We uphold a high standard of human rights and demonstrate respect for the people and communities where we do business, regardless of country and culture.

Syngenta has committed, through its Code of Conduct, to be open, transparent and ethical in its business practices and to demonstrate respect for the people and communities where the company does business regardless of country or culture. Upholding the human rights of those people in organizations we partner with in addition to our own employees and communities is a fundamental obligation.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1948, remains the global standard for protecting human rights and human dignity worldwide. It is primarily applicable to governments, but Syngenta is committed to supporting the Universal Declarations principles in all the activities for which the company is responsible.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Article 1 All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Article 2 Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status...

Article 26 Everyone has the right to education...

Child labor
Over the past year, the issue of child labor has been given particular prominence. Child labor in some parts of the world is part of a broader socioeconomic problem of poverty, low opportunity, education and employment, particularly in rural areas.

For example, child labor in hybrid cotton seed production in the Andhra Pradesh region of India has been highlighted as an issue in the last two years. In recent years, Syngenta has been producing seed in the area through contracts with seed organizers who work with local farmers to grow the seed. Our contracts with seed producers clearly forbid use of child labor and state that it will result in termination of the contract. This message is reiterated on the bags of parent seed we distribute to the contractors and growers, where it is stated that child labor must not be used.

Syngentas concern about child labor and the steps initiated during the last two years have had a very positive impact at ground level Dr Davuluri Venkateswarlu, researcher into child labor in India

Nevertheless, last year claims emerged that child labor was being used in the production of cotton seed in the Andhra Pradesh region, including producers contracted by Syngenta.

Child labor as defined by the International Labor Organization (ILO) conventions ratified by more than 120 countries is: work by children under the age of 12; work by children under the age of 15 that prevents school attendance; and work by children under the age of 18 that is hazardous to the physical or mental health of the child. Conditions vary widely from country to country but in the case of hybrid cottonseed production, the claims centered on young children and in particular on young girls.

As Syngenta takes the issue of child labor very seriously, we responded by taking action at a number of levels to help the families and children concerned. At a local level, Syngenta worked with hybrid cottonseed production contractors in the area to reach agreement on the need to combat the use of child labor. We made every effort to see that our contract production was placed with small farmers who plant less than half a hectare and rely on family labor, thus avoiding the hardships experienced by children working for employers on larger farms.

We have made a commitment to ensuring that our hybrid cottonseed production is free of child labor by 2005. We have reviewed our production chain and made sure that our contractors are fully on board. We back this up by conducting random spot checks of all farms where our seeds are produced.

Syngenta has demonstrated real leadership by becoming the first company in its field to apply to become a Participating Company in the Fair Labor Association (FLA). In so doing it joins a select group of companies who have partnered with NGOs and universities to promote international labor standards throughout their supply chains. They do this by conducting their own internal monitoring of suppliers and correcting any non-compliance issues identified. The FLA then conducts independent external monitoring of a sample of suppliers in order to attest publicly to the integrity of the participating companies compliance programs. Such high levels of compliance can only be achieved by integrating corporate social responsibility into their business model and the FLA looks forward to working with Syngenta to pioneer this methodology in the seeds business. Auret van Heerden President and CEO, Fair Labor Association www.fairlabor.org The FLA was established as an independent monitoring system to advance fair, decent and humane working conditions. The FLA groups companies, human rights advocates and NGOs, and publishes its monitoring and verification on its website.

Working with NGOs
At the industry level, Syngenta initiated a move to draw in other top seed companies for a joint effort with the MV Foundation the leading Indian non-governmental organization (NGO) working on child labor after a meeting with the Foundation in June last year. An industrywide task force has now been established. At Syngentas request, the Association of Seed Industry in India adopted a code of conduct committing the seed industry to avoid child labor in their facilities and in seed production by contractors. The Association is also promoting local educational efforts against child labor.

Syngenta is working with a number of groups in India to develop practical solutions to this problem and to support their efforts to bring education to the children in the area. For 2004, Syngenta will fund a transitional education project in Andhra Pradesh in collaboration with NGOs and the MV Foundation bringing children back from the fields and into the classroom.