INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY MARCH 8, 2006

Statement of Second Women Farmers' Conference on Food Sovereignty

Islamabad, 8 March 2006: On the occasion of International Women's Day 2006, we, women farmers, farmers' organizations, Lok Sanjh Foundation, South Asia Network on Food, Ecology, and Culture (SANFEC), Bedari Fikr Forum, and human rights activists, gathered here at Dhok Gaji, a small village about 30 kilometers in the south of Islamabad to participate in the second women farmers' conference on food sovereignty. "National security is closely linked to food security and respect for local cultures", said Mr. Mahmood Ali, Federal Minister for Cabinet division. The Terminator seeds can no way be categorized as development technology. It will destroy biodiversity of the region. This region is very rich in biodiversity. Obviously, Terminator seeds will affect food production of the country.

The Independent and the Sunday Herald both reported March 5 that the UK government has abandoned its opposition to Terminator in plans unveiled in a new official document buried in a government website.

A Feburary 21 press release from the Ban Terminator Campaign reported that Monsanto had revised its 1999 public commitment not to commercialize Terminator technology. Its new pledge suggests that it would use Terminator seeds in non-food crops and does not rule out other uses in the future. Now Monsanto's Director of Public Policy has written an apology to the Ban Terminator Campaign, saying that it did not really mean it would consider using Terminator in non-food crops. Monsanto will now change their pledge again to remove this suggestion. Click here to read Monsanto's "pledge" on Terminator.

1) Monsanto Responds
2) Ban Terminator Campaign Follow-up Letter

A Gigante da Biotecnologia Revisa Sua Promessa Sobre a Tecnologia das Sementes Estéreis Enquanto uma Aliança Global Clama por Seu Banimento.

Terminar Terminator
www.BanTerminator.org
Comunicado de imprensa, 21 de fevereiro de 2006

La estrategia de la industria y gobiernos para poner fin a la actual moratoria de facto a la tecnología Terminator en las Naciones Unidas fue confirmada por las acciones de Australia, con Nueva Zelandia y Canadá en una reunión de la Convención de Biodiversidad en Granada, España, que tomó lugar del 23 al 27 de enero. Se necesitan acciones intensificadas en todas las regiones del mundo para asegurarnos de que la moratoria pueda mantenerse y fortalecerse en la reunión de la ONU en marzo en Brasil (20-31 de marzo). Por favor únanse a la Campaña Internacional Terminar Terminator.

Today in Granada, Spain approximately 120 people, mostly local environmentalists, marched through the streets of Granada Spain to arrive at the United Nations meeting of Working Group Article 8(j) to protest Terminator technology. Inside the Congres Centre, delegates to the UN meeting waited anxiously for the second round of Terminator negotiations to start. Terminator will now be discussed tomorrow.

• Discurso de apertura de la reunión del Grupo de Trabajo 8j del CDB, el 23 de enero

• Palabras del Foro Indígena Internacional sobre Biodiversidad

Organizaciones ecologistas, de agricultores y sociales han remitido una carta a la Ministra de Medio Ambiente, Cristina Narbona, solicitando la prohibición de la tecnología Terminator.

www.freie-saat.de
“Semillas libres en vez de cultivos muertos!”
Terminatortechnologie ächten!