Links for this section: at the bottom of the page

See also 'North-South Aspects' section

The introduction of GM seeds and food products in the international markets in 1994 has coincided with the creation of the WTO and its profound impact on agriculture among other instruments through the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), as well as its very powerful Dispute Settlement Body. We are thus faced with a far-reaching double innovation in the world of agriculture: The public research and free access to plant genetic resources which largely characterized the Green Revolution has been replaced by corporate ownership of a large and increasing part of research and development and of most of the related plant genetic resources. At the same time GM crops have started to spread worldwide from their US origins. This development has triggered an important legal framework with the signature in 2001 of FAO's International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. It should be noted that these issues are particularly important for developing countries, they are discussed on the North-South Aspects page of this site.

Links

Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), Washington DC and Geneva

http://www.ciel.org/

Convention on Biological Diversity

http://www.biodiv.org

Secretariat, Organizational Chart
http://www.biodiv.org/secretariat/

	Access to Genetic Resources and Benefit-Sharing http://www.biodiv.org/programmes/socio-eco/benefit/default.asp
	Article 8(j): Traditional Knowledge, Innovations and Practices http://www.biodiv.org/programmes/socio-eco/traditional/default.asp

ETC Group, Ottawa

http://www.etcgroup.org/

Free electronic subscription

GRAIN, Barcelona

http://www.grain.org

Free electronic subscription: Seedling

International Center for Trade and Sustainable Development, Geneva

http://www.ictsd.org/

Free electronic suscriptions:

Bridges Weekly
Bridges Trade BioRes

Bridges Monthly: on the Web and in Print
Authoritative information on trade and sustainable development

L'édition française avec Enda-Tiers monde: Passerelles

http://www.ictsd.org/africodev/edition/passerelle/passarc.htm

Intellectual Property Watch, Geneva

http://www.ip-watch.org

International Environmental Law Research Center, Geneva, Nairobi and New Delhi

http://www.ielrc.org/

International Institute for Sustainable Development, Winnipeg, Ottawa, New York and Geneva

http://www.iisd.org/
http://www.iisd.ca/

Free electronic subscription:

Linkages

Environmental Negotiations Bulletin

In depth daily coverage of the major environmental

multilateral negotiations

South Centre, Geneva

http://www.southcentre.org/

Free electronic subscription

UK Agricultural Biodiversity Coalition

http://www.ukabc.org/

Unisféra, Centre International Centre, Montréal

http://www.unisfera.org/?ln=1&id_article=77

WTO

http://www.wto.org

	WTO, Trade and Environment Division http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/envir_e/envir_e.htm
	WTO analytical index: Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) http://www.wto.org/english/res_e/booksp_e/analytic_index_e/trips_e.htm