Download International delegates: (selection) Contact for interview matters: DI

International delegates: (selection)
Contact for interview matters:
DI in Irmi Salzer: [email protected], 0043-699-11827634
Mariann Bassey from Nigeria is leader of the program for food sovereignty and agro fuels of the
Nigerian organization „Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria“ (ERA/FoEN) and
coordinator of this program for the whole continent. . Her focal issues are food sovereignty,
economical justice, resistance against GMO´s , right to land, climate and agriculture, agro fuels and
gender justice. ERA works in the field of climate- and environmental justice and hosts the secretary
of “Oilwatch International“, a network of groups in resistance against oil- and gas drilling at the
moment.
Ibrahima Coulibaly, peasant and agro engineer from Mali, is vice-president of the ROPPA(Réseau des
organizations paysannes de l’Afrique de l’Ouest, a westafrican network of peasant organizations),
president of the Malian governing body of peasant farmers CNOP, president of ROPAC (Réseau des
organizations paysannes pour l’adaptation aux changements climatiques, network for adaptation to
climate change) and member of the international coordinating committee of La Via Campesina.
Ibrahima Coulibaly is one of the responsible organizers of the first international forum for food
sovereignty in Mali 2007 and is an expert for peasant agriculture and adaptation to climate change.
Alphonsine Nguba Ngiengo from the democratic republic of Congo is coordinator for PR and politics
of the kongolesian peasant organization COPACO. Furthermore she is president of the international
coordinating committee of La Via Campesina. COPACO works since 1998 as a grassroot movement
with the organization, resistance and lobbying for peasant farmers in the democratic republic Kongo.
She represents 392.000 families all over the country. The COPACO is fighting for the realization of
food sovereignty in the democratic republic of Congo and is a member of La Via Campesina.
Rosa Guillén Velarde, sociologist and political scientist from Peru, is founder and employee of the
organization „Grupo Género Y Economía Perú“, that is fighting for the guarantee and advancement of
civic, economic, social and cultural rights of women. Rosa Guillén Velarde is also the peruanian
coordinator of the „World Women March against Poverty and Violence“, an international women’s
organization and works with syndicates, peasant farmers and small scale producers.
Claudia Jeronimo from Guatemala is coordinator of the program for food sovereignty of Friends of
the Earth south americaS. As co-founder and advisor of the guatemaltecian FoE-organisation CEIBA
she is supporting rural communities with the implementation of agro ecological production methods
and engages herself in political education. CEIBA works since 1993 with marginalized communities
and their integrated development in Guatemala, supports initiatives in solidarity economy,
traditional knowledge, health, democratization and autonomy as well as food sovereignty.
Subramaniam Kannaiyan from Southindia engages himself since two decades for the realization of
human rights – especially farmer´s rights. He is employee of „South Indian Coordination Committee of
Farmers Movements (SICCFM)” and has his focal point in the fields GMO, WTO and free trade and the
effects of textile industry (especially water- and soil contamination as well as toxic waste). As
representative of indian peasants he was attending WTO and UN conferences.
Blogs: ; http://siccfm.blogspot.com/ http://kannaiyan.blogspot.com/
Kalissa Regier from Canada is farmer in the 5th generation. On her farm, in the Canadian prairies,
ecological crops and oilseeds are cultivated. Additionally she is active member and former board
member of the “National Farmers Union”, the only peasant’s organization in Canada that is fighting
for small scale farming and broaches the social, economical and ecological effects of modern
agriculture. The „National Farmers Union“ is founding member of La Via Campesina. Kalissa was
representing her organization at the first Forum for food sovereignty in Mali and is an active member
of La Via Campesina since then. Right now she is a youth-representative of the Via Campesina-region
North America and temporary coordinator for the civil process of the UN Committee for world Food
safety CFS.
Christina Schiavoni from the USA is leading the „Global Movements Program“ of “WhyHunger”, a
NGO from New York that fights the roots of hunger and poverty. Christina works with different
networks in the US and on the global level, to enforce and unite social movements that are fighting
for land, water and food. One focal point of her work is the support of the freshly founded US
alliance for food sovereignty that has the goal to facilitate networking between local, national and
international movements for food sovereignty. Furthermore Christina Schiavoni is responsible for the
coordination of civil society groups for the UN committee for world food safety CFS. In private
matters she engages herself for urban agriculture in New York City.