Side Event

Building Capacity for Biotechnology and Biosafety

Organizer
United Nations University-Institute of Advanced Studies

Date and Time
13 March 2006 13:15 - 15:0

Meeting
Third meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (BS COP MOP 3)

Six years on from the adoption of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, numerous activities have been implemented by international, bilateral and private donors to build capacity to assist developing countries implement Protocol obligations. How effective have these activities been and what are the central challenges that remain? What relationship do they bear to activities to build capacity in biotechnology more generally? This event will begin with an examination of the main trends in international assistance for capacity building in biosafety and biotechnology, with reference to observations made by the UNU-IAS Assessment on Ongoing Efforts to Build Capacity in Biosafety and Biotechnology, and the internal evaluations of various capacity building activities. A roundtable discussion will then present an opportunity for representatives of donor organisations, governments and NGOs to present their perspectives on the central challenges that remain in building capacity for developing countries to implement the Protocol.