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FARMERS' RIGHTS

Working Group I did not spend much time discussing farmers' rights. All delegates expressed support for the recognition of the rights of indigenous people. Some suggested new approaches to compensate farmers for conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. Others stated that incentives should be given to local and indigenous communities. In addition, it was noted that: intellectual property rights may constitute a basis for fair and equitable sharing of benefits; the issue of ex situ collections and intellectual property rights should be on the agenda for the COP; the COP should initiate a study on how to implement Article 8 (j) (preservation of traditional and local knowledge) of the Convention; and the work underway in FAO should be taken into account to avoid duplication. NGOs expressed the hope to see elected representatives of indigenous peoples at the COP. Colombia reminded the Working Group of the arguments for a legally-binding protocol on this issue and Greenpeace noted several speakers' call for a study on the impact of intellectual property rights on the objective of the Convention, particularly ambiguities of Article 16 (5).

Discussions on this report were less heated and delegates wanted to modify certain phrases and add sentences to particular paragraphs but unlike the debate on ex situ genetic resources, discussions tended to be principally of a procedural and editorial nature.