Report of the NGO Committee to the CGIAR Mid Term Meeting 1998

Abstract

Report of the NGO Committee's sixth meeting, which was held in conjunction with the CGIAR mid term meeting in May 1998. An oral report was made to the CGIAR, and this written version was circulated later.The meeting reviewed Committee activities since International Centers Week 1997, including follow-up of the workshop on soil fertility replacement with ICRAF and NGOs in Mali, Cameroon, and Uganda, Committee sponsored farmers meetings in Kenya, Sri Lanka, and Ecuador to discuss research needs and the CGIAR response, and interactions with TAC, the Private Sector Committee, and GFAR. The Committee also established its position on key issues coming before MTM98. It found that industrial type intellectual property rights were not appropriate for indigenous farmers, ad urged the CGIAR to fight for farmers rights, and keep genetic resources and scientific knowledge in the public domain. The Chair's views on biotechnology were reiterated. In connection with the System Review it urged attention to the poorest of the poor, and those less well endowed ecoregions where the poor were concentrated. The IAEG was urged to focus on the institutional as well as the physical impact of new technologies, in order to assess impact on social inequities. In approaching climate change, the Group should emphasize the ability of small holder systems to respond.The Committee also reviewed its planned activities, including a consultation to assist IARCs in formulating a strategy for the management of natural resources that would effectively benefit the poor.