Ecologists stress need for follow up

THE SIGNING of the Uruguay round of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) has prompted environmentalists to call for follow-up action, fearing inadequacies of the pact's provisions in the environmental field.

Executive director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Elizabeth Dowdeswell has called the Uruguay round an initial step towards the "greening of trade policies". Though optimistic about subsidies for environmental technologies and recognition of the environmental services sector, Dowdeswell says, "We need to ensure that trade is conducted in ways that sustainably manage natural resources." She stressed the need for "particular attention" to the concerns of developing countries and said, "UNEP will be working hard to ensure that issues not addressed in this round, will be included in the follow-up."

However, non-governmental organisations claim the green achievement of the Uruguay round has left many loopholes. The World Wide Fund for Nature criticises it for failing to ensure environmental safeguards in the proposed Multilateral Trade Organization, which will have the power to override national laws on environmental protection and safety standards.

The patenting of life forms has worried many people. Various governments and activist groups had pointed out that the provision for the patenting of life forms, including human genetic material, will prove disastrous. The issue was highlighted recently when a development group uncovered a patent claim by the US secretary of commerce on a cell line of Guayami Indians -- the largest group of indigenous people in Panama. The cell line is of special interest to researchers because some Guayami people carry a virus and its antibodies, which are likely to be useful in AIDS and leukemia research.

Though GATT allows for a review of the provisions on "patents on life forms", there is growing apprehension in developing countries about their impact.