In an open letter dated 28th January 2016 addressed to UPOV Members, AFSA, a pan African platform representing small holder farmers, pastoralists, hunter/gatherers, indigenous peoples, citizens and environmentalists from Africa expressed its outraged at the deliberate exclusion of civil society and representatives of smallholder farmers from discussions leading to the adoption of a regional Protocol on PVP.
The letter gives an illustration of steps it took to engage with the ARIPO, but that the ARIPO Secretariat never bothered to make the process transparent, open or inclusive and neither did it share any information concerning the process. The letter also highlights concerns that the process for developing the regional PVP Protocol was driven by foreign entities with vested interests and not by the needs and interests of the people in the region.
The letter also asserts that UPOV and WIPO have intentionally enabled the non-fulfillment of Article 9.2(c) of the ITPGRFA and the undermining of farmers’ rights as these organizations have supported this flawed and illegitimate ARIPO process.
