Transgenic Biotechnology and the Right to Work in International Human Rights with Emphasis on Rural Communities

Within the framework of the International human rights law, the right to work is the fundamental right of everyone to have permanent access to work, able to meet his/her welfare requirements. Rural communities are entitled to this right akin to urban communities. As a matter of fact, not enough attention has been paid to the members of rural communities’ right to work. The supply of transgenic crops to traditional farms within the control of biotechnological companies and their exclusive rights in this area and also the high price of transgenic crops have imposed extensive financial constraints on the poor and vulnerable farmers which may have some adverse effects on farmers’ conditions in the developing countries. Therefore, the main question is the contrast between the interests of the intellectual property rights of biotechnological companies and the farmer's right to work, security and welfare. Considering that the existing procedures could not tackle the problems at hand, the governments and companies must amend their existing practices alongside with their commitment to the fundamental principles of human rights and establish a balance between conflicting interests in national and international levels.