‘A symposium held recently by the International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) sought to explore the interrelations between the convention and the international treaty on plant genetic resources for food and agriculture. Farmers’ Rights lie at the intersection of the two treaties and while some find the treaties complementary, some others view them as contradictory on farmers’ rights. Meanwhile, farmers themselves have been blocked from participating in deliberations.’
Check Intellectual Property Watch for a full report on the symposium.
Bram de Jonge (Oxfam Novib) and Sangeeta Shashikant (Third World Network) spoke on behalf of Civil Society Organizations. De Jonge also presented Oxfam’s position paper ‘Reconciling Farmers’ and Plant Breeders’ Rights’, which urges UPOV to take several actions in order to allow countries to balance their PVP laws with the need to protect Farmers’ Rights.
Go to the Oxfam Position Paper
