Member of APN’s administrative and founding board Razan Zuayter was elected as co-chair of the International People’s Coalition for Food Sovereignty (PCFS).

The alliance groups various organizations and grass-roots movements that are concerned with food sovereignty in the world. Representatives of peasant organizations, fishermen, food producers and supporting NGOs have participated in the electoral process which was held in its general assembly in Thailand on October 29th, 2018.

The coalition advocates several principles revolving around the right to food and its production and was formally established in 2009 and is now spread across all continents. Its policy is that its administration should be based in developing (southern) countries, although its membership is open to all continents.It is worth mentioning that the Arab Network for Food Sovereignty, headed by Ms. Zuayter, is a regional network established in 2012 in Beirut as an independent civil coordinating body to influence regional and global agricultural and environmental policies. It is based on the principle of sovereignty over food, the promotion of Arab agricultural integration and sustainable development, rejection of all shapes of food dependency and addressing the underlying causes of social, economic, agricultural and environmental vulnerability faced by Arab societies.

The network includes more than 30 non-governmental organizations, federations, trade unions, farmers, fishermen, pastoralists, workers, women and youth, as well as consumer associations from 13 Arab countries.

 As co-chair of the International Coalition, Mrs. Zuayter will be joined by the head of the Asia Peasants Coalition, which has more than 15 million members representing 42 organizations from 10 countries in Asia such as Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines and Sri Lanka.