The General Assembly,
Seeking to protect subsistence farmers and small farmers from multinational corporations (MNCs) that seek to maximize their profits at the expense of these individuals, thereby depriving them of their livelihoods and their ability to ensure dignified existences for themselves and their families,
Recognizing that MNCs, through genetic engineering, have developed technologies that try to make independent farmers dependent on the companies in order to maximize profit and to gain monopoly control over the agricultural industry,
Concerned by the possibility of widespread monopolization in the agricultural industry,
Identifying genetic use restriction technology (GURT) as a genetic modification technique that could be used by MNCs as a means to achieving the aforementioned ends,
Noting that this biotechnology produces what are known as terminator seeds or suicide seeds, which are seeds intentionally modified by the MNCs so that the seeds of their progeny are virtually useless and oftentimes unable to grow,
Realizing that the intent of this technology is to make seed saving obsolete and to make it necessary for farmers to buy seeds from the MNCs year after year,
Fearing that terminator genes inadvertently could escape into the general population of food crops, thereby resulting in decreased biodiversity, increased dependence on corporations, and increased world hunger due to the large number of intentionally sterilized seeds,
Aiming, therefore, to restrict GURT in order to protect small farmers from exploitation by biotechnology companies and to prevent genetic contamination of other crops or plants,
- Defines the following terms for use in this resolution:
a. Variety genetic use restriction technology (V-GURT): a genetic modification technique that renders the seeds of a plant sterile;
b. Trait genetic use restriction technology (T-GURT): a genetic modification technique that leads to plants whose seeds are fertile; but those seeds must be treated with a special chemical (or chemicals), usually one that is produced only by a certain company, so that they will grow properly or so that the plants grown from them fully will express their genetic traits;
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Requires that all member states ban or strictly regulate V-GURT and T-GURT;
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Mandates that all companies, corporations, and other such entities that are engaged in GURT and in commerce within the jurisdiction of this Assembly disclose to the World Assembly Food and Drug Regulatory Agency (WAFDRA) all information regarding their activities related to GURT;
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Bans government funding for any for-profit entity that is engaged in GURT or research of it subject to the provisions of this resolution and other active resolutions enacted by this Assembly;
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Prohibits the transport across a national border, without preapproval from WAFDRA, of any plant or seed that has been modified using GURT subject to the provisions of this resolution and other active resolutions enacted by this Assembly; and
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Calls upon member states, in their foreign policies (especially their trade policies) and in their laws regulating the biotechnology industry, to discourage V-GURT and T-GURT in other member states and in nonmember states.