Bassam Al Kantar, Commissioner for International Relations and Media at the National Human Rights Commission, including the Committee for the Prevention of Torture (NHRC-CPT), participated in the consultative meeting convened by the Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Nizar Hani, at his office at the Ministry today. The meeting brought together a broad spectrum of representatives from agricultural bodies, unions, and professional associations working on the sustainability of local agricultural systems, the preservation of traditional seeds, and the promotion of their use and multiplication by farmers.

During the session, the NHRC-CPT emphasized that the amendments it submitted to the draft bill aim to shift the law from a narrow commercial regulatory framework to a comprehensive legislative framework that regulates the seed, seedling, and propagation materials sector in all its forms. This approach seeks to establish an integrated institutional framework for managing the sector, ensuring a balance between regulating the professions involved in the trade of seeds, seedlings, and propagation materials on the one hand, and protecting national genetic resources and traditional agricultural knowledge on the other.

The NHRC-CPT stressed that its proposals ensure the establishment of transparent and fair requirements for the registration of seed varieties and propagation materials, the documentation of their production, and the integrity of oversight procedures, without infringing on farmers’ rights, restricting the circulation of traditional seeds, or subjecting them to intellectual property regimes, the International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV), or the criteria of distinctness, uniformity, and stability. It explained that this approach aims to guarantee the sustainability and sovereignty of local agricultural systems, protect farmers’ rights to save, store, exchange, and multiply their local varieties, safeguard agrobiodiversity, and strengthen food sovereignty.

For his part, Minister of Agriculture Dr. Nizar Hani affirmed during the meeting the Ministry’s openness to receiving all proposals and amendments to the draft bill, pledging not to sign its referral to the Council of Ministers unless a consensus is reached among all stakeholders on the final version. He noted that the Ministry will work on preparing the final draft after receiving all comments and proposals.

Minister Hani also proposed the establishment of a national committee dedicated to the preservation and protection of traditional seeds, calling on meeting participants to nominate their representatives for membership in this committee. He pointed out that the national committees concerned with various agricultural files, which have been formed over the past eight months, have proven their effectiveness and value by bringing together diverse stakeholders and experts, enabling a plurality of perspectives, and drawing on practical experience and field expertise.

The participation of the NHRC-CPT in this meeting reflects its commitment to defending farmers’ rights, protecting national genetic resources, and supporting policies and legislation that promote sustainable agriculture and food sovereignty in Lebanon.

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