FULL TEXT:
The final declaration of the conference “The agricultural sector in Gaza between reality and challenges”
Jerusalem International Hotel/ Amman from 25 to 26 March 2009
“The agricultural sector in Gaza between reality and challenges” conference was held at Jerusalem International Hotel in Amman-Jordan on 25-2632009. The Conference was organized by the Palestinian Farmers Union, Arab Group for the Protection of Nature and Jordan farmers Union and the participation of ten Arab delegations and six local and international nongovernmental organizations. The delegations who participated in the Conference were:
– The General Secretariat of Arabs Peasants and Agricultural Cooperatives Union.
– The Palestinian Farmers Union (PFU).
– Jordan Farmers Union (JFU).
– The General Union of Agricultural Cooperative Associations in Iraq.
– Tunisian Union for Agriculture and Fishing.
– The Agricultural Cooperative Union in the Republic of Yemen.
– Moroccan Union for Agriculture.
– The General Union of Syrian Peasants.
– The General Union of Farmers and breeders in Libya.
– The General Union of Sudanese Farmers.
Also the following are the nongovernmental and international organizations participated in the conference:
– Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees (PARC).
– Arab Group for the Protection of Nature (PNA).
– Union of Turkish Chambers of Agriculture (TZOB)
– La Via Campesina.
– The Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UWAC).
– ACTED.
Throughout two days a number of important papers were presented and deep discussion on the speakers presented papers. Conferees agreed at the conference on the following recommendations:
1. To urge the international community to put pressure on the occupation for the immediate lifting of the siege on our steadfast Gaza Strip and to open the crossings.
2. To urge the world to impose sanctions, to start boycotting campaigns in all its forms and to withdraw investments from the occupying entity.
3. The conferees assured the unity of the Palestinian homeland and called the Palestinian leadership’s to success of the dialogue on the basis of commitment to the inalienable national rights of the Palestinian people.
4. The conferees stressed that agriculture in Palestine, is one of the major headings in resisting the occupation and the preserving lands from confiscation, and the steadfast farmer is the most prominent headings. Therefore, it is a must to provide all kind of support and assistance to the agricultural sector from Arab and friendly countries.
5. To form a permanent committee, its core is formed by the Palestinian Farmers Union, Arab Group for the Protection of Nature and in cooperation with the General Secretariat of Arabs Peasants and Agricultural Cooperatives Union to identify the needs of the Palestinian people in the area of agriculture and to
provide assistance as needed.
6. To organize Campaigns in the Arab World leaded by Arab Farmers organizations in order to donate with agricultural production requirements for the benefit of the Palestinian farmers.
7. To put pressure on certain sides who held conferences to support and reconstruct Gaza strip to put the agricultural sector on the scale of Gaza strip reconstruction priorities.
8. To send a Letter to the United Nations two councils to upload the Israeli occupation the responsibility for the reconstruction of Gaza Strip according to international and humanitarian laws.
9. To give the Palestinian organizations and farmers the opportunity to receive agricultural training at all levels in the Arab and international countries, in addition to call upon establishing agricultural specialized Institute.
10.Conferees confirmed the need to work on opening Arab markets for Palestinian agricultural products.
11.The Organization of Arabs conference in order to research the impact of the global food crisis and its impact on the Arab nation and we appeal to the General Secretariat of Arabs Peasants and Agricultural Cooperatives Union to contribute to the holding of this Conference.
12.To Work on strengthening the steadfastness of Palestinian farmers by launching an organized and sustained campaign in order to access to a unified Arab, Islamic and specialized fund for supporting the agriculture sector.
13.The conferees assured their full rejection for conditional foreign funding, at the same time they welcomed all kind of unconditional funding which may contribute to the reconstruction of the agricultural sector in Palestine.
14.To develop unified strategic plans for the development of the agriculture sector on the basis of the national requirement for the population in order to fill the gap in the food basket and to achieve food security.
15.To assist the Palestinian agricultural organizations in what is needed to document, disseminate and distribution of all violations and abuses conducted by the Israeli occupation against the Palestinian agricultural and environmental sector in order to present it to the international forums.
16.To submit a recommendation to the Arab Summit Conference to be held in Doha and the need to work rapidly and hard to provide assistance to the Palestinian people with the participation of all official and nongovernmental and civil society organizations.
17.The Conference recommends that its need to maintain a regular conduct for this conference to support the Palestinian cause and the Palestinian Farmers Union is responsible to decide on the next conference date and venue.
18.The Conference recommends to send letters and telegrams of thanks and certificates of appreciation to all those who contributed and contributes to the support of the agricultural sector in Palestine.
19.The conferees assured to support the demand of the Palestinian Farmers Union in the membership of the General Union of Arab farmers and agricultural cooperatives on the basis of the recommendations of the Eighth General Conference for Arabs Peasants and Agricultural Cooperatives Union, held in Amman during the period 22-24 /3/2009.
At the end we would like to express our thanks and appreciation to the leadership of the kingdom of Jordan and its people for hosting this conference, and we thank the organizers of this conference the Palestinian Farmers Union (PFU), Jordan Farmers Union (JFU) and the Arab Group for the Protection of Nature (PNA).
