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

An open letter from civil society organizations to the Member States of the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV), urging the adoption of clear, objective, and public guidelines for civil society participation and access to information ahead of the Thirty-Ninth Ordinary Session of the UPOV Council on October 27, 2005.

• The authors argue that UPOV lacks clear and objective guidelines for public participation and access to information, which undermines the credibility and effectiveness of the organization. They specifically request that UPOV ensure guidelines are "clear, objective, and publicly available", open activities to "the observation and appropriate participation of civil society", and make official documents available via the Internet in a "timely manner".
• Plant variety protection systems significantly impact sustainable development, particularly in developing countries where agriculture is a primary source of food, employment, and finance. Key concerns include the effect of protection on "seed prices", the preservation of "farmers’ traditional practices of saving, exchanging and planting seeds", the support of public research institutions, and the development of varieties suited to local conditions.
• Current UPOV governance is criticized for a lack of balance in observer status. While the seed industry is represented by groups like the International Seed Federation (ISF) and European Seed Association (ESA), and some farmers' associations like COPA and IFAP are observers, other groups have been excluded. Specifically, the Koordinationsstelle Agragallianz (KAA) and the Arbeitsgemeinschaft bäuerliche Landwirtschaft were denied observer status, leading to a lack of involvement from "user groups and organizations" and small farmers from developing countries.
• The letter highlights that other international bodies, such as the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), have already implemented more inclusive frameworks. WIPO, for example, lists criteria for permanent observer status on its website, allows ad hoc observership, and permits civil society to organize side events and distribute documents.
• UPOV is currently engaged in activities that the authors believe require broader stakeholder input to ensure equity and validity, including drafting notes on "farm-saved seed", discussing "access to genetic resources and benefit-sharing", analyzing the TRIPS Agreement's Article 27.3(b), and discussing "plant biotechnology".

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} }