Madam Chair, I thank you for this rare opportunity for allowing small scale farmers to be heard in this international body. I am Gilbert Manlapig, a farmer cultivating 1.5 hectares of rice in North Cotabato in Mindanao, Philippines. This opportunity is an honor I will greatly treasure but I hope our concerns will be taken seriously.

I represent the Community Biodioversity Development and Conservation Program (CBDC) and the Biodiversity Use and Conservation in Asia Program (BUCAP). These are two regional programs on community based plant genetic resources conservation, development and use implemented in Bhutan, Lao PDR, Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines in partnership with non-government organizations, extension agencies and research institutions.

We strongly urge SBSTAA to STOP prolonging the discussion on Genetic Use Restriction Technologies (GURTs) and decide to TOTALLY BAN this new technology. As small scale farmers, we do not see any benefits from this. This new technology is intended to make seeds sterile and will make us dependent on technologies of which we have no control of. It will take away our basic right t save, sell, exchange, and use seeds. I and my fellow small scale farmers in the CBDC-BUCAP program have been developing and adapting our own varieties through combined conservation, breeding, and selection techniques building from our local knowledge and skills.

Further, we would like this body to advice and urge the COP to PROHIBIT the development, field testing and commercialization of GURTs and be more supportive of the efforts and contributions of small scale farmers in the conservation and sustainable use of agriculture biodiversity and soil ecology, as well as recognizing and upholding the rights of small scale farmers.

We have gone through so much, with the tragedy of the tsunami which will entail years of soil and agricultural rehabilitation work. The last thing we need is another threat to our farming system. Allow us to live!

SAVE OUR LIVES, SAVE OUR SEEDS!

THANK YOU VERY MUCH MADAM CHAIR.