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Home > Programs > World Food Summit 2002 > Daily Reports > Day 2 (June 11, 2002) |
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Report from the 2002 World Food Summit: Day 2Dr. Peter Rosset  Printer Friendly  Email this Article
NGOs Frustrate American Attempt to Build GMO ConsensusRome--The official U.S. Delegation to the World Food Summit in Rome is continuing its push to have the final declaration include strong language in favor of genetically engineered (GE) crops, despite opposition from most governments and citizen's organizations present here in Rome. Today the U.S. Embassy hosted a briefing by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), which is the umbrella organization for the international agricultural research centers around the world. The idea behind the briefing was to create the impression that agricultural scientists who work in developing countries believe that GE crops hold the answer to hunger. The keynote speaker was Dr. Norman Borlaug, known as the 'father of the Green Revolution.' Other speakers included Ian Johnson, Vice President of the World Bank, the Agriculture Minister of Nigeria, and others. The meeting was opened by U.S. Ag Secretary and delegation leader Anne Veneman. All the memebers of the panel expressed very strong pro-GE opinions to an audience of government delegates from around the world, international donor agencies, and journalists. Early on Tuesday morning non-governmental organizations (NGOs) at the Summit had learned of this briefing. Several of the NGO delegates here, including Dr. Peter Rosset, co-director of Food First, sit on the NGOC Committee of the CGIAR. This committee is a sort of civil society 'watchdog' within the CGIAR System. When they and other NGO people learned of the CGIAR/U.S. Delegation plan, they got on the phone immediately, demanding space in the briefing for a broader range of viewpoints. After speaking to the Director and the NGO Liaison person of the CGIAR, who were non-committal, they reached the briefing host from USAID, who said they could be in the audience but not be on the panel. In response they prepared a press release (below) to distribute at the meeting. After the speeches concluded, Dr. Rosset stood up from the audience. While handing out the press release to the 150 people in attendance, he spoke as a member of the NGOC. Dr. Rosset said that "as a member of the NGOC, which is actually part of the CGIAR System, I am extremely dissappointed that such a complex and important issue has been addressed in such a one-sided fashion, which fails to even represent the diversity of opinion within the CGIAR itself, much less outside of it." He went on to say how disappointed NGOs were to see the CGIAR leanding itself "to an obvious political manuever of the U.S. government" to subvert the Summit and insert partisan language in the declaration. Suprisingly this drew the first applause of the event from the attendees, and many supportive comments came from the audience during the question and answer period (only one person expressed a pro-GE point of view). The sentiment in the room was such that the Nigerian Ag Minister actually retracted part of his speech, when he said "actually I don't think Africa needs GE crops -- it would be better for people in the developed countries to try them first to see if they are dangerous!" This drew laughs and a round of applause, especially from the African government delegates in the audience. The following is the press release distributed at the event: PRESS RELEASE - Excelsior Hotel, Rome, June 11, 2002 INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CENTERS AND THE U.S. DELEGATION: UNWARRANTED BIAS TOWARD GENETICALLY ENGINEERED CROPS Non-Governmental Organization Committee (NGOC) of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) - NGOC http://www.ngoc-cgiar.org As members of the NGOC - a duly constituted official committee within the CGIAR - and of other non-governmental organizations attending the World Food Summit in Rome, we express strong concern that the CGIAR, in collaboration with the United States of America, is presenting a biased view of genetic engineering and biotechnology to governments and the media. There is no research conducted at the International Centers, which make up the CGIAR, which supports unqualified claims that genetically modfied (GM) crops are making or will make significant contributions toward reducing hunger, nor is there evidence of their environmental safety or appropriateness for the small farm sector that is the target clientele of the CGIAR system. Thus we are shocked to find the CGIAR System and the U.S. Delegation jointly briefing government delegations and the media on the benefits of GM crops, without giving space for a balanced presentation of ecological risks or more promising agroecological alternatives for small farmers. This probably reflects undue the influence of the USA and the private biotechnology industry on the CGIAR System, and must be remedied immediately if the CGIAR is to live up to its mandate to address the needs of the poorest farmers in developing countries. Available for interviews in Rome: Peter Rosset, Ph.D. rosset@foodfirst.org
Susanne Gura, German NGO Forum cell phone 0049-177-699-1400 ### |
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