ACTION
BY CHURCHES TOGETHER (ACT) POLICY ON GMOS
A matter of
ethics: ACT International adopts policy on the use of genetically
modified organisms in emergencies
(Source:
Action by Churches Together International (ACT) ACT is a global alliance
of churches and related agencies working to save lives and support
communities in emergencies worldwide. Geneva,
June 28, 2006--The
debate over genetically modified organisms, or GMOs as they are also
known, is one of the most polarising and controversial flash points
related to food supply and its impact on social, economic, cultural and
environmental welfare, often triggering passionate responses. Add
the humanitarian imperative in disaster response to the discussion, and
you end up with a double-edged sword: the non-acceptance of genetically
modified food can lead to a deepening crisis, with more deaths as a
result, but at the same time, accepting these foods can lead to changes
in agricultural practices, pollute the environment and damage local food
grain varieties. In
April this year, the global alliance Action by Churches Together (ACT)
International took a stand on the issue, adopting a policy on
genetically modified organisms to guide its members when responding to
humanitarian disasters. "As
the debate continues on the harmful effects of GMOs, the ACT alliance
could not just sit and watch from the sidelines without producing a
policy to protect our food beneficiaries in emergencies," says John
Nduna, director of ACT International. Melton
Luhanga of Churches Action in Relief and Development, a member of the
global ACT alliance, believes that it's important to have such a policy.
"It will help guide us when we carry out our relief
interventions," he says. Not
enough conclusive information
"Most
non-governmental organisations [working in Malawi] are discussing the
issue," he says. What
concerns Luhanga, however, is that there is simply not enough conclusive
information on GMOs-plants and animals that have been manipulated at the
genetic level though a special set of technologies that alter living
organisms. But he also acknowledges that blanket recommendations force
people to make difficult choices: "Could you see people dying if
there was food?" One
of the eight guidelines that lie at the heart of ACT's new policy on
food distributions and GMOs during emergency operations addresses this
troubling concern specifically. It recommends that if the distribution
of donated genetically modified food is unavoidable, in order to
alleviate a serious hunger situation if there is no other alternative
and timely solution, ACT members will make sure that everyone benefiting
from the distribution knows where the food comes from and whether the
food has been genetically modified or not. And all beneficiaries will
have the right to choose and decide if they want the food or not. Sibongile
Baker, director of ACT member Lutheran Development Service (LDS) in
Zimbabwe, says that education is crucial. "People need to know what
this about," she says, explaining that in emergencies "we have
to address people's immediate needs * hunger, in other words." "Our
experience is that when people are hungry they will eat whatever food
they can get. And if they can preserve anything [such as seeds], they
will. Without the knowledge of the long-term effects it may have,"
she says. "If the government says no to GMOs it's important for us
to be able to explain why it's a 'no.' If we do this, then people will
understand. It is our responsibility." Donna
Derr, the director of the emergency response program of U.S.-based ACT
member Church World Service, emphasises that "the 'right to know'
is a critical aspect of the food aid debate." "All
those involved-food donors, organisations distributing food and
recipients of food aid-must have full access to information that allows
them to understand the implications of donating, distributing or
accepting GMOs," she believes. A
matter of principle
Three
principles underpin the implementation guidelines that all ACT members
will follow in the future when distributing food in emergencies. The
first is the precautionary principle. The essence of this principle is
that the burden of proof of harmlessness of a new technology, process,
activity or chemical lies with the proponent, and not with the consumer
and general public. "Of course, this is not the task of the ACT
members," says Rev. Cornelia Füllkrug-Weitzel, director of
Diakonie Emergency Aid, the ACT member based in Germany. "But it
obliges members of the ACT family to lobby their respective government
concerning appropriate legislation," she explains. The
second principle is the right to food. Everyone has a fundamental right
to be free from hunger and being undernourished. Realising this right
requires not only equitable and sustainable food systems, but also clear
entitlements such as the right to work, to land and to social security,
with the understanding that the primary responsibility for this rest
with the states. "Again,
it is imperative that ACT members advocate their governments: in the
North to provide enough finances to feed the people in emergencies; in
the South to pay enough attention to the agricultural sector in general,
to sustainable farming, and building and keeping stocks in
particular," Füllkrug-Weitzel says. The
third principle is the right to know. All people have the right to know
whether there are genetically modified ingredients in the food they buy
or the seeds they sow. This also means that they have the right to have
enough information to make responsible decisions. Rev.
Forbes Matonga, national director of the Zimbabwean NGO (and member of
the ACT alliance) Christian Care, believes that GMOs pose "a threat
to food security in developing countries, precisely because the seeds
are controlled by a few multi-nationals-the principle of a few having it
all." For
him, as a member of the faith-based community, it is crucial that
"as long as scientists are not telling us what the implications are
for mother earth, then we should not simply accept it." He
explains that although the Zimbabwean government does not allow GMOs to
enter the country in principle, it has allowed some consignments in
during emergencies, but only milled grains. ACT's
director agrees that it is a "complex issue with some of the
largest food companies in the world having an economic interest in
promoting the production of genetically modified foods because of the
huge profits they reap from selling these products." The
Lutheran World Federation's (LWF) director and country representative in
Zambia, Enos Moyo, argues that the issue of GMOs is about ethics and
biodiversity that leads to a nasty catch-22 situation. "Poor people
cannot afford to buy new seeds each season and cannot recycle hybrid
seeds, which means that every season, they are forced to buy new seeds.
But it's a difficult issue." Moyo,
who contributed to the guidelines for the policy regulating the use of
GMOs by LWF's Department for World Service (DWS) that formed the basis
for the ACT policy on the issue, describes how between 2001 and 2003 LWF
found people eating a certain kind of poisonous root that they had to
boil for at least 24 hours before they could eat it [as a result of the
drought that had the country in its grip]. Even then," he says,
"they still got diarrhoea, although it was manageable." "But
if people had a choice - GMOs or poisonous roots?" he asks,
shrugging. "There's no real answer. It's just a difficult
issue." This
is exactly why the LWF/DWS program believed it was crucial to develop
such guidelines. DWS's acting director, Rudelmar de Faria, says given
that most of the LWF/DWS programs working in emergency situations are
involved in food distribution, "we felt that it was urgent to
provide guidance to our staff on the use of GM food in emergency and
development operations, in order to ensure compliance to and coherence
with our principles for sustainable development and social
justice." Is
it safe?
Sangster
Nkhandwe, director of ACT member Church of Central Africa Presbyterian,
Synod of Livingstonia, in Malawi, sums up the one thing that drives most
people's fears. "We [just] don't know the long-term effects on
humans." LWF's
Moyo agrees. "We understand that it's safe, but this is based on
the fact that rich people in the north are eating it. But are they
eating it in large quantities. What if 100 percent of all your meals are
made of GMO-based food. What is the effect then?" Sibongile
Baker believes the scientific community should continue to research
exactly this, saying that it's hard to say a "blanket no" to
food, if the only other option is no food. "Has the medical field
done enough thorough analysis? What quantities need to be consumed to
have a long-term effect?" "We
work with humans," says Melton Luhanga. "Are all the real
facts known?" "When
dealing with commercialisation, it's sometimes difficult to find the
truth," he notes, then adds, "And the concern is, of course,
that the truth will only be known when the damage is already done."
In
Malawi, he explains, whenever and wherever possible, his organisation
has and continues to buy non-GMO commodities: maize, rice, biscuits. He
stops for a moment before asking, "But do we really know whether
the biscuits don't contain GMOs or not? We need to proactively go after
the truth in this matter," he says. It
is exactly for this reason that ACT International's director believes
that the adoption of this policy was an important step. "It's been
four years in the making-four years of discussions and deliberations,
and even though there is no conclusive evidence related to the products'
'safety' either way," Nduna says, adding that there is a belief
that GMOs can be harmful to human consumers in the long term." A
crucial point in the new ACT policy is that ACT members will in the
future follow the guideline that they will not buy any genetically
modified food with the resources administered by them, even if the food
comes from local markets (given that in ACT's procurement policy,
members of the alliance are encouraged to, wherever possible, buy as
much food aid locally, nationally, and in the region.) There is also the
understanding that ACT members will comply with the relevant national
legislation on biosafety (if it is in place), especially regarding the
use of GMOs in food aid. And in the future, all ACT members will, in the
event of having to distribute GMO crops as food aid, with no other
option, do so only if the crops are milled. "Safety
also applies to long-term food security. Genetic modification of food
often includes the elimination of its potential to be used as seed.
Because of this aspect, people remain dependent on foreign food aid in
the upcoming seasons-to the benefit of the world-wide agricultural
industry," says Füllkrug-Weitzel. A
question of ethics
"The
issue of GMOs has important ethical implications. In order to take a
stand on GMO-related issues, it is important to ask for whom and for
what purpose and - not the least - what the driving forces behind the
development are," says Karin Lexén, policy director for ACT member
Church of Sweden. For her, several questions related to this
controversial issue have not been fully answered. "Are marginalized
and poor people and their perspective in the centre of the development
and the investment? What will happen in the long-term perspective in
terms of ecological, social and economic sustainability? It is of vital
importance that poor people and countries are not pushed or forced to
accept GMOs." "While
we know that in severe situations of food crises, people will accept any
food they are given simply to survive. The policy calls for any GMO
grain given in a food emergency to be milled. This is one way of
reducing the risks that GMOs may have," says Nduna. "This
policy was long overdue and I am happy that we have it now." For
the text of the new ACT International policy on genetically modified
organisms (GMOs) in emergency operations, visit the ACT Web site at www.act-intl.org/news/dt_nr_2006/gmopolicy.html
ACT
is a global alliance of churches and related agencies working to save
lives and support communities in emergencies worldwide. The
ACT Coordinating Office is based with the World Council of Churches (WCC)
and The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in Switzerland. For
further information, please contact:
ACT Communications Officer Callie Long (mobile/cell phone +41 79 358
3171) or ACT Information Officer Stephen Padre (mobile/cell phone +41 79
681 1868) Geneva,
Switzerland
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