St. Louis Biodevastation Declaration for Banning Genetically Engineered Foods and Crops.

Background: From July 17-19, 1998 the First Grassroots Gathering on Biodevastation: Genetic Engineering took place in St. Louis, USA. It was hosted by the Gateway Green Alliance, Pure Food Campaign, and Edmonds Institute. The Declaration was presented at the panel on Global Organizing for Citizen empowerment, and was adopted in principle in the final plenary on July 19. The Declaration was formed throughout the Conference as a compilation of concerns expressed and statements of action proposed by the participants at the conference. It is not the final version and needs to be organized, edited and is being circulated for further clarification and strengthening.

We call upon:

The United Nations to call upon member states of the United Nations:

* to act immediately to call for the implementation of existing international declarations, conventions, covenants, treaties on human rights and the environment to support the cancellation of the human genome project, the patenting of seeds, and all further commercial exploitation of indigenous peoples and of the knowledge of indigenous peoples, and also to prevent, under the Convention on Biological Diversity,

(a) the transfer of all Genetically modified organisms, and

(b) the development of pesticide resistant crops;

* to immediately halt harvesting genetic material of indigenous peoples and demand that these efforts be replaced with international dedication to preserving the existence of indigenous peoples and their culture.

* to prevent bioprospecting"--exploiting and patenting the knowledge of indigenous peoples;

* to not defeat the purpose of the Convention on Biological Diversity by failing to invoke the precautionary principle to justify the banning of the production of genetically engineered foods;

* to recognize that conservation of biodiversity is antithetical to development and altering through genetic engineering;

* to prevent under the Convention on Biological Diversity the transfer of all Genetically modified organisms;

* to call for an immediate moratorium on research, development, release, and movement of genetically engineered organisms;

* to prevent under the Convention on Biological Diversity the development of pesticide resistant crops;

* to ban genetically engineered foods and immediately remove all genetically engineered foods from the food distribution system;

* to institute an immediate ban on genetically engineered Bovine Growth Hormone, endorsing the campaign to rid rBGH from school milk;

* to keep our forests, farms, and food safe and oppose the genetic engineering of all plants and animals;

* to abolish patents of genetic sequences and living organisms in the form of "intellectual property rights;"

* to stop the National Violence Initiative Project (US) and immediately halt the drugging of black and Latino children in the name of their supposed "genetic predisposition" to committing crimes;

* to disband the Human Genome Diversity Project and put an end to the colonization of the genes of indigenous people;

* to immediately cease the administration of experimental and genetically engineered drugs to prisoners, people living on American Indian reservations, and people in so called "Third World" countries;"

* to ban "Terminator" seed technology and its patent and call for the immediate cessation of all "Terminator" tests and a banning of its application;

* to encourage smaller scale organic farming, local food systems, home scale gardening, and ecosystem restoration;

* to discontinue all financial support for agribusiness, and to financially support and promote organic agriculture;

* to ensure that the designation of "organic" does not include genetically engineered food or irradiated food or related practices;

* to prevent the transfer to other state particularly developing states of substances and activities that cause environmental degradation or that are harmful to human health, and to recognize that compliance with this principle from the Rio Declaration would entail the prevention of transfer of genetically modified organisms;

* to condemn the use of genetic screening to discriminate against employees;

* to implement the 1986 UN resolution to ensure that the use of scientific technology is in peace and for the benefit of humanity;

* to guarantee the farmers right to produce seeds and to recognize this as a human right in fulfilling the guaranteed right to food;

* to call upon states to implement the right of citizens to organically grown, affordable, accessible food;

* to ensure that citizens are fed clean, nutritional organically grown food before food is authorized for export;

* to condemn the conversion of sensitive ecosystems for ranches and cattle production

* to condemn the roundtable approach to decision making that compromises ethics, fosters and condones conflict of interest, undermines principle and leads to the lowest common denominator;

* to enter into a binding agreement for the elimination of the production of biological weapons.

The Nation States:

* to oppose the extension of intellectual property rights to life forms, whether it be for humans, animals, plants, microorganisms, or their genes, cells or other parts;

* to change provisions in patent acts to prevent theft of biodiversity related knowledge;

* to refuse to grant patents to corporations for methods and products based on traditional practices, or other information gleaned from the collective knowledge and wisdom of indigenous peoples with respect to the medicinal use of plants and animals or any other matter without fair royalties being paid to those peoples;

* to refuse to issue patents for life forms and to refuse to recognize life form patents issued elsewhere;

* to oblige corporations to discontinue the use of the "Terminator gene" which destroys the fertility of seeds;

* to transfer existing funding and support for agribusiness and for genetically engineered projects to socially equitable and environmentally sound organic agriculture;

* to implement the 1986 United Nations resolution to ensure that the use of scientific technology is in peace and for the benefit of humanity;

* to deny non profit and charitable status to NGOs that receive funding from corporations and their affiliates;

* to prevent the collusion between regulatory bodies universities and corporations;

* to condemn the practice of corporations of requiring farmers to sign gene-licensing agreements, and of hiring informers to report on farming practices;

* to guarantee the farmers right to save seeds;

* to revoke charters and licences of corporations for violation of human rights, denying social justice, destroying the environment, undermining economic self sufficiency, for contributing to conflict, violence and war.

* to ensure that regulatory agencies are not promoters of the technology.

The World Bank, IMF and Development Agencies:

* to refuse to fund all agribusiness and genetically engineered food research and development;

* to fund only organic socially equitable and environmentally sound agriculture;

* to discontinue structural adjustment programs and forgive third world debt;

* to no longer conceive of the refusal to accept genetically engineered foods and seeds as a barrier to trade

The Regulatory Agencies:

* to provide for stiff regulations preventing the development, distribution, patenting etc. of genetically engineered foods;

* to establish regulations which will phase Out agribusiness and promote socially equitable and environmentally sound organic agriculture;

* to no longer conceive the refusal to accept genetically engineered foods and seeds as being a barrier to trade.

The Universities:

* to discontinue all further support research in genetically modified organisms, including genetically engineered foods;

* to cancel all existing contracts with corporations that are researching and developing genetically engineered foods;

* to voluntarily put into the public domain all existing research data so that patents based on such findings cannot be obtained.

The Wholesale and Retail Industry:

* to communicate to the companies that produce genetically engineered food their refusal to carry genetically engineered foods;

* to move towards supporting and promoting organically grown products;

* to ensure that the produce is not genetically engineered and post notices to that effect;

* to refuse to sell genetically engineered foods and to communicate this refusal to companies that produce such food.

The Growers:

* to refuse to purchase seeds from any of the companies that engage in the research and development of genetically engineered foods;

* to ensure a larger gene pool to present seed diversity;

* to work on continued research into crops that are naturally resistant to disease;

* to lobby for the banning of the "Terminator" gene.

The NGOs:

* to refuse to accept funding from corporations or corporate affiliations or front groups;

* to ensure that the terms of reference in decision-making processes are broad enough to address issues related to whether the activity or substance should be engaged in or produced in the first place;

* to work with farmers on mutual information and education about the hazards of Genetically engineered foods;

* to refuse to settle for half-way measures and partial solutions in the quest for being reasonable.

The Citizens:

* to urge governments, regulatory agencies, universities, and wholesale and retail industry to discontinue all further development and distribution of genetically engineered food;

* to decide not to purchase genetically engineered foods and to communicate this decision to agencies, institutions, governments, departments, and to lobby against any wholesale or retail store that carries genetically engineered foods;

* to demand the right to know:

- what products and substances have been approved for sale by governments,

- what processes products and substances have undergone in production

- what regulations are in place

- reasons for not have stiff regulations, or for not enforcing regulations, and

- the nature and extent of the funding in the universities of genetically engineered companies;

* to expose the corruption and kick backs in institutional programs such as the World Bank;

* to expose the level of complicity of institutions through interlocking directorships;

* to document PR statements of firms involved with genetic engineering, to counteract these statements and to disseminate the information;

* to appropriate corporate language, clarify it and counteract it;

* to clearly define the opposition;

* to participate and support a broad based principled citizens movement opposing genetically engineering ensuring the constant respect for social Justice and human rights;

* to engage in direct action;

* to set up counter demonstrations.

For further information, Please contact: Joan Russow, Ph.D., National Leader of the Green Party of Canada, email [e-mail]