GMOs

Workshop
Activities


 

The International Seminar on
“Genetically Modified Organisms, Risks and Impacts”
Report and Recommendations
   May 7-8, 2005 

Introduction
The International Seminar on “Genetically Modified Organisms, Risks and Impacts” was held in Amman, Jordan on May, 7-8, 2005.  The seminar was organized by the Amman-based Arab Group for the Protection of Nature (APN) in collaboration with the Rome-based International Planning Committee (IPC). Funds were provided by the German non-governmental organisation “Bread for the World”.
The seminar brought together participants representing public and private bodies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and civil society organisations (CSOS) from a number of Arab and world countries. 

Seminar Objectives

  • Shed light on GMOs related issues in regional countries.
  • Explore the prospects of establishing a regional position on genetically modified organisms.
  • Discuss the socioeconomic aspects of GMOs.
  • Increase awareness about the possible health risks, ethical, social and economical consequences of GMOs.
  • Define ways to involve other parties in the discussion on GMOs.

Structure
The seminar included six working sessions held on May, 7-8, 2005. Participants registered for the seminar early on Saturday morning and an introduction followed in the morning session. The first session started after brief welcoming notes delivered by APN’s Director Ms. Razan Zuayter, opening addresses by Jordan’s Minister of Agriculture Mr.Yusuf Shureiki,   Mr. Peter Rottach, Secretary of the “Bread for the World” based in Stuttgart, Germany and Ms. Beatrice Gasco representing the International Planning Committee (IPC).
Presentations and remarks were followed by discussions. Recommendations were discussed in the final session held on Sunday afternoon.     

Participants and Speakers      
Participants from Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Tunisia, Sudan, Palestine, Algeria, India, Canada, Germany, Italy took part in the seminar. 

Speakers:

  • Mr. Rami Barhoush, Dir.Gen. Of the Intern’l Poultry Company, Jordan (APN Member) “GMOs, a Local Perspective”

  • Dr. Amjad Khalil, Associate Professor of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Al- Balqa Applied University, Salt, Jordan.  “Introduction to Bio-techniques”

  • Dr. Rudolph Buntzel, Commissioner for World Food Matters, the Church  Development Service, Berlin, Germany,” Socio-economic Impacts of GMOs”.

  • Mr. Luca Colombo, the International Planning Committee, Rome “The European and Italian Case”

  • Mr. Pat Roy Mooney, Executive Dir. of the Rural Advancement Foundation International (Currently ETC Group),” When Nano Meets Bio-in the Field”.

  • Mr. Kareem El-Maqdisi, Environmental Expert, Beirut, Lebanon.” ESCWA Study   in Lebanon.”

  • Ms. Fadia El-Husseini (APN volunteer), Jordan, (Questionnaire Analysis)

  • Dr. Assem El-Shehabi, professor at Jordan University Faculty of Medicine, (APN  Member), “Genetically Modified Food and Health Risk Factors”.

  • Dr. Vandana Shiva, Director, Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology, New Delhi, India,  “Performance versus Promise- A Socio-economic and Ecological Assessment of GMOs”.

  • Habib Maalouf, Lebanese Environment and Development Committee, Lebanon.

Discussions
Remarks and interventions by the seminar participants revealed a bleak image of the situation involving the various aspects of and issues relating to genetic engineering and genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in world countries. It was evident that Middle East and North Africa countries suffered from lack of information on the fast developing biotechnology and genetic engineering techniques used to produce GMOs and their products by a few major international corporations and that the general public was largely unaware of their impacts on human health, the environment and agriculture. According to participants, the situation was aggravated by the lack of information and research available on such issues coupled with the absence of proper legislative frameworks and strict procedures needed to monitor the flow, use and trading of GMOs.

In the discussion that followed the first session, a Jordanian participant said Jordan signed the Cartagena Protocol in 2000 and enacted its provisions in 2004. He noted that a survey conducted in the country showed that capacities and expertise need development and that there was a shortage of biotechnology tools and equipment. Another participant commented that Arab countries have turned into an open market for American goods that include GM products and foodstuffs. He emphasised the need for Arab countries to maintain sustainable resources, ensure food security and comply with principles of the Codex Alimentarius to prevent entry of GM food.
In the second discussion, questions were raised on how to formulate strategies that could minimise damage caused by genetic engineering and whether specialised bodies in regional countries are capable of revealing genetically modified products sold in markets and halting their flow to which a participant commented that these countries lacked such capabilities.

Participants’ remarks also touched on the European Union (EU) regulations governing its exports to consumers in countries that had signed partnership agreements with the EU and as to whether measures are taken to control the flow of GMOs to these countries. One question was whether double standards were being applied regarding those products.
Mr. Luca Colombo explained that the European legislation aims primarily to protect the consumer and competitiveness of the European farmer. He said the EU’s exports of GM products are limited. As regards the poultry, he pointed out that no GM feed has been used. He said that Brazil which exports Soya to EU countries is no longer a non-GMO producer but has established market protocols with some regions to guarantee non-GM certified exports. Mr. Colombo said that a large majority of food producers in Europe do not have double standards and that food production for European or non-European markets is not genetically modified.

He commented that there was no clear international standard for labelling and the picture is very complex. He said the patent directives in the EU which allow the patentability of genetic resources are ‘very bad’ and are a failure for NGOs.
 In another discussion during the first day of the seminar, participants’ remarks again highlighted the need for lobbying against the use of GMOs and their products through the efforts of NGOs and CSOs. One participant recommended the launch of a network in Jordan to fund studies and research work on potential risks and impacts of GMOs. The discussion included a further criticism of the policies of the US whom a participant described as the “prime violator of most environmental laws and the biggest producer of GM products.”

Mr. Pat Roy Mooney commented that he perceived “GMOs as an issue of justice”. He said “the seed is the first link in the food chain. If you control the seed, you control the food chain, food security and food sovereignty will become a myth.” He said the South had two instruments in the 90s to defend themselves against GMOs which were the UN Centre on Transnational Corporations and the UN Commission on Science and Technology for Development that monitored new technologies and offered counsel to developing countries. He said the United States of America destroyed both organizations in the beginning of the 1990s. Mr. Mooney called on CSOs to pressure their governments to request the UN to bring back those organizations.
 Following Dr. Shiva’s presentation, a participant inquired about the legislative and policy frameworks of GMOs in India. She indicated that a regulatory framework was   established in 1989 and that GM seeds require clearance at the national, regional and local levels before allowing their entry into the country. She said Indian agricultural and pharmaceutical companies have come up with a proposal currently debated in the country demanding a fast track approval through a single ministry instead of the current multi-ministry clearance of GMO products, a move she considered as “deregulation and not a regulation.”

She indicated that the Centre for Sustainable Farming in India had conducted research on organic farming and came up with higher income for farmers, better control of pests and zero cost in expenditure. She added that organic farming will be introduced in 200 villages around India as an alternative to BT cotton. A participant spoke about Dr. Shiva’s remarks as reflecting ‘bias and one sided picture’ in her presentation and that India had many success stories in food security. He demanded a further debate on the issue that ‘takes into account the commercial interests of the GM companies and the long term benefit of the revolution in attaining food security’.
Dr. Shiva’s answer was that India achieved food security following her independence from Britain in 1947 during which new policies were introduced including land reform. She pointed out that GMOs were only introduced in the country in 2002. She said “ these issues bringing to light the actual risks and monopolies are not being one-sided, it’s actually balancing the one-sided picture that has been brought to the world.”

Another participant said that multinational companies and globalization trends are creating problems in developing countries such as Sudan indicating that food aid from the United States was genetically modified and could not be turned down by the government.  She urged NGOs and CSOs in those countries to create a movement to confront the use and impacts of GMOs.  Adding to her comments, a participant said USAID provided free seeds to Tunisian farmers for several years until they lost their saved seeds. He complained that developing countries suffered from lack of funds, research work and patenting with NGOs showing little interest in agriculture. To this Dr. Shiva responded by recommending the establishment of community seed banks and GM free zones. 

Discussions that followed the final session highlighted the need to establish contacts with international and regional organizations to exchange information, views and expertise on genetic engineering and biotechnology techniques and nanotechnology and develop a mechanism to follow up on the seminar recommendations. Participants asked APN director Razan Zuaiter to act as coordinator among seminar participants in the coming months to which she replied that such responsibility should later be carried out in rotation in order to build up on and promote the work and efforts of regional NGOs and CSOs against the spread and use of GMOs. 

Recommendations
The seminar made the following recommendations:

  • A moratorium shall be imposed on the use, release, import and trading of the genetically modified organisms and their products.
  • All countries shall accept the establishment of GM Free Zones on their lands.
  • All food, feed and feed additives for all animals whether or not destined for food production, food processing aids including enzymes used as processing aids that contain genetically modified organisms or have been produced by genetically modified organisms shall be clearly labelled as such. 
  • A zero tolerance level of accidental contamination of GMOs or products from GMOs shall be adopted.
  • All seeds, plants and animals including fish and micro-organisms that have undergone genetic modification shall be clearly labelled.
  • Specialised laboratories shall be well equipped to carry out all the necessary tests in order to:

  • Determine the presence of GMOs.

  • Identify the type of GMO.

  • Determine the percentage of GMO content in feed, foodstuffs, seeds, plants and animals including fish and all products suspected of containing GMOs.
     

  • Establishment and enforcement of a legally binding national bio-safety framework addressing bio-safety in all aspects with particular regard to genetic modification/engineering but also including the recently developed Nanotechnology.
  • Invigorate the role of the public sector to protect all natural national resources.
  • Invigorate the role of the public sector to activate the United Nations to bring about fair trade policies and fair patent regulations with special regard to developing countries and subsistence farmers and to redress the present imbalance, bias and monopoly exerted by multinational corporations at the World Trade Organization.
  • Arab public bodies are called upon to lay out policies and legislation governing all aspects of GMOs and activate existing ones through enlisting the help of non-governmental organisations and scientific research institutes.
  • A practical approach shall be developed to coordinate, build on and promote efforts of regional non-governmental organizations( NGOs) and civil society organizations(CSOs) with a view to follow up and monitor all regulations, legislation and agreements dealing with the various aspects and use of the genetically modified organisms. Such approach shall provide the means for lobbying in favour of protecting human communities and the environment against potential hazards of GMOs.
  • All governmental and non-governmental agencies shall educate consumers on risks of GMOs and their impacts on human health, environment, agriculture and biodiversity through seminars lectures and dissemination of information by issuing booklets and leaflets in addition to using all available means for lobbying that include activities, programs and communication tools of NGOs and CSOs. Education of the public and consumers aims at:

  • Providing them with information on biotechnology techniques in relation to genetically modified products.

  • Encouraging sustainable organic agriculture.

  • Preparing and compiling studies and researches dealing with GMOs which should include:
     

  • Preparation of research work that will shed light on information relating to the transfer of resistant genes from common organisms in nature to human and animal pathogens or pathogenic organisms. 

  • Preparation of research work to follow up on transfer of allergenic properties from GMOs to humans.

  • Monitoring the activities of all research centres involved in the use and production of GMOs and their national and foreign financing sources.

  • Publication of the seminar’s discussions, presentations and recommendations in order to inform all policy-making institutions and the general public.
     

  • The seminar participants affirm that the hunger and poverty problems are a result of the failure to apply food sovereignty principles, mismanagement and inequitable access to resources and increasing the volume of food production will not solve them.

  • Establishing contacts and partnerships with international and regional organisations to exchange information, views and expertise on genetic engineering and biotechnology techniques and nanotechnology.

  • Developing mechanisms to obtain financing for the proposed activities.

  • Establishment of a Jordanian non-governmental group to raise awareness about the impacts and risks of biotechnology and nanotechnology.

  • Establishment of a pan-Arab non-governmental committee to follow up and implement the seminar recommendations. Agreement was reached that the Amman-based Arab Group for the Protection of Nature act as coordinator to ensure interaction among seminar participants in the coming months and that such responsibility will rotate among regional groups. 

 

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