2014-10-08 | permalink

Modest progress in international regime on GMOs

A report on the outcome of the meeting of Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety

(29 September to 3 October 2014)

By Lim Li Lin (Third World Network) and Doreen Stabinsky (College of the Atlantic, USA)

After a week of sometimes rather contentious negotiations, countries finally agreed on continued work on the international regulation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

Clashes between countries that consider that GMOs require careful regulation, and those that continue to espouse the benefits of GMOs and hence minimal regulation, resulted in modest progress for the international biosafety regime.

The 7th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) serving as the Meeting of the Parties (COP-MOP7) to the United Nations Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety was held in Pyeongchang, Republic of Korea, on 29 September to 3 October. These meetings are held every two years.

The Cartagena Protocol enjoys nearly universal membership, with 168 Parties. Many of the countries that are not Parties to the Protocol are large GMO producing and exporting countries, such as the United States, Canada and Argentina. A number of developing country Parties such as Brazil and Paraguay are increasingly becoming significant producers and exporters of genetically modified soya beans. In addition, some Parties or their representatives are politically or ideologically aligned with the US and its biotechnology industry.

At this meeting, the polarized positions of countries resulted in protracted squabbling during the discussions on the two issues central to decision making on GMOs - risk assessment and risk management, and socio-economic considerations.

Under the Protocol, countries are required to conduct a risk assessment in order to take decisions on whether or not to import living modified organisms (LMOs), the term used in the Protocol. Furthermore, socio-economic considerations may be taken into account when taking decisions on LMOs. Most developing countries in particular, place great emphasis on socio-economic considerations, alongside the scientific and technical risk issues, when making decisions on LMOs.

• Biosafety Information Centre: Modest progress in international regime on GMOs
• Parties to the Protocol and signature and ratification of the Supplementary Protocol
• Meeting of the Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group on Risk Assessment and Risk Management
• CBD Releases Working Group Report on LMO Risk Assessment - Biodiversity Policy & Practice
• The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety: Online Training on Risk Assessment
• FA-Net in Japan No GMO demonstration at MOP7 2014 - YouTube