United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas A/RES/73/165 Article 19 1. Peasants and other people working in rural areas have the right to seeds, in accordance with article 28 of the present Declaration, including: (a) The right to the protection of traditional knowledge relevant to plant genetic resources for food and agriculture; (b) The right to equitably participate in sharing the benefits arising from the utilization of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture; (c) The right to participate in the making of decisions on matters relating to the conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture; (d) The right to save, use, exchange and sell their farm-saved seed or propagating material. 2. Peasants and other people working in rural areas have the right to maintain, control, protect and develop their own seeds and traditional knowledge. 3. States shall take measures to respect, protect and fulfil the right to seeds of peasants and other people working in rural areas. 4. States shall ensure that seeds of sufficient quality and quantity are available to peasants at the most suitable time for planting and at an affordable price. 5. States shall recognize the rights of peasants to rely either on their own seeds or on other locally available seeds of their choice and to decide on the crops and species that they wish to grow. 6. States shall take appropriate measures to support peasant seed systems and promote the use of peasant seeds and agrobiodiversity. 7. States shall take appropriate measures to ensure that agricultural research and development integrates the needs of peasants and other people working in rural areas and to ensure their active participation in the definition of priorities and the undertaking of research and development, taking into account their experience, and increase investment in research and the development of orphan crops and seeds that respond to the needs of peasants and other people working in rural areas. 8. States shall ensure that seed policies, plant variety protection and other intellectual property laws, certification schemes and seed marketing laws respect and take into account the rights, needs and realities of peasants and other people working in rural areas. Article 20 1. States shall take appropriate measures, in accordance with their relevant international obligations, to prevent the depletion and ensure the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in order to promote and protect the full enjoyment of the rights of peasants and other people working in rural areas. 2. States shall take appropriate measures to promote and protect the traditional knowledge, innovation and practices of peasants and other people working in rural areas, including traditional agrarian, pastoral, forestry, fisheries, livestock and agroecological systems relevant to the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity. 3. States shall prevent risks of violation of the rights of peasants and other people working in rural areas arising from the development, handling, transport, use, transfer or release of any living modified organisms. 14/17 18-22260