Peasant Forum: Peoples response resistance against WTO Roots
for Equity/Asian Peasant Coalition
April 18, 2007
Caritas Hall, Lahore, Pakistan

Resolution to support the movements against the onslaught of imperialist globalization

We the participants of the Peasant Forum: (April 17 2007) representing social organization and movements of various sectors in Pakistan have gathered to protest the Cairns Group Meeting held in Lahore 16-18, 2007.

We strongly condemn the participation of Pakistan in the Cairns Group, a group which in essence represents the agenda of strong agriculture exporting countries. For Pakistan to pursue agriculture export-oriented policies would send its millions of peasants and other working class sectors in a spiral of malnourishment, hunger and extreme poverty.

We believe that structural adjustment and neoliberal policies imposed by imperialist patriarchal organizations such as the IMF-WB-WTO bring about poverty, hunger and disempowerment to agriculture producers role in production, development, and control of natural resources including land, seeds, water, and forests. Pakistan's representation at not only the Cairns Group but overall membership of WTO is detrimental to the interests of the people of Pakistan especially the agriculture producers including landless and small farmers, fisher folk, women, and children.

The presence of the Pakistani State in the Carins Group is an absolute indication of its collaboration with imperialist forces and shows clearly its intent to undermine and curtail the rights of people at the same time handing these very rights to the corporate sector.

We condemn the government of Pakistan's anti-people policies specifically the pro-corporate sector agricultural policies which are direct conflict with peoples right to food and livelihood.

We, women and men across all classes, castes, ethnicity, and religions resolve:

To unite against pro-globalization forces emanating from imperialism for the ultimate control over peoples resources.

To support and strengthen all movements and campaigns for the protection of people's livelihood, especially women's livelihood, in the defense of peoples sovereignty and control over livelihood and resources.

To build forces to confront and defeat the many faces of globalization including privatization and liberalization to ensure safe, secure and dignified livelihoods for women, men and their families.