September 16, 2002
More than 140 African non-governmental organisations (NGOs) from 26 countries have given their support to the governments of Zimbabwe and Zambia, for their refusal to accept Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) in the fight against the wide scale famine that is hitting their countries.
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has been criticised by NGOs across the globe, at the recent NGO Summit at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) for not checking to see whether countries were willing to accept GM food aid before attempting to send it despatch it in the form of food aid.
According to the Catenga Protocol on Biosafety, "advance informed agreement is a pre-requisite." This, argue the NGOs, was not observed. However, the UN World Health Organization (WTO) and Food Agriculture Organization (FAO) have indicated that GM food is "not likely to present human health risk" and that "these foods may be eaten".
The Zambian government has taken a very strong stand, and through a national consultancy process, has rejected all GM food aid. According to the Malaysian-based NGO, Third World Network, the Zambian government is fully in line with the Cartagena Protocol, having based its decision on "the precautionary principle, in the absence of national biosafety regulations and adequate capacity to carry out reliable risk assessment; in the absence of evidence of safety to human health; and taking into consideration the threat of contamination to indigenous seed varieties, as well as to protect Zambian agriculture production and prospects for exports."
This is obviously a difficult position to hold, as Zambia, together with Zimbabwe and Malawi have some seven million people facing starvation. In Malawi, some 100 to 150 people are dying every day, from starvation-related diseases. The International Red Cross and WFP are currently mounting a massive emergency operation, to deliver tons of food aid to these three "priority countries" in the sub-region. Proponents of GM food argue that it is the answer for those developing countries that are experiencing a decline in agriculture and food production, and an increase in population growth. The use of GM crops, geared specifically to the needs of the region in which they are being used, can contribute to the alleviation of hunger. It is argued that biotechnology enables the development of plants with improved resistance to insects and diseases, often in situations where there are no other means of pest management.
vArgentina, second only to the USA in the planting of GM crops, planted 10 million ha of GM crops in 2000 compared with 30 million ha in the USA. In China over 1.5 million small-scale farmers planted 0.5 million ha for commercial use.
But for critics of GM food production, the benefits are short term. Third World Network argues that GM food can potentially give rise to a range of health problems, including food allergies; chronic toxic effects; infections from bacteria that have developed resistance to antibiotics, rendering these infections untreatable; and possible ailments including cancers, some of which are yet difficult or impossible to predict because of the present state of risk assessment and food safety tests. A very critical issue is the potential impact on small-scale farmers across the globe.
The issue of GM food production was a hot issue at the WSSD, with UN Secretary General admitting that it is clear that insufficient research has been done into the health, social and economic impact of using GM food, stating that it will be a research priority for the UN in the future.
More Information on NGOs
FAIR USE NOTICE: This page contains copyrighted material the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Global Policy Forum distributes this material without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. We believe this constitutes a fair use of any such copyrighted material as provided for in 17 U.S.C § 107. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
