Side Event

National Biosafety Legislations and Cartagena Biosafety Protocol: How far we are from convergence?

Organizer
Research and Information System for Developing Countries and International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development

Date and Time
14 May 2008 13:15 - 14:45

Meeting
Fourth meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (BS COP MOP 4)

Products derived from modern biotechnology, especially in agriculture, are subject to growing international oversight, both technology-based and product-based. Over recent years at the international level, several new instruments have been elaborated that directly or indirectly address biosafety, while existing institutions and regimes have also turned their attention to the development of specific standards on GMOs or their derived products. The result is a complex framework of relevant international rules and standards, most of which are still evolving. This clearly has had an important bearing on the development of national approaches to the regulation of modern biotechnology. Recent reviews of country experiences in developing regulation have highlighted a wide range of challenges. Predominant amongst these are: developing and implementing adequate risk assessment and risk management procedures and resources; developing standards and criteria for making approval decisions; differentiating between high- and low-risk organisms; taking sufficient account of local conditions and needs. There are also issues related to A clear definition of “socio-economic considerations” and explicit criteria to determine when socioeconomic assessments are required, and the identification of the stages at which socio-economic assessments should take place. They can be taken into account in at least three different phases of biosafety decision-making: (1) during the development of a domestic biosafety regulatory regime; (2) during the risk management for a particular GM crop; and (3); during the appeal, review, or renewal of a permit for import or commercialisation. The panel would look into some of these intricate issues in an in-depth and interactive discussion session.