23-25th 2009 in the International Forum for Solidarity Economy. For the fourth time this forum took place and each time on different continents organised by RIPESS (Réseau Intercontinental de Promotion de l’économie social solidaire). In the last forum leaders, activists, researchers and people from like-minded organisations met in Dakar/ Senegal in 2005.....click here to read as HTML or click on the image to download press release as pdf
The year 2008 was characterized by many changes. All continental movement have held their General Assembly and also the World Assembly has taken place in Uganda. The assemblies brought many new faces to our organisation in new responsibilities, a new action plan, a declaration towards the hunger crisis and a strong commitment to deepen our work in the field of economic projects was made.
The struggles for food sovereignty, solidarity economy and gender equity are still important elements of the work of MIJARC, during the last year we strengthened our work in these areas with trainings, seminars, networking and lobby work. This showed the importance of involvement of young people from rural areas which have significant impact on various policy making institutions and politicians, since rural youth is seldom recognised in politics; however they are the future, since most of the world wide existing land is considered as rural area. It is important and essential that young people from rural areas receive attention in politics and opportunities to develop their own well-being....
Click on the image to download
Dear readers of MIJARC News,
The world has been shaken by a financial crisis. Thus the press and powerful has ensured that hunger crisis is disappeared from publicity. But hunger remains. Especially in terms of such a crisis, problems of the existing economic system are demonstrated: Money has a better lobby than people suffering from hunger.
World Finances are acting in short-term, but people need long-term concepts. States of the North are now focusing on development of their economies and forget to invest in development of southern countries. But money is still needed!
We are facing the tightest food supplies in recent history. For the world's most vulnerable, food is simply being priced out of their reach. The world's 200 wealthiest people have as much money as about 40 percent of the global population, while about 923 million people go to bed hungry every night. Thomas Kocherry is calling in his article for a magnificat.
“He has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.“ (Lk 1,53)
MIJARC wants to replace the hunger crisis up in the public agenda. I hope that you will enjoy your reading which will motivate you to struggle for a world without hunger......click on the image to read more
Click on the image to download
 - Photo: www.policies-against-hunger.de
On the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the German Federal Ministry of agriculture held its seventh “Policies against Hunger” conference in Berlin, this time under the title of: “The Right to Food is a Human Right”. At the conference, over 250 international participants (among them Carolin Grieshop, Secretary General of MIJARC) discussed different courses of action and recommendations for securing the right to food. The conference is part of a high-ranking series of conferences that have been addressing important topics to do with global food security on a yearly basis since 2001.....
CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO READ MORE
Dear readers of MIJARC News,
MIJARC is promoting food sovereignty and solidarity economy. This edition is on economic projects. MIJARC wants to improve the living conditions for rural youth with the help of economic projects.
Considering the great difficulties and challenges faced by rural youth all over the world, such as unemployment, poverty, hard social conditions, lack of training, etc. MIJARC decided to take a step forward in the promotion of solidarity economy initiatives, whose objective is to improve the opportunities, capacities, as well as the standardof living of rural youth, their families and communities. Young entrepreneurship is also a good way to foster the involvement of rural youth groups in economic, social and political life at all levels.....click on the image to read more
 - Photo: www.fao.org
The Expert Group Meeting on “Voluntary Guidelines on Responsible Governance of land Tenure and other Natural Resources” was held at the FAO Head Quarters in Rome from 24-25th November 2008. It was organised by FAO Land Tenure and Management Unit in collaboration with the Government of Finland and UN HABITAT as a preliminary meeting to launch the Voluntary Guidelines on Land tenure and other Natural resources. This proposal will be further presented to the next FAO committee on Agriculture (CoAG) for the approval.Once it is approved there will be an intergovernmental process to be put up in 2009 with various consultation meetings with different stakeholders at different levels which includes regional consultation process too. World Bank, IFAD, GTZ Germany, SIDA (Sweden), CGIAR, experts, private Sector, few governments and civil society organisations (IPC, International land coalition, Global Land Tools Network) were present for the meeting. George Dixon Fernandez (Youth–MIJARC), SofiaMonsalve (FIAN ), Herman Kumara (Fisher folk -WFFP), Beatrice Gasco (IPC), Tui Ahora Warmenhoven (Maori Indegeneous People), Ibrahim Coulibali and Daniel Pascual, (farmers-ViaCampesina) were the representatives of Civil Society from IPC sector.
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 - Photo: www.fao.org
The special session of the 35th FAO conference has been convened to accelerate the implementation taken by the member nations on the recommendations of the Independent External Evaluation (I.E.E) of FAO. In this important reform process member nations, management and staff of FAO shared their vision of a world that is free from hunger and malnutrition and underlined the fact that Food and agriculture must contribute to improve the living standards of the people particularly the poorest and thus to ensure sustainable economic development. In an evermore economic and climatic context FAO must adapt reform and changes to meet the expectation of the member nations through building of a new FAO which requires dedication, determination, good will, mutual trust, hard work from everyonewho is part of FAO; FAO has to redouble the effort to face the challenges ofthe present world today.CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO READ MORE
 - Photo: C.Grieshop
Food, Agriculture and Rural areas: an alarming present situation
Since several months, food is becoming increasingly scarce and expensive, and it is already unaffordable for many people. According to Josette Sheeran, director ofthe World Food Program, "there are 854 million hungry people in the world and 4 million more join their ranksevery year. We are facing the tightest food supplies in recent history. For the world's most vulnerable, food is simply being priced out of their reach". The world's 200 wealthiest people have as much money as about 40 percent of the global population, while about 850 million people go tobed hungry every night. This calamity is "one of the worst violations of human dignity," says former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
Read more....
MIJARC appeals it´s members to undertake actions during the world food day 16th of october 2008.
Click on the image to download the new campaign material.
 - Click on the image to download the new campaign material.
DARING TO BUILD A NEW RURAL WORLD:
Call for action, World Food Day 2008
Every year on October 16th MIJARC is contributing to the word food day.
In 2008 MIJARC focus on
“Seeds–Foundation of global food security,
Access to seeds is afundamental right of farmers”.
Hunger is one of the oldest problems in the world but now is the time to be ashamed that we still haven’t solved this problem. From a young people’s perspective the struggle against hunger is a most important mission. And as Christians we feel a responsibility to combat hunger and to show our solidarity with other people. The struggle against hunger can only be won if lots of people are willing to change the current agricultural system, which is not at all benefiting the poor.
The right to have access to seed is a key concern for MIJARC, we promote this right of the common people, as seed is not a commodity for trade but it is a resource for life and humanity.
Since several years patents and genetically modified plants are used and farmers have lost the right to use seed from the harvest and breeders, the use of patented seeds is increasing; meanwhile the hunger is also increasing. These destructive effects are well known. Most food in the world is grown, collected and harvested by more than a billion small-scale farmers, pastoralists and artisanal fisherfolk. This food is mainly sold, processed, resold and consumed locally, thereby providing the foundation of peoples’ nutrition, incomes and economies across the world.
Yet, the rules that govern food and agriculture at all levels – local, national and international – are designed a priori to facilitate not local, but international trade. This reduces diversity and concentrates the wealth of the world’s food economies in the hands of ever fewer multinational corporations,while the majority of the world’s small-scale food producers, processors, localtraders and consumers including, crucially, the poor and malnourished, are marginalised.
We engage ourselves to: - train young people on seed issues,
- raise awareness on negative aspects of GMOs and privatisation of seeds
- develop projects that respect the environment
- fight against the privatisation of seeds
- reinforce the role of women to have a better access to seeds
- Establish projects for seed and cereal banks
“Give us today our dailybread”
Hope you will discuss the World Food Day study material we already sent on seed and we call upon you to take actions on the following regard on the basis of your analysis.
The world team of MIJARC is wishing you all the best and a lot of actions for another world!
George Dixon Fernandez, President
Carolin Grieshop, Secretary General
Fr. Florencio Dubé, Chaplain
Dear readers of MIJARC News,
since the last edition of MIJARC News a lot has happened. All continental movements of MIJARC have held their General Assembly and also the World Assembly has taken place in Uganda. The assemblies brought many new faces to our organisation in new responsibilities.......
click on the image to read more
 - Photo: www.wyd2008.org
World Youth Day 2008 took place in Sydney Australia from 9-20 July 2008 with various programmes. Days in the dioceses, Youth festival Events, Catechism, Way of the cross, Vigil, Mass with Holysee were some of the highlighted events during the World Youth Day. MIJARC organised different activities in Australia in connection with World Youth day youth festival event. A work shop on Young people and Millenium Development Goal was organised jointly by MIJARC,IYCS, IYCW and Caritas Australia. Hundreds of young people from different parts of the world took part in this conference and made commitment of declaration to work for the achievement of MDG. George Dixon Fernandez was a speaker for this event on the topic of poverty reduction and employment with regard to MDG 1. MIJARC also installed an Exposition Stall to promote our actions and the movement at the Vocation Expo Hall arranged by WYD authorities in Darling Harbour ,Sydney. Thousands of young people visited our Exposition stall. Even though MIJARC didn’t send a big delegation for the WYD, many of our members had been there through their national Episcopal conferences or by personal initiatives.
Download MIJARCs ANNUAL REPORT 2007
 - Photo: C. Grieshop
George Dixon Fernandez, Jose Kalayil and Carolin Grieshop participated in the High-level-meeting of FAO (Food and agriculture Organization of the United Nations) and in the IPC-Forum called “Terra Preta”, which was hold parallel to the official conference in the beginning of June in Rome/ Italy. During the Forum NGOs raised their demands on how to overcome the food crisis. IPC (International Planning Committee on Food Sovereignty) was the organizer of this Forum.
International representatives of small farmers, fisherfolks, indigenous peoples, pastoralists and Non Governmental Organisations (NGO) have expressed their disappointment with the poor outcome of the High Level Conference on World Food Security in Rome. George Dixon Fernandez: “The final declaration will not fill any plate. The recommendations for more liberalisation would lead to more violations of the right to food. The claims of social movements for more protection and support for sustainable and small scale food producers, for comprehensive Land and Agrarian Reforms and concrete measures against financial speculation have been totally ignored by the governments”. In the final declaration of “Terra Preta” and the statement “No more failures as usual” signed by 900 organisations, civil society organisations have made very concrete proposals on how to combat hunger.
A JOINT ACTION OF
MIJARC-CARITAS AUSTRALIA-IYCS-IMCS-IYCW
You are invited to join the struggle to overcome poverty at World Youth Day 2008.
WITNESS THROUGH ACTION
Young People and the Millennium Development Goals
Tuesday 15 July 2pm - 4pm
Barnet Long Room, Customs House, Circular Quay
The World Youth DAy 2008 will take place in Sydney, Australia. MIJARC will is organising togehter with other Youth Organisations also from Australia the Youth Forum: Act Today- Change Tomorrow. In order to prepare this forum the Young Christian Workers of Australia have prepared a survey where young people all around the world are invited to give their views about their life. We call upon the MIJARC movements to participate and to encourage participation widely in your movements.
Fill out the survey and send it back to:
YCS and YCW World Youth Day Coordinator
25 Union St. Granville NSW 2142, Australia
or by email to: chantelle.ogilvie(at)ycw.org.au
George Dixon Fernandez, president of MIJARC participated to the Forum of catholic non-governmental organisations in Vatican, 1 and 2 of december. Objective was to present and debate about the contributions non-governmental organisations make to more human dignity in the world by advocating towards UN organisations and governments.
During the Forum the representatives of the different organisations met pope Benedict XVI who encouraged "to counter relativism creatively by presenting the great truths about man's innate dignity and the rights which are derived from that dignity."
For the first time, the World Bank's annual development report is focused on agriculture. But the Bank misses important historical policy mistakes that explain the current struggles of many developing countries. Find here the response to the report by IATP's Sophia Murphy and Tilman Santarius of the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy in the framework of the eco-fair dialogue undertaken by Misereor, Wupprtal Institute and Heinrich-Böll-Foundation.
MIJARC has elaborated new training material in the framework of the objective gender equality. You can download the material here:
MIJARC appeals it´s members to undertake actions during the world food day 16th of october 2007 against the privatisation of water and the recognition of the right to water!
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call_for_action_ENG.doc
MIJARC appeals it´s members to undertake actions during the world food day 16th of october 2007 against the privatisation of water and the recognition of the right to water!
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A group of African civil society organisations, concerned with the current situation and potential negative impact on small (agricultural) producers in their countries, has initiated a statement on the current negotiations on Economic Partnership Agreements. This statement has been prepared in view of the upcoming meetings of African and ACP Trade Ministers in Cotonou late October and of European and African Heads of State in Lisbon, early December.
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