Topic: Regulating Genetically Modified Organisms and "Designer Food"
Country: Guatemala
Delegate Name: Kara VanAllen
School: Mattawan High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Guatemala position papers GLIMUN 2014 committees
Guatemala understands the FAO's definition of a GMO as "genetically modified organisms as those having been 'transformed by the insertion of one or more [engineered genes].’" In agreement with the FAO about past regulations of Genetically Modified Organisms and with recognition to some supporters of GMO’s, Guatemala stands against the continuation of Genetically Modified Organisms in our country and strongly supports the discontinuation of GMO’s in other states. In a recent victory, ”The Constitutional Court (CC), the highest legal body of Guatemala, provisionally suspended the entry into force of the controversial "Monsanto Law" from the United States which would legalize property rights over plant varieties in Guatemala” Our three top exports being food crops and supporting our economy, Guatemala rejects the use of GMO’s on its exports and urges other countries to join with to stop the unfair laws and regulations larger countries are trying to force upon smaller states. Due to it’s small state stature, many of Guatemalan farms are run by local families and not by global chemical or food supply corporations. These corporations are trying to take control of small farms and create a food monopoly staring with patenting crops. Guatemala is in the 2005 fair-trade agreement between Central America, the Dominican Republic and the United Staes (US-DR-CAFTA) focusing on coffee and other major exports from Guatemala. Through this agreement, we want to see the ban of GMO’s between these countries including private companies trying to patent food crops.
Guatemala is looking forward to collaborating with other countries on this controversial and important topic of Regulating Genetically Modified Organisms and "Designer Food".
