A/HRC/19/75 Annex Declaration on the rights of peasants and other people working in rural areas The Human Rights Council Advisory Committee, Affirming that peasants are equal to all other people and, in the exercise of their rights, should be free from any form of discrimination, including discrimination based on race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, wealth, birth or other status, Acknowledging that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, as well as the Vienna Declaration and Program of Action, affirm the universality, indivisibility and interdependence of all human rights, civil, cultural, economic, political and social, Emphasizing that in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, States have undertaken to take appropriate steps to ensure the realization of the right to an adequate standard of living, including adequate food, and the fundamental right to be free from hunger, notably through the development and reform of agrarian systems, Emphasizing that according to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, indigenous peoples, including indigenous peasants, have the right to self-determination and that by virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development, having the right to autonomy or self-government in matters relating to their internal and local affairs, as well as ways and means for financing their autonomous functions, Recalling that many peasants all over the world have fought throughout history for the recognition of their rights and for just and free societies, Considering that the current development of agriculture, speculation on food products and large-scale land acquisitions and leases in many parts of the world threaten the lives of millions of peasants, Considering the increasing concentration of the food systems in the world in the hands of a small number of transnational corporations, Acknowledging that small-scale peasant agriculture, fishing and livestock rearing can contribute to secure a sustainable food production for all, Considering that peasants constitute a specific social group which is so vulnerable that the protection of their rights require special measures to make sure that States respect, protect and fulfil their human rights, Believing that this Declaration is an essential step towards the recognition, promotion and protection of the rights of peasants, Recognizing and reaffirming that peasants are entitled without discrimination to all human rights recognized in international law, Solemnly adopts the following Declaration on the Rights of Peasants: 22