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Table of Contents and Authorship
~ COPs, Conferences, Forums, Working Groups, and Preparatory Meetings (Megan McDonell)
~ Intergovernmental Organizations [IGOs] (Megan McDonell)
~ Non-Governmental Organizations [NGOs] (Dorothy Johnson)
~ Endnotes (Dorothy Johnson & Megan McDonell)
COPs, Conferences, Forums, Working Groups, and Preparatory Meetings
The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture is currently awaiting ratification. Prior to its adoption, the Commission on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture held a combination of Regular Sessions, Open-Ended Working Groups, Contact Group meetings, Extraordinary Sessions and Intersessional meetings to address the terms of
the
treaty. The Regular Sessions of the CGRFA have
occurred every
two years while the other meetings were scheduled to fit the needs of the treaty under negotiation.1
The Open-Ended Working Group and Contact Groups sprouted out of the Regular Sessions of the CGRFA. The meetings that took place during negotiations to approve the text of the treaty were mainly Intersessional Contact Group meetings. Since the beginning of the International Undertaking in 1983, the
precursor to the treaty, there have been three CGRFA meetings, six Contact Group meetings, one Open-Ended Working Group and numerous informal
consultations.2
Most meetings have taken place at the FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy. The participants at the meetings are generally the same. At the Sixth Contact Group meeting, for example, 96 participants from 37 countries, one Regional Economic Integration Organization, IGOs and NGOs attended. This meeting is generally representative of all the meetings, although the organizations and numbers may change depending on the topic of discussion. At the
Regular Sessions of the Commission, the guests normally include: the Chairman, observers from UN member states, representatives of the UN
and specialized agencies, observers from IGOs NGOs, International Research Centres, the FAO, the
Secretariat of the Commission (Jose T. Esquinas Alcazar), and FAO consultants. NGOs, IGOs, technical assistance groups and development banks normally attend these sessions as observers.3
At the Contact Group Meetings, the guest lists were similar. They included: The Chair of the CGRFA, the Vice President of the Commission, delegates from member nations, representatives of the UN and specialized agencies, observers from NGOS, IGOS,
FAO, the Secretariat of the Commission and FAO consultants. 4
At these meetings, the text of the treaty was negotiated, especially in the exact wording of the
articles. At many meetings, the Multilateral System was discussed, as well as benefit-sharing, the Global Plan of Action, the
ex situ collections, financial resources and the Global Information System on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Many times,
technical groups convened if needed to consider specific issues. For example, at the Sixth Session of the Contact Group,
three technical groups were convened to consider definitions, legal matters and the list of crops.5
Working groups were also formed to address specific matters, like establishing the Multilateral System and working on facilitating access to plant genetic resources for food and agriculture. Expert meetings took place to discuss such matters as the legal status of the treaty, the Multilateral System, Farmer's Rights and Financial Resources.6
For all meetings, the ambassadors usually met in the morning, afternoon and sometimes night for approximately
five days. The Regular sessions usually lasted slightly longer, for around
eight days.7 At the Regular Sessions of the Commission, the Expert and Working Groups met at a plenary at the end of the conference to report what they discussed. The CGRFA scheduled the Regular Sessions, Extraordinary Sessions and Intersessional Contact Group Meetings. The Chair, Fernando Gerbasi, convened as well as adjourned the sessions. The CGRFA, acting as the Interim
Committee for the treaty, will convene its first session sometime in 2002, in the framework of the meetings it has conducted thus far.
8
Intergovernmental Organizations [IGOs]
The Intergovernmental Organization affiliated with the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture is the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN. The FAO was founded in 1945 with a mandate to raise levels of nutrition and standards of living, to improve agricultural productivity and to better the condition of rural populations.
9 It is the lead agency for agriculture, forestry, fisheries and rural development. The FAO is comprised of 183 member countries, plus one member organization, the European Community. It's overall goal is to alleviate poverty and hunger by promoting agricultural development, improved nutrition and the pursuit of food security.10 It encourages sustainable agricultural and rural development by increasing food production and food security while conserving and managing natural resources. This is also the overall goal of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources For Food and Agriculture, to preserve resources and to alleviate world hunger.
In 1943, 44 governments met to found a permanent organization for food
and agriculture. The first session took place in 1945 and the FAO was officially established as a
permanent organization. 11 In 1951, the FAO moved its headquarters from Washington DC to Rome. The FAO has made alleviating world hunger a major goal, and in 1960 it started its Freedom From Hunger Campaign, to mobilize non-governmental support. In 1962 the FAO began to set International Food Standards and has been doing so since then. In 1974 the UN World Food Conference recommended the adoption of the
International Undertaking on World Food Security. In 1978 The Eighth World Forestry Congress addressed forestry development. In 1980 the FAO made 56 agreements to appoint representatives from developing countries. The FAO sponsored the first World Food Day in 1981. In 1986 FAO began using AGROSTAT (now FAOSTAT), which is a source of agriculture information and statistics. An important event relating to plant resources was the ratification of the International Plant Protection Convention in 1991. In 1994,
the FAO launched the Special Programme for Food Security (SPFS), targeting low-income food-deficit countries. Under this program, farmers choose and demonstrate selected technology. This program is an example of the FAO's goal of helping developing countries. Another program created that year was EMPRES, which works to prevent, control and eradicate disease. At this time, FAO also began streamlining its operations. In 1996,
FAO hosted the World Food Summit in to discuss and combat world hunger. The second WFS will take place this year (2002), again hosted by the FAO. In 1997 FAO launched its campaign against hunger initiative, TeleFood. The Telefood program is an annual campaign which helps the hungry by providing them with small agriculture projects to make their own food. Helping developing countries and the hungry help themselves is a major goal of the FAO.
In 1998 the FAO hosted a convention to control trade in pesticides and other hazardous trade. The FAO committee on Fisheries adopted plans of action regarding fishing capacity, sharks and seabirds in 1999. In 2000, the FAO was granted the first UN patent on a process which allows manufacturers to bottle coconut water without losing its flavor and nutritional characteristics, another event which helped developing countries. Also in 2000, the FAO developed a strategy to combat chronic hunger in the Horn of Africa. In 2001, the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture was adopted.12 As shown through this history of major events, the FAO has created many programs over the years, all aimed at conserving, while making use of, the world's resources.
The FAO collects, analyzes and disseminates information about nutrition, food, forestry and fisheries. It also provides advice to governments about agriculture planning, and on administrative/legal structures for development.
13 In addition, the FAO acts as a neutral forum for countries to meet, discuss, and formulate policy. It hosts conferences, technical meetings, and consultations of experts.14
The FAO is made up of eight departments: Administration and Finance, Agriculture, Economic and Social, Fisheries, Forestry, General Affairs and Information, Sustainable Development and Technological Cooperation. The FAO secures funding through its Regular Programme and its Field
Programme. The Regular Programme deals with internal operations while the Field Programme works on developing strategies and providing assistance through projects with national governments. The Conference of the FAO is the supreme governing body and meets every
two years. The next session will be in Rome, at the FAO headquarters, November 29-December 10, 2003.15 The
Conference makes the policies of the FAO, approves the budget and makes recommendations to members of other international organizations. The Conference also elects a Council which acts as an Interim Governing Body.16
For the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, the FAO collects and shares information regarding food and agriculture. It provides technical programs to help developing countries and gives advice to governments on agriculture planning and policy administration.17 The largest role the FAO plays in terms of the treaty is as a permanent, neutral forum for discussion and negotiations pertaining to plant genetic resources. The FAO established the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture in 1983, which is made up of 160 members plus the
EU.18 The CGRFA reviews and advises the FAO on policy, programs and activities. It
facilitates and oversees cooperation between the FAO and other IGO, NGOS, including the
CBD, the International Plant Genetic Resources
Institute and the UN Commission on Sustainable Development.19 The Commission holds Regular Sessions every
two years and Extraordinary Sessions as needed.20
The Commission essentially oversees the treaty. It coordinates, monitors the development of the Global System for the Conservation and Utilization of Plant Genetic Resources, the rolling GPA, and the International Fund for Plant Genetic Resources.21 The overall objective is to make sure there is conservation of sustainable
development and the sharing of benefits. The CPGRFA aims to reach international
consensus on areas of global interest by way of negotiations.
The FAO will host the World Food Summit in 2002.22 This meeting is a follow up on the 1996 Summit and will
address how to increase resources available for agriculture and rural
development. It is hoped that the treaty will have been ratified by the time of the Summit and the FAO hopes to announce its ratification at
this time.
Non-governmental Organizations [NGOs]
Another important type of actors in the realm of international environmental law are non-governmental organizations (NGO). These can be global organizations with international agendas, nationally based groups with international programs, international think tanks, and even coalitions of several NGOs from developing nations. For the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (CGRFA), dozens of NGOs' influence, oppose, or promote the international organization. The two most prominent NGOs that have considerable influence on the CGRFA are the Erosion, Technology, Concentration Group (ETC), and the Genetic Resources Action International group (GRAIN).
The ETC Group, formerly known as the Rural Advancement Foundation
International (RAFI), is a non-profit civil society organization founded in 1977 in Winnipeg, Canada. Taking a global and regional
focus23, their work is based on socio-economic and political analyses of new technology and its effect on rural societies, food resources, and genetic
biodiversity.24 In participation with the Community Biodiversity Development Programme, which they co-founded, the ETC conducts biodiversity and agricultural research and reports to such international governmental organizations such as the World Health Organization, the
Commission on Biological Diversity, and other United Nations groups.25
The three principles behind the ETC are erosion, technology, and concentration. Erosion refers not only to the ecological phenomena but also the erosion of plant resources for agriculture and raw plant genetic
materials.26 The principle of technology includes all forms like biotechnology, neurotechnology, and
nanotechnology. The ETC sees its role as guiding the progression of this
technology and its affect on plant genetic
resources.27 Finally, concentration focuses on the reorganization of power controlling genetic resources into global
oligopolies.28 The ETC hopes to redirect control and monitor actions by these international corporations other NGOs.
Currently the ETC is focusing its campaign to limit the creation and distribution of "terminator" seeds, which are incapable of producing fertile seeds in the second generation.29
This has major implications for rural farmers who rely heavily on "farm saved seeds," or seeds gathered from crops. ETC hopes to guide the progression of seed sterilization and maintain farmers' resources for the farm saved seeds, working as a mediator between
groups.30 Another high priority topic for ETC is smoothing the problems of genetically modified maize intermingling with indigenous Mexican farmers' crops. Its importance reaches an international level because it involves the rights of plant breeders over non-corporate breeders, like the indigenous farmers.31
The ETC is a major contributor to the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Since its
founding, the ETC has actively participated in meetings for the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization, working as a policy analysis group and campaigning for heightened awareness on need for plant genetic
diversity.32 In 1983,
they took part of the formation of the CGRFA in 1983, and attended every meeting since then. More recently, in the last extraordinary session in 1998, the ETC reported detailed
information on each IGO and NGO's contributions to the meetings, reviewing the suggestions from each group.33
The second NGO that has major interest in the CGRFA is GRAIN, the Genetic
Re
sources
Action
International. Founded in 1990 in Spain, GRAIN is a non-profit organization
promoting action against loss of genetic
resources.34 They aim at protecting and strengthening local control of agricultural biodiversity, especially in the Southern
Hemisphere.35
The goals guiding GRAIN are producing greater biodiversity, preventing destruction of genetic resources, keeping control in the hands of farmers, equalizing benefits from trade amongst all parties, and directing and controlling the use of technology.
36 GRAIN works at accomplishing these goals by actively monitoring IGO and NGO actions, researching genetic technology, and lobbying in the name for groups that would otherwise go without representation, such as rural
farmers.37
Where the ETC acts often in concert with the CGRFA, GRAIN is more of an opposition group, recently spreading publicity about the shortcomings of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. The most pressing issue for GRAIN is the protection of farmers'
rights,38
which created the most friction with GRAIN and the CGRFA's treaty. They feel that in the increasingly globalized, industrial system, food and agriculture resources are more vulnerable than ever. GRAIN lobbied with the CGRFA to increase the extent of farmers' rights. GRAIN fought to protect local, regional practices dealing with plant genetic resources, to equalize benefit sharing amongst farmers and corporations, and to give farmers equal rights to decisions made on the national
level.39 On the larger scale, GRAIN hoped the plant genetic resources treaty would be the only standard to which IGOs and NGOs adhere to, making it the only law in the plant genetic resources realm. Another facet was the treaty's exclusion from international property right
law.40 GRAIN tried to lobby against all restrictions on farmers creating "in the field" plant varieties, from
cross-germination.41 The first lobbying session occurred at the Leipzig Convention in 1996, but GRAIN still feels the improvements to the International Undertaking over the past five years has yet to fully protect the rights of farmers.
1. Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, News and Events (2001), <http://www.fao.org/ag/cgrfa/News.htm>.
2. Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Linkages, (2002), <http://www.iisd.ca/biodiv/iu.html>.
3. Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Meetings, (2001), <http://www.fao.org/ag/cgrfa/meetings.htm>.
4. Id.
5. Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Linkages, (2002), <http://www.iisd.ca/biodiv/iu.html>.
6. Id.
7. Id..
8. Earth Negotiations Bulletin, Fifth Extraordinary Session on the Committee on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, (2002), available at: <http://www.iisd.ca/linkages/vol09/enb0997e.html>.
9.Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Reports from International Organizations and their Policies, Programmes and Activities on Agricultural Biodiverstiy, (2001),available at: <ftp://ext-ftp.fao.org/waicent/pub/cgrfa8/res/c3-01e.pdf>.
10. FAO, What it is, What it Does, (2001) <http://www.fao.org/UNFAO/e/wmain-e.htm>.
11. Id.
12. FAO, What it is, What it Does, (2001) <http://www.fao.org/UNFAO/e/whist-e.htm>.
13.
Id.
14. FAO, What it is, What it Does,
(2001)<http://www.fao.org/UNFAO/e/wdoes-e.htm>.
15. FAO, What it is, What it Does,
(2001)<http://www.fao.org/UNFAO/e/wstruc-e.htm>.
16. FAO, What it is, What it Does,
(2001) <http://www.fao.org/UNFAO/e/wgov-e.htm>.
17. Id.
18. Commission on Genetic
Resources for Food and Agriculture, Activities, (2001), <http://www.fao.org/ag/cgrfa/#activities>.
19. Id.
20. Id.
21. FAO.org, Calendar of FAO meetings, (2002), available at: <http://www.fao.org/events/index.asp>.
22.
Id.
23. ETC Group, About ETC, (2002),
<http://www.etcgroup.org/about.asp>.
24. Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Reports from International Organizations on their Policies, Programmes and Activities on Agricultural Biological Diversity, Part III: International Non-governmental Organizations, (1999), available at: <ftp://ext-ftp.fao.org/waicent/pub/cgrfa8/8-11-3-E.pdf>.
25.
Id.
26. ETC Group, History, (2002), <http://www.etcgroup.org/about_history.org>.
27. Id.
28. Id.
29. ETC Group, About ETC, (2002),<http://www.etcgroup.org/about.asp>.
30. Id.
31. Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Reports from International Organizations on their Policies, Programmes and Activities on Agricultural Biological Diversity, Part III: International Non-governmental Organizations, (1999), available at: <ftp://ext-ftp.fao.org/waicent/pub/cgrfa8/8-11-3-E.pdf>.
32. Id.
33. Id.
34. GRAIN, About Us, (2002), <http://www.grain.org/about/index.cfm>.
35.
Id.
36. GRAIN, Agricultural Biodiversity Themes, (2001), <http://www.grain.org/themes/index.cfm>.
37. GRAIN, About Us, (2002), <http://www.grain.org/about/index.cfm>.
38. GRAIN, Position on the International
Undertaking, (2001), <http://www.grain.org/publications/negotiations-example-iu.cfm>.
39. GRAIN, What Did We Want From Farmers' Rights?, (2001),
<http://www.grain.org/publications/negotiations-example-fr.cfm>.
40. GRAIN, Controlling Biodiversity, (2001), <http://www.grain.org/themes/dsp-theme.cfm?theme-id=101>.
41. Id.
| 03/27/2003 | Copyright © Dorothy Wales Johnson 2000, 2001, 2002. All federal and state copyrights reserved for all original material presented in this course through any medium, including lecture or print. | Homepage |