As part of the RAISE project, VSF-Suisse is working with Fastenaktion and various local NGOs, including the Centre for Minority Rights Development (Cemiride) in Kenya. Nyang’ori Ohenjo from Cemiride visited Switzerland last week and represented his organization and civil society as a whole at a panel discussion at the WEF in Davos. A new global alliance against hunger and poverty, in which Switzerland is also involved, was presented at the high-profile event. Ralf Kaminski, editor at Fastenaktion, interviewed Nyang’ori Ohenjo on the occasion of his visit.

Nyang’ori, you are attending the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos for the first time. What does this invitation mean to you and Cemiride?

It is an honour for us – and a recognition of the effective work we have been doing for minorities and indigenous people in Kenya for almost 20 years. As far as I know, this is also the first time that the human rights challenges for these population groups have been discussed at the WEF. As a platform, this forum is also very interesting because Cemiride is currently primarily concerned with the economic empowerment of minorities who are still suffering from hunger and poverty today.

Why was Cemiride invited to represent civil society on this panel?

Because in Kenya, with the support of RAISE, VSF-Suisse and Fastenaktion, we have successfully shown how the voices of disadvantaged minorities, indigenous people and smallholder families can be included in political processes. Effective development work can only be achieved if those affected themselves have a say, especially in decision-making. The more present these voices are, the better the results.

What outcomes at the WEF would positively impact our work in the Global South?

Just participating in this event about the new Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty (GAHP) is relevant for us. In the run-up to the next G20 summit in South Africa, it will focus on our issues of hunger and poverty – and on the everyday challenges faced by smallholder families, fishing community members and herders. Our appearance at the WEF enables us to engage directly with key decision-makers.
We have the opportunity to arouse the interest of politically powerful people in our concerns and our successful solutions. Ideally, this will result in synergies between existing processes within the framework of the World Food Committee (CFS) and GAHP. After all, the CFS is a unique forum in which civil society has a strong voice.

You had five minutes for your panel appearance. What was your key message?

I will emphasise how important it is that those affected in the Global South also have a voice in the new alliance and have a say in decision-making. I will also highlight how effective their experiences and expertise are in the fight against hunger and poverty, how we manage to incorporate these voices into political processes in Kenya through RAISE and what we achieve as a result.
It is also important for me to emphasise how diverse the reasons for poverty and hunger are: For many, the problem is not a lack of money, but a lack of access to land or water. This is why it is so important that the affected communities can help shape political strategies, as they know best what they need.

So, access to land is a key factor?

This access is crucial for food security. There is enormous competition for land, as mining companies, energy producers and international agricultural corporations want to acquire more and more of it. As a result, indigenous people and small farming families are often forced off their land – or tempted to sell it for quick cash. But without land, there is no long-term food security for them. If they have land and use agroecological farming methods on it, they can usually even produce surpluses that they can sell.

What can the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty bring to the fight against hunger and poverty?

There is indeed a certain risk of unnecessary duplication with existing efforts. On the other hand, it could be valuable as a political platform. It will hopefully create the necessary goodwill to carry our successful concepts forward and implement them more broadly internationally. It is crucial that this alliance complements rather than competes with the CFS.

What does it take to ensure that the voices of those affected are heard? And that the individual countries implement the rights set out in UNDROP?

Invitations like this are definitely helpful – but participation in such international forums is very expensive. Why doesn’t the WEF take place in a different location every year so that minorities from the Global South can get there more easily? The implementation of UNDROP, in turn, requires binding mechanisms and sufficient funding in all countries. Civil society often only participates on a project-related and temporary basis. We must ensure that work continues even after the withdrawal of a donor until sustainable results are achieved.

There are many local success stories to end hunger and poverty. But on a global level, the impact seems to be rather limited. What do we need to do better?

Many efforts are very successful locally, but only for a few thousand people in some regions of some countries. The question of how to expand this is even more urgent as global warming is exacerbating the situation in many places. For more people to benefit from the successful concepts, national governments need to be willing. Moreover, lobbying is key to this, as we are already successfully doing through RAISE in Kenya. For example, there are direct talks with the Minister of Agriculture about land use. If we can achieve something similar in other countries, the localized success stories can be expanded.

So there has been encouraging progress in Kenya. Has RAISE also improved the situation for the herders who move around with their livestock?

Yes, several times. For example, we have succeeded in initiating government-level discussions to repurpose land for livestock farming that was previously sold for development or construction projects. The authorities and courts have realised that livestock farming is crucial for food security at a national level – and that sufficient pastures are needed for this. We have also been able to bring agroecological knowledge to the nomads, which also helps them. Thanks to RAISE, a draft law is also currently being reviewed to better protect the rights of pastoralists, as demanded by UNDROP. Most importantly, thanks to RAISE, key members of government have understood the connection between land, pastoralism and food – they now look at land very differently than they used to.

What other challenges need to be tackled?

Above all, we need more consistency in our progress. We need to ensure that the content of a project continues, even when it ends. This requires government support for the human rights-based development approach. We are continuing to work on raising awareness of how relevant the voices of the population are. It would also be important to adapt land law to local conditions, as it still functions according to the principles of European colonial rule.

How optimistic are you about the future in Kenya?

We have built up a sustainable network and made progress that will outlast the RAISE project. I am very optimistic!

Thank a lot to Fastenaktion and Ralf Kaminski for sharing this interview with us!

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