Confronting the Global Food Challenge: finding new approaches to trade and investment that support the right to food

Objectives

This conference has been prepared by a diverse group of civil society organizations from around the world. We aim to bring together different constituencies that work on agriculture, trade and human rights to deepen our collective understanding of the impact of trade and investment on the right to food, to explore the impact of climate change and agrofuels, and to develop new approaches to trade and investment that put human rights at the core.

Participants

This invitation is going to farmer and peasant associations, food workers unions, environmentalists, urban settlers, consumer groups, development NGOs, human rights organizations, Church groups, fair trade organizations, women’s groups and others around the world. We hope to assemble about one hundred participants in Geneva for three days of debate, reflection, learning from each other, and shared planning.

Sponsorship of the meeting

The meeting is convened and partly funded by the organizations listed above. The World Council of Churches and the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance will welcome us in their meeting facilities in Geneva.

Registration

You may register online at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=MvCT7kvcK7pi3LV5WgAqZkSzOrr_2fymrRUErwGb9luwM_3d

For those who have unreliable access to the internet please email:   
foodconf@e-alliance.ch and a form will be sent to you by email.

Funding

We have raised some funds to ensure participation of a broad range of participants. All those in need of financial support should indicate this in the registration process. Applications are due by September 30th. Since funding is limited, we cannot guarantee funding to all those in need of financial support. We kindly ask participants who have access to other funding sources to use those. In general, participants from Western European and North American countries are expected to cover their travel costs themselves, although special cases will be considered.

For self-funded participants, you can find hotels in Geneva, listed according to the categories under the following website www.genevetourisme.ch/index.php?rubrique=0000000526.

There will be a registration fee of CHF40.00 for all self-funded participants to help cover the costs of translation, printing, and equipment.

Please join us in Geneva to share your views and to help build an alternative approach for international trade and investment in agriculture.

Please find the draft Conference Programme at:
English: www.tradeobservatory.org/library.cfm?refid=103833  
Español: www.tradeobservatory.org/library.cfm?refid=103834  
Français: www.tradeobservatory.org/library.cfm?refid=103835