Open Letter to Member States of the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV)

The letter calls on the UPOV Council to reform its observer status and information disclosure rules to ensure a more balanced representation of stakeholders, particularly small farmers and indigenous groups, in discussions on plant variety protection.

• The authors argue that UPOV's current governance lacks transparency and balance, as observer status criteria are not public and participation is skewed toward the seed industry while user groups and small farmer organizations are often excluded.
• Plant variety protection systems are identified as having significant implications for sustainable development, especially in developing countries, affecting seed prices, traditional farming practices of saving and exchanging seeds, and the viability of public agricultural research.
• The document recommends that UPOV adopt specific measures to improve inclusivity, including making rules for public participation publicly available, establishing clear criteria for permanent and ad hoc observer status, and providing timely public access to official documents via the Internet.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (2005). Open Letter to Member States of the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV). https://www.ciel.org/news/civil-society-organizations-promote-clear-and-objective-guidelines-for-adequate-access-to-information-and-public-participation-at-the-international-union-for-the-protection-of-new-varieties-of-plants/

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. Open Letter to Member States of the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV). 2005. https://www.ciel.org/news/civil-society-organizations-promote-clear-and-objective-guidelines-for-adequate-access-to-information-and-public-participation-at-the-international-union-for-the-protection-of-new-varieties-of-plants/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=Open Letter to Member States of the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) |date=1 October 2005 |url=https://www.ciel.org/news/civil-society-organizations-promote-clear-and-objective-guidelines-for-adequate-access-to-information-and-public-participation-at-the-international-union-for-the-protection-of-new-varieties-of-plants/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centerforinternationalenvironmentallaw2005open, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{Open Letter to Member States of the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV)}}, publisher = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2005}, month = oct, url = {https://www.ciel.org/news/civil-society-organizations-promote-clear-and-objective-guidelines-for-adequate-access-to-information-and-public-participation-at-the-international-union-for-the-protection-of-new-varieties-of-plants/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }