|
By Ashish Kothari
Indian NGOs draw attention to the government's inaction in providing local communities the right to protect biodiversity and traditional knowledge
The Indian government has come in for strong criticism from NGOs and indigenous/tribal peoples at the ongoing 8th Conference of Parties (COP8) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), being held at Curitiba, Brazil, from March 20 to 31.
The CBD is a legally binding international treaty that India ratified in 1994, and which almost all countries of the world are party to. It commits these countries to taking urgent action to protect biodiversity, move towards sustainable use of biological resources, and ensure that the benefits arising from such use are shared equitably. The CBD has become the main international tool for all those interested in saving the rapidly disappearing wildlife and agricultural biodiversity of the world, as also protecting the rights and welfare of indigenous/tribal peoples and local communities who are most dependent on biodiversity.
While for the first several years of its formulation, India took a leading and progressive role both at international forums and domestically, in the last few years it has slipped badly. Over 70 Indian NGOs and individuals sent an Open Letter to the Prime Minister providing details of this, including the dilution of environment impact assessment procedures, the continued sacrificing of critical wildlife habitats for mining, industries, etc, the lack of action in finalising a National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (required under the CBD), the introduction of genetically engineered crops, and inaction regarding providing rights and powers to local communities to protect biodiversity and traditional knowledge (for the full text of the Statement, pl. see www.kalpavriksh.org).
This Open Letter has been cited by NGOs attending the COP8 at Curitiba. In addition, the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity (IIFB), which coordinates several dozen networks and organisations of indigenous/tribal people from around the world, has raised serious concern about how protected area policy in India continues to dispossess communities. In particular they have pointed to recent court orders and government actions that threaten several million people with loss of livelihood and access to natural resources. The IIFB and NGOs have shown how these trends violate India's obligations under the CBD's Programme of Work on Protected Areas, a programme that commits countries to involving local communities in managing protected areas, respecting their traditional rights, and providing them benefits.
The Indian delegation at COP8 did, however, partly regain some confidence by joining with several other countries to oppose the move by some countries to open up the moratorium on the Terminator technology. The Terminator (or more properly called, the Genetic Use Restriction Technology) is one of the most diabolical agricultural technologies ever developed, as it basically renders seeds infertile after the first generation of planting...thereby forcing farmers to buy seeds from companies every year. The CBD Parties had two years back brought in a moratorium on the release of seeds with Terminator technology, but over the last few months some countries (New Zealand, Canada, Australia) have tried to dilute this by arguing for a "case by case" examination of the technology. Fortunately, this morning, after some very strong statements in support of the moratorium including by G77 countries of which India is a part, the CBD parties have not agreed to the "case by case" argument. (for more details, see www.banterminator.org). India is one of the few countries to have a domestic ban on this technology.
The other good news that also came today, is an award given by the NGO and civil society networks (called Coalition Against Biopiracy) to women and men farmers of the Deccan Development Society, Andhra Pradesh. Called the ‘Best People's Defence’ Award, it was granted at a colourful ceremony full of indigenous farmers from Brazil, for "two decades of organising successful seed sovereignty systems amongst dalit women communities in Medak district of Andhra Pradesh. Also for their groundbreaking grassroots research into the effects of Bt cotton that persuaded the govenment of Andhra Pradesh to kick Monsanto out of the state" (for more details, see www.captainhookawards.org).
Others who got the ‘Best People's Defence’ award were the Maize Network and Wixarika (Huichol) People of Mexico for their fight against GM contamination, and La Via Campesina for its global seeds campaign to assert the right of small farmers to their seeds.
Next week Indian Minister of State Namo Narain Meena is coming to participate in a Ministerial segment of the Conference. NGOs hope that he will have got the Open Letter, heard of how India is coming in for embarrassing attention here, and come ready to commit to protecting India's biodiversity and tribal/local communities in more effective ways than so far shown.
InfoChange News & Features, March 24, 2006
|
