TITLE: Declaration Rejecting the Free Trade Area for Americas (FTAA)

AUTHOR: Elizabeth and Ana Lucia

ORG: Red por una America Latina Libre de Transgenicos

DATE: April 19, 2001

Dear Friends: We want to request you to support this Declaration that rejects the Free Trade Area for Americas (FTAA), and mainly the pretense of include in these Agreement the free commercialization of transgenic organisms in 34 countries of America; if this happens all our work and our fight for a Latin America Free of Transgenics would be threatened. We require your action, please send your support to: Red por una America Latina Libre de Transgenicos In solidarity, Elizabeth and Ana Lucía.  DECLARATION The Network for a free GMO Latin America, summing up to the actions taken by Vía Campesina, makes the following DECLARATION regarding the intention of including the free marketing of transgenic organisms in the Free Trade Area for Americas (FTAA). Considering that: The Free Trade Area for Americas subordinates among others, the principal rights, the sustainability, the collective rights of the traditional nations and of the national states, to the interests of the corporations and transnational investors. The agricultural workshop hold in Buenos Aires during the appointment of the ministers associated with the negotiations of the Area of Free Trade of the Americas, proposed that transgenic organisms be freely trade in 34 countries of the continent when the Agreement comes into operation either in 2003 or 2005. This proposal should be approved in the III Summit of the Americas that will take place between April 20 and 22 in Quebec, Canada. This proposal infringes the Biosafety protocol, -an international agreement legally entailed, created within the framework of the Convention on Biological Diversity - that recognizes the right of the States to decide whether they accept or not the importation of a transgenic organism, using the Principle of Precaution as an element for decision making. The technology used by the Genetic Engineering is in itself dangerous; additionally, considering that transgenic organisms could be the cause of negative impacts in human health, the environment and in the socioeconomical field, they have been rejected in some places worldwide. Latin America is the area of greater agricultural diversity of the planet, and we do not accept that it be transformed into a trash can that collects the products of the biotechnological U.S.A industry that have been already rejected in Japan and the European Union. The introduction of transgenic organisms in Latin America and The Caribbean affects our production domestic systems and therefore affects the food sovereignty of our nations; there are several countries and States within the countries that have declared themselves as areas free of transgenic organisms. Therefore: We reject the FTAA agreements and its hegemony intention of subordinate dependence and the anti-democratic mechanisms of its discussion.We demand that the right to decide that both, the States as well as the civil society have in reference to the introduction, use and trade of transgenic organisms be respected. We demand that the instrument that regulates the transboundary movement, transit, handling, trade and use of the genetically modified organisms be The Biosafety Protocol. We demand that the right of the States to use the Principle of Precaution as a leading instrument in reference to decision making related to transgenic organisms be respected, as well as the right towards self-determination of the countries and the states that have declared themselves free of transgenic organisms. Red por una America Latina Libre de Transgenicos Casilla 17-15-246-C Quito - Ecuador Telfaxes: (593 2) 547516 / 527583 Send your message of solidarity to: Red por una America Latina Libre de Transgenicos END top