7-Misc: International NGOs protest against closed biosafety meeting

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TITLE:  NGO protest letter to the Secretary of CBD
SOURCE: The Edmonds Institute, USA, by Beth Burrows
DATE:   August 27, 1999

----------------- archive: http://www.gene.ch/ ------------------


August 27, 1999

Hamdallah Zedan
Executive Secretary
Convention on Biological Diversity

Dear Mr. Secretary Hamdallah Zedan,

We are appalled by the news that negotiations for a biosafety
protocol are to resume in Vienna in the absence of participation
by NGOs and other members of civil society. The tragedy of the
Convention on Biological Diversity, once heralded as the most
transparent treaty body in the world, becoming a behind-closed
door affair, greatly saddens us.

Labeling the Vienna meeting as "informal consultations" does not
obscure from our notice the fact that representatives have been
asked to come to the meeting with the power to negotiate.

It was the work of NGOs that gave light to the need for a
biosafety protocol.  We have observed, aided, and supported the
long negotiations from the beginning. Without the ability to
ensure that our biosafety concerns will be addressed, we cannot
imagine that we will be able to support whatever conclusions may
be reached in Vienna.

Please convey to the members of the Convention on Biological
Diversity, as well as to whatever non-members may be present in
Vienna, our dismay that the era of cooperation and trust that
began in Rio apparently has been ended.

We shall continue to hope that we have been misinformed and that
NGO invitations to Vienna are in the mail.

Sincerely,

Beth Burrows
*The Edmonds Institute (USA)

Gurdial Singh Nijar
*Third World Network

Hira Jhamtani
*Konphalindo (Indonesia)

*Consumers' Association of Penang (Malaysia)

*TEBTEBBA Foundation,Indigenous Peoples' Policy and Advocacy (The
 Philippines)

*UBINIG (Bangladesh)

*SAAN (the Southern Alternative Agriculture Network)- Thailand

Neth C. Daño
Executive Director
*Southeast Asia Regional Institute for Community Education
 (SEARICE)

Setsuko Yasuda
*Consumers Union of Japan

Mika Iba
Secretary General
NESSFE (Network for Safe and Secure Food and Environment)-Japan

Osamu Horii
Director,
NESSFE, Niigata (Japan)

Shoji Murayama
Independent Farmers Union (Japan)

Christine v. Weizsaecker
*Ecoropa

Diederick Sprangers
Coordinator Gene Technology
*Alternatieve Konsumenten Bond (Alternative Consumers'
 Association)- (The Netherlands)

Matthias Bauer
GRÜNE LIGA (GREEN LEAGUE), Berlin (GERMANY)

Nancy Arrowsmith
SSE International (Austria)

Rosalie Bertell, Ph. D., GNSH
President
International Institute of Concern for Public Health (Canada)

Peter M. Rosset, Ph.D.
Executive Director
*Food First/The Institute for Food and Development Policy (USA)

Peter Cristiaensen
*Oxfam Worldshops (Belgium)

Joseph Mendelson
Legal Director
Andrew Kimbrell
Executive Director
*International Center for Technology Assessment (USA)

*Campaign for Food Safety/Organic Consumers Association (USA)

Victor Menotti
*International Forum on Globalization (USA)

Sue Edwards and Million Belay
*Institute for Sustainable Development (Ethiopia)

Marc Lappé, PhD;  Director,
Britt Bailey
*Center for Ethics and Toxics (USA)

*A Seed Europe

*Biowatch South Africa

*Friends of the Earth (New Zealand)

Ellen Hickey
Director of Research and Communications
*Pesticide Action Network North America

Ana Toni
*ActionAid (Brazil)

Alejandro Argumedo
International Coordinator
*Indigenous Peoples' Biodiversity Network

*Zululand Environmental Alliance (ZEAL) - South Africa

*Allergy, Sensitivity & Environmental Health Association Qld Inc
(Australia)

Lot S. Miranda
Country Representive
HEKS Cambodia Programme

Maria Hamlin Zuniga,
Coordinator,
International People´s Health Council (Nicaragua)

Alla Yaroshinskaya, Ph.D.,
President
*Ecological Charity Fund (Russia)

Emma Butt
*Indigenous Peoples of Africa Co-ordinating Committee (IPACC)

Devinder Sharma
President
*Forum for Biotechnology & Food Security (India)

*The ZHABA Collective
(The Netherlands)

Riza V. Tjahjadi
*PAN Indonesia

*C-BAN British Columbia (Canada)

*The Ram's Horn (Canada)

Cha Smith
*Hawai'i Pesticide Project (USA)

*Ecoropa (France)

Barry Coates
Director
*World Development Movement, London (UK)

*The Corner House (UK)

Roberto Bissio,
*Third World Institute (ITeM) (Uruguay)

Raymond Abin
Borneo Resources Institute Malaysia Sarawak (BRIMAS)

Elsa Nivia
RAPALMIRA
PAN-Colombia

Maria Mies
*Diverse Women for Diversity-Germany

Laura Ticciati
Executive Director
*Mothers for Natural Law of the Natural Law Party (USA)

Professor Philip L. Bereano
*Washington Biotechnology Action Council (USA)

Professor Doreen Stabinsky
*Council for Responsible Genetics (USA)

Shen Maglinte
*SIBAT (The Philippines)

Stuart Sontier
*FAIR NZ (New Zealand)

Fernando Bejarano
*RAPAM ( Pesticide Action network in Mexico)

Agus Sari
Pelangi Indonesia

Marie Haisova
President
Agentura GAIA (Czech Republic)

Pat Mooney and Hope Shand
*RAFI (Rural Advancement Foundation International)

Eanna Dowling
*Earthwatch-Friends of the Earth Ireland

Areli Carreon
Viva la Tierra! (Mexico)

ANTONIO M. CLAPAROLS
President - ESP
IUCN Regional Councillor

Michael Dorsey
Director
National Board of the Sierra Club (USA)

Sean McGovern
*Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (USA)

Joelle Meunier
*European Civic Forum

Jennifer Story
Health Protection Campaigner
*Council of Canadians

Kristin Dawkins
*Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (USA)

*INFID (Indonesia)

*Icel (Indonesia)

*RMI (Indonesia)

*Walhi (Indonesia)

Lubica Trubiniova
Chairwoman
*Greenpeace (Slovakia)

Maria Mistrikova
Secretary General
*Energy 2000, (Slovakia)

Igor Polakovic
Chairman
*Sirius (Slovakia)

*The Center for Environmental Public Advocacy (Slovakia)

*Friends of the Earth - Slovakia

*Canadian Biotechnology Action Network - Saskatoon

*IDEAL (Integrated Development for Ecofriendly and Appropriate
Living)-Malaysia

*Center for Alternative Development Initiatives (CADI)- (The
Philippines)

Jurgita Maciunaite
*Vilnius Nature Protection Sociaty (Lithuania)

*GLOBAL 2000 (Austria)

*The Netherlands Centre for Indigenous Peoples

*Coordination Paysanne Européenne (European Farmers' Co
 ordination) an umbrella of 17 European farmers' organisations

Betsy Lydon
Program Director
*Mothers & Others for a Livable Planet (USA)

Ellen H. Taggart
Executive Director
*Rural Vermont (USA)

Ninna Widstrand
Chairperson
*The Green Library, Lund (Sweden)

*German NGO Forum on Environment & Development

*Alianza por una Mejor Calidad de Vida/Red de Acción en
 Plaguicidas de Chile

*Gaia Trust, Anderby, Lincolnshire (UK)

*MECOIVEPAL/RAPAL-VE
 Movimiento Ecologico Cooperativo de Investigacion Las Velas-El
 Palmar (Venezuela)

Ralf G. Landmesser
Freie Kultur Aktion e.V., A-Laden Berlin (Germany)

Richard Wolfson, PhD
*Consumer Right to Know Campaign (Canada)

Liberty Pinili
Sun. Star Daily (The Philippines)

Allison Campbell and Nandita Sharma
*Basmati Action Group (Canada)

Stephen Blackheath
*Revolt Against Genetic Engineering Inc. New Zealand (RAGE)

Dwi R. Muhtaman
The Indonesian Tropical Institute (LATIN)-INDONESIA

Nunuk Kasyanto
LORIES Kalimantan Timur-Indonesia

A. Rudwirijarto
Telapak Indonesia

Eddy Mangopo Angi
Biosfer-Manusia 9BIOMA) Samarinda Kalimantan Timur-Indonesia

Wahyu Raharjaningtrah
Yayasan Pribumi Alam Lestari, Bandung, Indonesia

Rudi Ranaq
LBB. PUTI  JAJI, Samarinda, Kaltim, Indonesia

Gisela S. de Alencar
Environmental Law Committee
Brazilian Bar Association

Evalyn G. Ursua
Women's Legal Bureau, Inc. (Philippines)

Ieva Zalite
The Green Library (Latvia)

Matt Moris
Trust Coordinator
*Organic Garden City Trust, Christchurch (New Zealand)

Anita Pleumarom
Tourism Investigation and Monitoring Team (Thailand)

Angeles Parra Garcia
Asociacion Vida Sana (Spain)

Prasad Chhetry
NECOS (Nepal)

Diego L. Herranz Martí
National Secretariat of Ecologistas en Acción (Spain)

Joaquín Nieto
Secretario Confederal de Medio Ambiente y Salud Laboral del
sindicato Comisiones Obreras (Spain)


Jorge Riechmann
Director del Area de Medio Ambiente
Fundación Primero de Mayo (Spain)

Raquel Nu'ñez Mutter
Red del Tercer Mundo/Third World Network
Latin American Secretariat (Uruguay)

Ruth Fenner
President
*South Vancouver Island District Women's Institutes (Canada)

*NABU (The Birdlife Partner in Germany)

Pat Battle
Vice President of the Board of Directors
*Carolina Farm Stewardship Association (USA)

*Oasis Gardens Community Supported Agriculture (USA)

Karin Nansen
Redes - Amigos de la Tierra (Uruguay)

Nancy Vallejo
PI Environmental Consulting (Switzerland)

Ian Burn
International Secretary, Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand
on behalf of
Jeanette Fitzsimons MP
Rod Donald MP
Co-leaders of the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand

Valdis Felsbergs
Green Party of Latvia

*Green Choice of New York State

Arvid Solheim,
Program Director,
The Development Fund (Norway)

K.A.J.Kahandawa,
President
Future in Our Hands Development Fund (Sri Lanka)

Mariam Jorjadze
International Relations and Information Coordinator
*Biological farming Association "Elkana" (Georgia)

Florianne Koechlin, Daniel Ammann
SAG (Schweizerische Arbeitsgruppe Gentechnologie
(Swiss umbrella-organisation concerned with genetic engineering)

Beat Jans
Pro Natura (Friends of the Earth Switzerland)

Verena Soldati
Basler Appell gegen Gentechnologie (Switzerland)

Bernadette Oehen
WWF Switzerland

Germán Velez
Programa Semillas
Fundación SWISSAID (Colombia)

*FarmFolk/CityFolk Society (Canada)

*EastEnd Store Front Co-operative, Vancouver (Canada)

Bromwyn Kineavy
ELAC (The Philippines)

Helmut Lubbers
Trustee
Ecology Discovery Foundation (New Zealand)

Elaine Ingham
Soil Foodweb Inc.(USA)

Willi Borst
Nelson Environment Centre, Nelson (New Zealand)

R.A.G.E.Nelson (New Zealand)

Nigel Joy
New Zealand Millennium Peace

Dr Paul Butler
General Medical Practitioner.
PSRG (Physicians and Scientists For Responsible Genetics),
Auckland, New Zealand

C. A. Hilgartner, MD
Director
*Hilgartner & Associates (USA)

Robert Cohen
Executive Director
*Dairy Education Board (USA)

Jim Gladwin & Penny Bright
Water Pressure Group (New Zealand)

Gudrun Henne
Institute for Biodiversity

Brian Tokar
Institute for Social Ecology (USA)

Marion Hancock
Coordinator
New Zealand Peace Foundation

Debra Harry
Director
Indigenous Peoples Council on Biocolonialism (USA)

Dr.Ricarda Steinbrecher
Women's Environmental Network (UK)

Wendel Trio
Oxfam Wereldwinkels (Belgium)


Ana C.Filippini
RAPAL/Uruguay

Thierry Raffin
OGM Danger (France)

Steven Gorelick
*International Society for Ecology and Culture

Erin Everett
*New Life Journal (USA)

Jonquil Brooks
Director
Development Resource Center (Aotearoa New Zealand)

Kay Weir
Editor, Pacific World
Pacific Institute of Resource Management

Taimoon Stewart
The University of the West Indies (Republic of Trinidad and
Tobago)

Oscar B. Zamora
Professor
Agronomy Department
UPLB- College of Agriculture (The Philippines)

Teodoro C. Mendoza
Department of Agronomy
College of Agriculture
U.P. los Banos ,College ( The Philippines)

Nayna Jhaveri
Assistant Professor
Department of Geography
University of Washington (USA)

Lorraine Gibson
Simon Frasier University
Department of Geography (Canada)

Romeo F. Quijano, M.D.
Associate Profressor, Univ. of the Philippines, College of
Medicine
President, Pesticide Action Network Philippines

Vathsala Aithal, M.A.
University of Frankfurt
Germany

Michael Harstone
School of Community and Regional Planning,
University of British Columbia (Canada)

Ani O'Neill
Auckland University (New Zealand)

Glen Hearns
c/o Faculty of Law
University of British Colombia (Canada)

Paul Rawson
Centre for Development Studies, Auckland (New Zealand)

Maged Senbel
Planning Students Association
University of British Columbia (Canada)

Alice Revell
Victoria University of Wellington Students' Association (Aotearoa
New Zealand)

Karen Skinner
New Zealand University Students' Association (Aotearoa New
Zealand)

Alison M. Timme
Society for International Education (USA)

Joseph Doherty
Trustee
Dunedin
Environment Centre (New Zealand)

J-Pierre Fry
Environmental Engineer (Canada)

Robert A. McCroskey
Canadian Centre for Rabbit Production Development

Sharon Intilli
*GreenBeing, Inc. (USA)

Jack Kloppenburg
Madison Community Gardeners Coalition
Dane County REAP Food Group (USA)

Jessie Anderson
Provincial Agriculture Convenor for the Women's
Institutes of B.C. (Canada)

Carroll Webber
Greenville Peace Committee (USA)

Lucky Marlovitz
North Coast EarthFirst (USA)

Jean Grossholtz
People Against Corporate Takeover (USA)

Gitanjali Bedi
Development Resource Center (Aotearoa New Zealand)

Zoe Lamar
SEARAGE (Seattle Resistance Against Genetic Engineering)- (USA)

Steve Chase
Northwest Resistance Against Genetic Engineering (USA)

Rachel Burton
Down South RAGE (USA)

Rev. Dorothy A. Harper
Director
The Temple of Ascension (USA)

Nancy Allen
Co-chair
Association of State Green Parties (USA)

Tim Jones
Wellington Anti-MAI Campaign (New Zealand)

Dennie Kirtley
The Mankind Project (USA)

Patricia Evans
Naturalist, Cape Town

Colin Priddle
Organic Garden Advisor (New Zealand)

Hank Mishima (USA)
Stacey London (USA)
Andrea Welling, B.A., M.A.(Canada)
Jeffrey Tissell (USA)
Andrew Marshall (USA)
Catherine Ralston (USA)
Celia and Bill Abram (Canada)
Melody Pyefinch (Canada)
Rosemary Abram (Canada)
Isabel Van Humbeck  (Canada)
Bryan & Christine Pulham (New Zealand)
Julie Greig (New Zealand)
Gerald Lock (New Zealand)
Robert Anderson (New Zealand)
Herve Le Meur (France)
Laurent Mingo (Canada)
Peter Clark (USA)
Dave Woodward (New Zealand)
Fred Overmars (New Zealand)
Cushla Murphy (New Zealand)
Helen Ellery (UK)


* indicates organizational endorsement.

Please note:  Response directed to Beth Burrows (The Edmonds 
Institute), phone: 425-775-5383, fax: 425-670-8410, email: 
<beb@igc.org> will be communicated to all the signatories.

********************************

President/Director
The Edmonds Institute
20319-92nd Avenue West
Edmonds, Washington 98020 USA
email:beb@igc.org
phone: 425-775-5383
website: www.edmonds-institute.org


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