THE PRECAUTIONARY PRINCIPLE PROJECT

ONLINE CONSULTATION

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General

From: Milu Muyanga
Affiliation: Tegemeo Institute, Egerton University (Kenya)
Remote Name: uu-195-202-86-137.uunet.co.ke
Time: 10:19:56 +0100

Comments

First, I must agree that these guidelines are a fair summary of the rigorous debate that has been going on for a while. However, from policy point of view, I must stress that when it comes to deciding the precautionary measures, we still need to clearly address the issue of who decides whether or not evidence of a threat exists. In most cases, the well-off who also have political clout are represented in decision-making forums and most decisions are bend to suit them to the disadvantage of the poor. The poor are actually not represented. This calls for behavior change (ethics) on the part of the rich (probably hard). So the point on stakeholder participation must be stressed. In a bid to change community attitudes, participatory approaches and dialogue has proved effective. Also, laws governing NR cross-cut several sectors. So, precautionary measures (policies) should be taken in an integrated manner, and not viewed in isolation from other policies, for example, on food security.