"We are equipped with International Instruments as tools of our Struggles"

People and the CSO leaders of 5 districts in the Northern Province met to learn about International Instruments which are related to Food Producers and their livelihoods.
People those who attended at the WS came out the frame work of how those instruments can be used for strengthen their on going struggles on Land, water, sea and aquatic resources from land grabbing and ocean grabbing.
"We never thought these policies would help to strengthen our struggles. We need to study these instruments in our activities." Said a participant at the WS.
However, there is a danger of not implement the policies which are not binding. The both the instruments we discuss the Voluntary Guidelines on Governance of Tenure(VGGT) and International Guidelines on Small Scale Fisheries (IGSSF) are voluntary in nature and not binding as they adopted at the FAO.
However, people have realized how any of international policy guidances enforced in the past. "There should be strong social movement which could work as powerful people force. These social movement can intervene to demand the rights of the people." says one priest who attended the WS.
"How people can claim their fisheries rights when the investors come and grabbed the coastal lands, lagoons, tanks for their profits? Problem is our politicians are also forget what they agreed internationally and displace our people and losing their basic rights." a fisher leader attended from Mannar district narrated his grievances which is common to all places in this regard.
So the work conducted at the training will be deep rooted and will bear fruit.