The 3rd Nyéléni Global Forum for Food Sovereignty officially began with a vibrant and symbolic opening ceremony that set the tone for the days ahead.
To mark the opening, Sri Lankan delegates staged a Mystica performance, presented as a play in which a puppet devil representing the World Bank, IMF, WTO, and debt was dramatically shattered. The act symbolized the peoples’ resistance against oppressive global structures and reaffirmed the Nyéléni Forum as a space for building a united political voice of grassroots movements.
Following the Mystica, Herman Kumara, General Secretary of the World Forum of Fisher Peoples (WFFP), delivered the opening speech, welcoming participants and highlighting the urgent need for collective action.
The event gathered nearly 1,000 delegates from across the world, representing farmers, fisher peoples, indigenous communities, workers, and allies. Among the distinguished guests were two Sri Lankan Ministers, Samantha Vidyaratna and Wasantha Samarasinghe, who acknowledged the growing importance of food sovereignty. They emphasized that the government is increasingly paying attention to cooperative development and food security, pledging their full support to the objectives of the Forum.
Miriam Nobre, from the World March of Women (WMW) and a participant in the first Nyéléni Forum, reflected on its legacy. She shared that one of the critical outcomes of Nyéléni I was challenging the narrative that processed foods were the solution to easing women’s workload. Instead, the Forum strengthened the understanding that food and care must be collective responsibilities, resisting neoliberal individualism and reclaiming community-based practices.
The opening was crowned with a round of applause for the Nyéléni Steering Committee’s tireless work, the uplifting launch of the Nyéléni song, and the inspiring words of local organizer Vimukthi de Silva. His closing remarks echoed the Forum’s guiding spirit:
“People’s power must always remain in the hands of the people.”
With this strong beginning, Nyéléni III has opened its doors as a collective space for movements to unite, strategize, and advance the struggle for food sovereignty across the globe.