Statement by the NGO Committee of the CGIAR

The NGO Committee (NGOC) of the CGIAR held its biannual meeting in Manila in advance of AGM02.

In its review of the activities of the CGIAR, the committee recognised the efforts made to open spaces for Civil Society interaction and partnerships at Centre and System levels and appreciated the efforts by a number of Centres to strengthen integrated natural resources management programmes. However, it became clear, in this review of the current trends in the CGIAR, that civil society expectations of the System as a whole in fulfilment of its mandate, are not being realised.

The CGIAR mandate is to produce public goods for the benefit of poor agricultural producers in developing countries and to safeguard the genetic resources taken from farmers' fields and held in public trust by the CGIAR gene banks. The NGOC observes that the CGIAR is deviating from this mandate and is adopting a corporate agenda for agricultural research and development. CGIAR's acceptance of Syngenta Foundation's membership is a clear indication of the trend towards the corporatisation of public agricultural research. Furthermore, the quest for partnerships with the private sector undermines the public role of CGIAR.

The NGOC notes that the CGIAR and its Centres have:

• Failed to support an immediate moratorium on the release of GM crops in their centres of origin and diversity in the light of GMO contamination in Mexico and the potential contamination of other centres in the years ahead. These GMOs include seeds, grains and food aid. The CGIAR has also failed to initiate scientific work to assess the risks and biosafety requirements necessary to protect the genetic integrity of landraces on-farm, their ownership and the livelihoods of resource-poor farmers in these areas.

• Failed to uphold, in the face of threats of increased private control and monopolisation of genes through IPRs, the principle of the FAO-CGIAR Trust agreement that requires all germplasm and its genetic parts and components, currently in the CGIAR gene banks to be kept in the public domain.

• Actively been promoting genetic engineering technologies and products, which are incompatible with farmer-led agroecological research, and will lead to further marginalisation of farming communities. The CGIAR and some Centres have been promoting biotechnology as the answer to world hunger.

The NGOC urges the CGIAR to listen to and take seriously the voices from the Peoples' Street Conference. NGOC calls on the CGIAR to respond positively to the demands in Unity Statement which we support, especially with reference to those points that reinforce CSO Declaration for Durban with its comprehensive set of proposals that was presented to MTM 2001.

That Declaration emphasised the need for transforming the CGIAR Centres into regional research support systems to assist 'farmer'-led agroecological research and the need for safeguarding the genetic resources in the CGIAR gene banks. These should be the top two priorities of the CGIAR. We regret that the majority of programmes being developed through the Challenge Programme process are not reflecting these priorities.

In the light of these concerns the NGOC, in dialogue with a wide range of Civil Society Organisations, is reassessing its relationship with the CGIAR. (30/10/2002)

NGOC has decided to initiate a review of the relationships of civil society and social movements with international agricultural research for development institutions and systems. While this review is in progress during 2003, the NGOC will (a) 'freeze' its relationships at System level and not accept resources from the System, (b) 'freeze' its seats on and not participate in ExCo, Programme Committee, Genetic Resources Policy Committee, IPR/CAS Committee, IPM Committee; (c) 'freeze' its membership and not replace members when they leave the committee.

[Last italicised para added after NGOC statement to CGIAR Business meeting on 1/11/2002]