May 2025 FoE Malaysia Reform Call
Implement Comprehensive Reforms to Plant Treaty
Campaign Overview
Sahabat Alam Malaysia (Friends of the Earth Malaysia) led 49 civil society organizations from across Asia and globally in calling for comprehensive reforms to the Plant Treaty before expanding its scope.
This letter was sent to governments participating in the Asia Regional Group meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, addressing the ongoing discussion to amend the Multilateral System (MLS) under the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources.
View Original FoE Malaysia ArticlePrimarily from Asia Region
Key Message: "Our Seeds Are Our Rights!"
"We urgently call for comprehensive reforms to the standard material transfer agreement (SMTA) and the Plant Treaty to ensure accountability, transparency and equitable benefit-sharing, among others."
Letter to Asian Government Delegations
Sent to governments of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Lao, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines and Sri Lanka
Dear Hon'ble Ministers and Delegations,
We, the undersigned organisations, write this letter to request you to continue safeguarding our seeds and other plant genetic resources from unfair and inequitable extraction by international agencies and foreign entities.
Support for Asian Countries' Position
We strongly support the positions taken by Malaysia, Philippines, and Nepal, representing Asia region developing countries in opposing the proposals to expand the scope of the Multilateral System (MLS) from the current 64 crops to all plant genetic resources.
Current System Failures
The MLS has shared 6.6 million seeds with more than 25,000 users, yet only 5 users have made monetary contributions to the benefit sharing fund.
Proposed expansion would include all 350,000 known plant species plus thousands of new species discovered annually, without effective monitoring.
Problems with Current SMTA
- Loopholes for Food Processing: Companies can use MLS resources for beer, food products without sharing benefits
- Confidentiality Abuse: Users can hide valuable research results behind "confidentiality"
- IP Claims: Patent claims on sequence data and traits hinder further breeding
- No Monitoring: Inadequate mechanisms to track use and prevent misuse
Digital Sequence Information Concerns
The CBD has decided that countries have rights over sequence data, but the Plant Treaty and SMTA remain silent on:
- Generation and storage of sequence data
- Public sharing with anonymous access databases
- Benefit-sharing commitments for sequence users
- CGIAR centers freely sharing sequence data anonymously
Our Demands to Asian Governments
Reject Current Amendments
Reject currently proposed amendments and demand comprehensive reforms of SMTA and Treaty to ensure accountability and transparency.
Oppose Scope Expansion
Oppose expanding MLS scope to all plant genetic resources. Any addition must be based on evidence and tied to increased benefit sharing.
Ensure Effective Governance
Establish monitoring mechanisms and governance for sequence data by amending Treaty and SMTA.
Control Sequence Data
Ensure sequence data shared only through accountable databases with user registration and binding benefit-sharing commitments.
Extend Benefit Sharing
Extend monetary benefit sharing obligations to all industries from food and agriculture sector profiting from genetic resources.
Asian Regional Coordination
Target Meeting: Asia Regional Group meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (May 20-22, 2025)
Strategic Focus: Supporting the positions already taken by Malaysia, Philippines, and Nepal in international negotiations
Regional Solidarity: Building consensus among Asian developing countries to resist unfair treaty amendments
This campaign demonstrates how regional coordination can amplify developing country voices in international negotiations, with Asian CSOs supporting their governments' positions.
13 Countries
Targeted for regional coordination
49 Participating Organizations
By Country/Region
- Malaysia: 18 organizations (including SAM, TWN, CAP)
- Bangladesh: 7 organizations
- India: 8 organizations
- Indonesia: 4 organizations
- Nepal: 2 organizations
- Pakistan: 2 organizations
- Philippines: 1 organization (LRC-FoE)
- Sri Lanka: 2 organizations
- Global/Other: 5 organizations
Key Organizations
Lead Organization:
Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM)
Friends of the Earth Malaysia
Notable Regional Partners:
Third World Network (TWN)
Consumer Association of Penang (CAP)
Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center-FoE Philippines
Focus Areas:
Agriculture & Food Sovereignty
Biodiversity Conservation
Indigenous Peoples Rights
Environmental Justice
Access & Benefit Sharing
Campaign Impact & Strategy
Strategic Approach
- Targeted specific government meeting
- Supported existing government positions
- Built on previous global letter campaign
- Focused on regional Asian coordination
- Provided detailed technical analysis
Key Outcomes
- Strengthened Asian developing country positions
- Highlighted specific SMTA problems
- Exposed sequence data governance gaps
- Proposed concrete reform measures
- Demonstrated regional civil society solidarity
Connection to Current BBSM Letter Campaign
This FoE Malaysia-led campaign builds on the same concerns addressed in our current BBSM letter, showing consistent international opposition to unfair Plant Treaty amendments. The regional focus complements the global approach, demonstrating coordinated advocacy across different scales and regions.