UN Declaration on the rights of peasants

On December 17, 2018, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted the Declaration on the rights of peasants and other people working in rural areas. The Declaration aims to protect the rights of all rural populations, including peasants, agricultural and rural workers and indigenous peoples, while recognizing their contribution to sustainable development and the conservation of biodiversity (especially agrobiodiversity) and challenges they face.

The specific rights recognized by the Declaration include the right to adequate food, land and water. The Declaration also supports the need to respect the cultural identity and traditional knowledge of rural populations, as well as the requirement to provide social protection and ensure gender equality. The adoption of this declaration has been the culmination of a negotiating process that lasted for six years, led by Vía Campesina of Bolivia.