The November 2011 edition of AEFJN's Forum for Action is now online. It contains articles on the ethical responsibility of the Church on the climate issue, on the clean up of the Ogoniland oil spills, which will take decades, on the spread of Libyan arms in the Sahel, on the production of medicines in Africa and on the EU's attempt to force African countries to sign EPAs.
The national election campaign officially started the 28th October in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), exactly one month ahead of historic presidential and legislative elections, scheduled for November 28 2011. 41 humanitarian and human rights organizations, among them AEFJN, have expressed concern about the high political tension and deteriorating security situation. They have called upon all Congolese and international actors involved to take urgent measures to prevent electoral violence, better protect civilians and ensure credible, free and fair elections.GMOs, EC proposal for law
In July 2010, the European Commission proposed a law for the EU that opens the door to the crops of GMOs in EU, the last vast area with application of precautionary principle. This endangers refractory countries such as Italy, Ireland ... This proposal will take two years to be put into place.
As EC intends to give more flexibility to each State, that issue is almost certain to be aired in the EU Court of Justice, which has been assiduous in protecting the single market. See more details on: http://www.aefjn.org/index.php/materiel-385.html
AEFJN reminds that GMOs were not developed with food security in mind. They deprive people of control of their food resources and of income. Moreover, their characteristics are threatened by the environment: crops and insects develop resistance to genetic modification.
These GMOs are developed to help seeds and agricultural industries to make profit from royalties’ payment and from monoculture extension. Monocultures rely on the uniformity provided by GMOs and industrial seeds. They reduce jobs, access to land and water and the fertility of the soil and in so doing encouragement migration from the country into urban areas without assuring food security. (IAASTD Report) http://www.agassessment.org/index.cfm?Page=IAASTD%20Reports&ItemID=2713