| Back to the discussion |
| Poor patents |
| Options in food production |
| Rights and choices |
| Capacity building |
 |
Louk Box*
On behalf of the Netherlands' Commission on Biotechnology and Food Safety: a warm Thank You to all who helped making the Southern Voices Debate into a success. Thank You for having been candid: for having shared thoughts on the issues which were presented. Thank You for having contributed insights and shown the complexity of the issues we are discussing. Thank You also for having continued to exchange views, especially the 60 odd participants to the Second Round.
In this Round the Debate maintained the interest of at least 525 registered participants, which is quite a bit for one room to hold. Of these, some 60 participants engaged actively in the Debate, and about half of these activists came from the South. Having participated in quite a few debates on biotechnology these past months, I have not been in any single meeting where so many Southern participants with widely differing views, were actively involved. I have been in meetings where people came together who were largely against, and in other ones with people being in favour of introducing GMO's into the food chain; not in many meetings where Southern participants were free to take sides on different issues. That was, in my view, the principal strength of the present set-up.
A number of participants have contributed proposals for Dutch policy making. We, in the Commission, shall pay special attention to these ideas. Since the debate is public, I know that ministry officials have already taken note of some proposals. The Commission will also study them and present them to the Netherlands' Government, especially the Minister of Agriculture and the one for Development Cooperation. Our Report to the Government will appear in January and will be brief. Therefore the scope and depth of all insights and views cannot be adequately represented in it. However, a special report is being made of the Southern Voices debate, which will be made available on-line. If you would like to receive a copy, please inform the SouthernVoices Webmaster.
Remains one last Thank You, to the organisers. The Biotechnology Monitor has been a trusted source on the manifold relations between Biotechnology and Development. It did an excellent job in bringing its knowledge network into the present Debate. The European Network University showed what it has learned in managing virtual conferences like the present one. Together, they have articulated other voices to enter into the Dutch Debate: Southern Voices.
*Louk Box is member of the Commission on Biotechnology and Food Safety which sponsored this debate.