Report of the Panel of Eminent Experts on Ethics in Food and Agriculture: Second Session, 18-20 March 2002

The independent Panel was established by FAO to advise the Organization and raise public awareness of ethical considerations associated with such vital issues as food security for present and future generations and sustainable management of the earth's limited resources. The Panel's contribution both to the work of FAO and to the broader international discussion is highly significant at a time when major developments in food and agriculture - including accelerating technological advances, changes in the resource base and evolving economic and market mechanisms - have brought to the fore a variety of ethical questions. In this second report, the Panel addresses questions related to the global emergency of hunger; the intensification of agriculture; economic globalization in food and agriculture; sharing the benefits of biotechnologies as part as the advancement of science; and participation, monitoring and accountability in decision-making regarding genetically modified organisms.