In
This Issue:
WSSD
TO ENSURE GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT
The United Nations World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) has a responsibility
to society to culminate in a meaningful global plan of action. South African
President Thabo Mbeki stressed this in his speech when he officially opened
the 10-day summit conference in Johannesburg, South Africa.
"There is every need for us to demonstrate to the billions of people we lead
that we are committed to the vision and practice of human solidarity, that we
do not accept that human society should be constructed on the basis of a savage
plan for the survival of the fittest", President Mbeki said.
Mbeki qualified that for the first time in history, human society possessed
the capacity and knowledge to eradicate poverty and underemployment. He noted
that the central task of the Summit meeting was to "take stock of the inertia
of the past decade and agree on very clear and practical measures that will
help us to deal decisively with all the challenges that we face".
Meanwhile, the World Bank's vice president for sustainable development, Ian
Johnson, said that a $35 trillion global economy this year would grow four
times in the next 50 years, and that it was the task of leaders and delegates
in the Summit to determine "what should a $140 trillion economy look like".
Johnson added that there could be no question of an acceptable future " unless
we can make major inroads into crippling poverty".
In the absence of an agreed agenda, the delegates were concentrating on five
priority issues proposed by Kofi Annan, the secretary general of the UN: water,
energy, health, agriculture, and biodiversity.
More highlights of the Summit can be downloaded from http://www.johannesburgsummit.org
WHO DG SPEAKS
ON GM FOODS
Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland, World Health Organization (WHO) director general
said that currently available evidence showed that genetically modified (GM)
food is "not likely to present human health risk", and that therefore "these
foods may be eaten". She said that southern African countries should consider
accepting GM food aid in the face of the humanitarian crisis facing Africa.
The WHO director general told a meeting of health ministers from 10 southern
African countries that based on current scientific knowledge and information
from a variety of sources, the consumption of foods containing GMOs now being
provided as food aid in southern Africa was not likely to present human health
risk.
"We know, for example, that GM foods are eaten by people in other regions: these
foods are no less safe for people here in Africa than they are for people who
eat them in other parts of the world", she said.
Dr. Brundtland however added that the ultimate responsibility and decision
regarding the acceptance and distribution of food aid containing GMOs rested
with the governments concerned. The WHO, she said, "believes that in the current
crisis, governments of countries in southern Africa must consider carefully
the severe and immediate consequences of limiting the food aid that is made
available for the millions of people desperately in need".
For further information, contact Youcef Ait-Chellouche (chellouchey@afro.who.int)
or Samuel Ajibola (ajibolas@afro.who.int)
of the WHO Regional Office for Africa.
FARMERS
DEMAND FREEDOM TO FARM
Farmers from Africa and Asia who are now attending the World Summit on Sustainable
Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg, South Africa, have urged leaders at the
WSSD to enable them access to the world market. They want the WSSD to "respect
their freedom to see for themselves the economic and technological viability
of all new technologies, including agricultural biotechnology".
They issued a statement asking for five basic demands:
- Freedom
to grow any crop of their choice;
- Freedom
to trade within and outside the country;
- Freedom
to access the best available technology;
- Freedom
to improve agricultural productivity; and
- Freedom
to sell their goods at a price that is not distorted by agricultural
subsidies, tariffs or quotas.
Their
statement stressed that "farmers recognize that every technology
has it own set of advantages and disadvantages, and experience shows
that the less savory aspects of a specific technology are remedied
by further technological advancement and not be reverting to an imaginary
world set in a pristine natural environment". It further added that "the
most important thing is to remove all obstacles in the path of access
and conduct comprehensive trials of all new technologies".
The statement was released by farmer groups that include the National African
Farmers Union (South Africa), Ubongwa Farmers Union (South Africa), Kenyan
National Farmers Union, Provincial Farmers Action Council (Philippines), Federation
of Farmers Association (India), and Kisan Coordination Committee (India).
GLOBAL
CONSULTATIVE PROCESS ON AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE
A new international consultative process was launched in Johannesburg, South
Africa, on the risks and opportunities of using agricultural science to reduce
hunger and improve rural livelihoods in the developing world.
The initiative, according to a statement from the World Bank, "aims to exchange
ideas between consumers, farmers, scientists, non-government organizations,
governments, and the private sector in an effort to produce an international
assessment on agricultural science that would give decision-makers the tools
and information they need to answer the tough questions surrounding the issue".
The new process will be co-chaired by World Bank chief scientist Robert Watson;
Claudia Martinez Zuleta, former Columbian deputy minister of environment; Rita
Sharma, the joint secretary and land resource commissioner of India's Agriculture
Ministry; Louise Fresco, the Food and Agriculture assistant director general
for agriculture; and Seyfu Ketema, executive secretary of the Association for
Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa.
Ian Johnson, the World Bank's vice president for sustainable development, said
that "the application of science to agriculture needs to be fully assessed
in terms of its contribution to enabling farmers to be more productive. But
equally, the environmental and social risks, as well as ethical issues, need
to be discussed in an open and transparent manner".
The consultative process on agricultural science will look at the risks and
opportunities of a broad range of issues from organic agriculture to biotechnology.
The assessment will be modeled on similar assessments on climate change and
ozone that have been used to guide policy makers on pressing issues.
An interactive website at http://www.agassessment.org will
provide one venue for the consultative process. More details can be obtained
from Sergio Jellinek of the World Bank office in Pretoria, South Africa (sjellinek@worldbank.org).
CONSUMER
GROUP'S POSITION STATEMENT ON AGRI-BIOTECH FOR WSSD
"Agricultural biotechnology is and can be an important tool in achieving the
goal of sustainable development in agriculture". This is according to Consumer
Alert, a nonprofit, nonpartisan consumer group that promotes sound economic,
scientific and risk data in public policy decisions. Consumer Alert is accredited
as an NGO to the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) currently being
held in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Consumer Alert's position statement highlighted several beneficial impacts
of agri-biotech including reduced pesticide use that can enhance the environment
and possible reduction of allergens in food. The technology may also make it
possible to grow crops in previously barren areas, enhance plants' nutritional
levels and prolong shelf life. But perhaps the most important benefit of GM
crops is that it can greatly improve yields with the potential for more food
to be grown on a fewer acres of land.
The group also has two other position statements regarding Sustainability and
Sustainable Development and Trade which can be downloaded at http://www.consumeralert.org/
AGRICULTURAL
PRODUCTION CAN MEET DEMAND WITH PROPER POLICIES
A report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations
suggests that "world agricultural production can grow in line with demand provided
that the necessary national and international policies are put in place".
The FAO report says that a slowdown in world agricultural production and crop
yields has occurred not due to a lack of resources like land or water but because
demand for agricultural products has declined. The decline in demand is mainly
because world population growth rates have been declining and fairly high levels
of food consumption per person are now being reached in many countries. Another
reason is that a large portion of the world's population remains in absolute
poverty and do not have the income to translate their needs into economic demands.
While global shortages are unlikely, serious problems already exist at national
and local levels and may worsen unless focused efforts are made.
New technologies are needed for areas with shortages of land or water, or problems
with soil or climate of which biotechnology is one. Biotech offers the promise
of improving food security and reducing pressures from the environment. GM
crop varieties resistant to drought, water-logging, soil acidity, salinity
and extreme temperatures could help sustain farming in marginal areas and restore
degraded lands to production. Pest-resistant varieties can reduce the need
for pesticides. However, the perceived risks from the technology must be addressed.
The report is entitled "World Agriculture: towards 2015/2030" and can be downloaded
at http://www.fao.org/docrep/004/y3557e/y3557e00.htm
UNECA:
THE GREATEST RISK IS TO DO NOTHING
A policy research report by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa
(UNECA) states "modern medical and agricultural biotechnology can contribute
much to increased food security and better health in African countries by speeding
the agricultural productivity and epidemiological transitions in these countries".
The report "Harnessing Technologies for Sustainable Development" further says,
modern technologies "bring tremendous hope to those who live in fragile environments,
depend on marginal lands, are exposed to health hazards and natural disasters,
and have little coping capacity and almost no assets to fall back on in a crisis".
Medical biotechnology and genetics are expanding opportunities for developing
new drugs, improving the efficacy of existing drugs and treatments, and creating
new ways of delivering the medicines. These technologies are improving the
prospects for controlling and eradicating infectious diseases in the coming
century.
On the other hand, recent advances in agricultural biotechnology like crop
varieties with higher yields, greater resistance to pests and diseases, and
better nutritional, health, and environmental attributes are important to Africa.
This new 'green revolution' has the distinctive promise for Africa through
its capability to "provide a better way to extend productive potential to poor
farm communities, pre-packaged in genetically engineered seeds rather than
delivered haphazardly in many separate purchased inputs".
However, the report also cautions that the new technologies are no panacea
and the benefits will not automatically transfer to the poor. It is also critical
that biotechnology be viewed as "one part of a comprehensive, sustainable poverty
reduction strategy, and not as a technological 'quick fix' for Africa's hunger
and poverty problems". Other important points are for innovations and investments
be made in institutions and to build national and regional consensus to invest
in the future. According to UNECA, "the greatest risk for Africa is to do nothing,
allowing the biotechnology revolution to pass it by". The report is available
online at http://www.uneca.org/harnessing/
VOLUNTARY
LABELING RECOMMENDED IN CANADA
The Canadian Biotechnology Advisory Committee (CBAC) has recommended a voluntary
labeling system for Canada. CBAC states that "GM foods currently in the marketplace
have arguably undergone greater regulatory scrutiny than their conventional
counterparts". The CBAC is mandated to advise the Biotechnology Ministerial
Coordinating Committee (BMCC) on the full range of policy issues related to
the development and application of biotechnology in Canada associated with
the ethical, social, regulatory, economic, environmental and health aspects
of biotechnology.
Majority of CBAC members believe that Canada should begin with a voluntary
labeling system for GM foods to allow time for testing the system's adequacy
and efficiency and develop an accepted international standard. The proposed
labeling system allows consumers to identify GM products, limits costs and
avoids trade action.
For more information, view the document at http://www.cbac-cccb.ca/documents/en/
cbac.report.pdf.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
NEW K SHEET AVAILABLE ON-LINE
A new K-Sheet entitled "Meeting the Challenges of Agricultural Sustainability" is
available at http://www.isaaa.org/kc/Services/Media/ksheets/KS_PDF/New%20K%20
Sheet%20(Tilman).pdf. It is based on the article by
David Tilman et. al. "Agricultural Sustainability and Agricultural
Production Practices". K-Sheets are one page synthesis
of events and issues.
FUTURE OF FOOD
An insightful article which ponders on the issue of how to feed the increasing
population in the next 50 years and which farming practices would be most sustainable.
Written by See Yee Ai, the Executive Director of the Malaysia Biotechnology
Information Centre (MABIC), the article was originally published in the August
29, 2002 issue of The Star. It is available for download at http://www.isaaa.org/kc/News/food.pdf.
DISTANCE LEARNING
ON BIOSAFETY
UNIDO, in collaboration with the University of Concepción, Chile, launches
the first academically accredited Diploma in Biosafety by distance learning.
The course, consisting of a faculty of international scientists, starts on
23 September 2002 with two weeks of on-campus lectures that will be conducted
in English. It will make use of the latest distance learning techniques and
electronic multimedia developed by UNIDO. For more information visit: http://binas.unido.org/UDEC_biosafety.
EPSO CONFERENCE
Deadline for registration and abstract submission for speaker selection in
the 1st European Plant Science Organization (EPSO) Conference is 31 August
2002. At this conference, superior junior and senior scientists from academia
and industry will discuss cutting edge science and organize networks in and
beyond Europe. It will be held at Seehotel Waldstatterhof, Brunnen, Switzerland
on 27-31 October 2002. For information, registration, and abstract submission: www.epsoweb.org/catalog/conf2002.htm.
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