For around fifty years, the civil society organisation Public Eye (formerly Berne Declaration) has offered a critical analysis of the impact that Switzerland, and its companies, has on poorer countries. Through research, advocacy and campaigning, Public Eye also demands the respect of human rights throughout the world. With a strong support of some 25,000 members, Public Eye focuses on global justice.
In the field of plant variety protection and patents on seeds, the organisation is active since over ten years with advocacy work. At the national level, the organisation was the main representative of the civil society (incl. farmer organizations) in the debate and parliamentarian hearings about the reform of our plant variety protection act and the patent law. Furthermore a representative of Public Eye is a member of the Swiss national FAO Committee (CNS-FAO), an advisory body to the Swiss Government on topics related to food security and FAO. At the international level, the organisation was always a member of the Swiss Delegation to the Governing of the FAO Plant Treaty. The organisation is an active founding member of the coalition “No patents on seeds” a network of civil society and farmers' organizations working on issues related to IP and seeds. The organisation has published articles and papers on issues like PVP, UPOV, Patents on seeds, the FAO plant treaty.