GMW: FAO supporting agribiz not the hungry

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GMW: FAO supporting agribiz not the hungry

" GM WATCH " <info

Wed, 24 May 2006 16:32:09 +0100

 

 

 

 

 

 

GM WATCH daily

http://www.gmwatch.org

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FAO Criticised for Supporting Agribusiness over the

Hungry

From Teresa Anderson <gaia

 

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

 

The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), which has been

criticised over the years for its alleged support of biotechnology,

has come

under further attack from its own Deputy Director-General. Louise Fresco

has resigned in protest and written a letter which is highly critical

of Director-General Jacques Diouf and his approach.

 

In the letter, which was leaked to the UK paper the Observer, Fresco is

apparently fed up with the FAO's failure under Diouf to address the

real needs of the hungry. Insiders suggest that Mr Diouf is instead more

supportive of multinational agribusiness companies.

 

Many NGOs would support these beliefs, particularly over the report

that the FAO produced in 2004 called " Agricultural Biotechnology: meeting

the needs of the poor? " , which failed to include basic facts about the

way that patented GM crops would harm the rural poor and allow

companies like Monsanto to create monopolies. The report failed to

consult

with any NGO groups working directly with farmers on the issue, ignored a

wealth of evidence about the problems that GM has brought to farmers

around the world, and used controversial data to prove its point.

Unsurprisingly, it concluded that GM had the potential to feed the hungry.

 

In response, over 650 civil society organisations from over 120

countries signed a letter of objection to the report, claiming that

the " FAO

declares war on farmers, not on hunger. " They said that the report

" ...sadly, raises serious questions about the independence and

intellectual

integrity of an important United Nations agency. "

 

Last week, the Asian Peasant Coalition, an alliance of organisations

across Asia, added their voices to the criticism of FAO, pointing out

that the organisation supports harmful liberal economic policies that

allow exploitation and poverty, and has failed to identify and address

the

real causes of hunger.

 

Hopefully these events signal that it is time for FAO to take a good

look at itself and the interests of those it claims to represent.

 

Best wishes,

 

Teresa

 

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1.UN Food Agency Deputy Resigns Over Leader's 'Culture of Silence'

Article from the Observer. 14 May 2006

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/world/story/0,,1774642,00.html?gusrc=rss

 

2.FAO Accused of Persecuting Farmers in Asian Countries

Article from the Jakarta Post. 17 May 2006

http://www.thejakartapost.com/yesterdaydetail.asp?fileid=20060517.J01

 

3. " FAO Declares War on Farmers, Not on Hunger "

Press Release from Genetic Resources Action International (GRAIN).

16 June 2004

http://www.grain.org/front/?id=24

 

4. FAO Declares War on Farmers not on Hunger

Open Letter to Mr Jacques Diouf, Director General of FAO.

28 May 2004

http://www.grain.org/nfg/?id=180

 

5. New Studies Contradict FAO Report and Show that Genetically

Engineered Bt Cotton Fails to Benefit Farmers Communication from The

Deccan Development Society, Andhra Pradesh (AP) Coalition in Defence

of Diversity and GRAIN.

16 June 2004

http://www.grain.org/research/btcotton.cfm?id=129

 

 

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