Biosafety Clearing-House & Biosafety Protocol - Latest News

Ghana - Ghana approves multi-location trials of Bt. Cotton (Bollgard II)

2013-05-22T11:57:10Z

The Ghana National Biosafety Committee (NBC) has approved multi-location trials of Bt. Cotton (Bollgard II) at six (6) locations in the Northern Region of the country. This bring to four (4) the number of permits granted by the Ghana NBC for the trial of GM crops in the country.

Mongolia ratified the Nagoya - Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocol on Liability and Redress on 21 May 2013.

2013-05-22T00:00:00Z

Luxembourg ratified the Nagoya - Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocol on Liability and Redress on 14 May 2013.

2013-05-21T00:00:00Z

Guatemala - Taller de Inducción "Participación de las Autoridades Nacionales Competentes y Usuarios Nacionales Competentes en el Mecanismo BCH/CIISB"

2013-05-15T22:12:22Z

Un total de casi 20 representantes de instituciones atendieron la invitación para participar en un taller de inducción para fortalecimiento del manejo de la información sobre bioseguridad y organismos vivos modificados en el contexto de Guatemala.

The Youth Guide to Biodiversity (1st edition), including a biosafety and agriculture part, is now available (page 122-123)

2013-04-05T00:00:00Z

57th, 58th and 59th edition of the Quarterly Report on the Administration of the Convention on Biological Diversity (April to June 2012) (July to December 2012) is now available.

2013-04-04T00:00:00Z

Communiqué: European Union approves Nagoya - Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocol on Liability and Redress

2013-03-27T00:00:00Z

Libya - The Libyan national training workshop for effective participation in the Biosafety clearing-house

2013-03-21T13:14:04Z

The Environment General Authority (EGA)held “The national training workshop for effective participation in the Biosafety clearing-house” in Tripoli during the period from 18-21 March 2012, with the participation of 11 specialists from the relevant authorities. The workshop was facilitated by Dr Ossama Abdelkawy the UNEP- DELC Regional Advisor, on different topics related to the Biosafety Clearing House mechanism.

The workshop is part of the activities of the second phase of the Biosafety clearing-house project, which is implemented by Tripoli through EGA and in collaboration with UNEP-DELC

Statement by Mr. Braulio F. de Souza Dias, CBD Executive Secretary, to the Capacity Building Workshops for African Nationals Regarding (i) Nagoya Protocol on Access & Benefit Sharing and Traditional Knowledge; and (ii) Nagoya-Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocol on Liability & Redress to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, 11 - 13 February 2013, Bangalore, India

2013-03-04T00:00:00Z

Ground-breaking international collaboration guides the development of South Africa’s biodiversity information systems

2013-02-28T10:08:30Z

As a commitment to contribute towards the objectives of the Consortium of Scientific Partners on Biodiversity, the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) recently hosted an international workshop on building an innovative biodiversity information architecture for South Africa, one that can also be applied in other African countries.

Report of the Africa Regional Capacity-building Workshop on Public Awareness, Education and Participation concerning the Safe Transfer, Handling and Use of Living Modified Organisms

2013-02-26T00:00:00Z

Guatemala - Se realizó un Primer Taller de Inducción sobre Organismos vivos modificados (OVMs) y su regulación en Guatemala

2013-02-22T14:55:31Z

Tras completar con éxito el Proyecto BCH-II, el CONAP impartió el 5 de febrero de 2012 un taller de inducción sobre fundamentos de los OVMs y la regulación de la seguridad de la biotecnología, adaptado para el personal de distintos departamentos relacionados a los OVMs y la seguridad de la biotecnología. Los contenidos permitieron formar a tomadores de decisiones técnicos y legales de distinto nivel, en el conocimiento de los aspectos sustantivos a manejar en la evaluación de solicitudes de aprobación de OVMs y asuntos afines.

Afghanistan acceded the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity on 20 February 2013 and will become the 166th Party to the Protocol on 21 May 2013.

2013-02-21T00:00:00Z

Lebanon deposited its instrument of accession to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity on 6 February 2013 and will become the 165th Party to the Protocol on 7 May 2013.

2013-02-13T00:00:00Z

Albania acceded the Nagoya - Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocol on Liability and Redress on 29 January 2013.

2013-01-30T00:00:00Z

Syrian Arab Republic - ورشة عمل تدريبية حول غرفة السلامة الأحيائية دمشق -سورية 20-24 يناير 2013

2013-01-23T13:19:52Z

ورشة عمل تدريبية حول مشروع غرفة السلامة الأحيائية ضمن نشاطات مشروع تفعيل غرفة السلامة الأحيائية المرحلة الثانية BCH II يشارك في الورشة التي تستمر لمدة خمسة أيام متدربون من الوزارات والهيئات ذات الصلة وهي ( وزارة الدولة لشؤون البيئة – وزارة الزراعة و الإصلاح الزراعي- وزارة الصحة- هيئة الطاقة الذرية- هيئة التقانات الحيوية – وزارة الاقتصاد والتجارة الخارجية).

Ireland ratified the Nagoya - Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocol on Liability and Redress on 14 January 2013.

2013-01-23T00:00:00Z

56th edition of the Quarterly Report on the Administration of the Convention on Biological Diversity (January to March 2012)

2013-01-15T00:00:00Z

Philippines - PH welcomes Bhutan regulators: NCBP to assist in biosafety capacity building

2012-11-28T13:55:57Z

The Philippine Department of Science and Technology (DOST), through the National Committee on Biosafety of the Philippines (NCBP) welcomes regulators from the Bhutan Agriculture and Food Regulatory Authority (BAFRA) for their study tour on Philippine biosafety regulations, as well as its implementation of the Biosafety Clearing-House (BCH).

The visit to the Philippine Biosafety Clearing-House (BCH Pilipinas) is scheduled on December 3-5, 2012 in order to observe and enhance BAFRA's knowledge and learn from the Philippines' experience in setting-up, administering, and sustaining the operations of the country's web-based national information sharing system. The BCH Pilipinas is established in compliance with Article 20 of the Protocol to serve as a one-stop shop of all biosafety-related information available in the country. It includes among others, the national focal points, Competent National Authorities involved in GM regulations, national laws, regulations governing GMOs, risk assessments and country decisions on GMOs, capacity-building initiatives, and national reports.

The visit will focus on activities in lined to strengthen BAFRA’s institutional and technical capacity to better respond to the requirements of the Biosafety Protocol. The BCH Pilipinas shall facilitate the said activity.

The BCH Pilipinas will also facilitate the visit to the country’s existing structures like the GM Detection Laboratory of the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI); the database of the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD); and, the projects handled by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) on transgenic rice and GM jatropha by the Institute of Plant Breeding (IPB) in the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB).

This effort is directed towards ensuring compliance with the provisions of the Biosafety Protocol.

Report of the 6th Meeting of the COP-MOP

2012-11-26T00:00:00Z

Ghana - Ghana Approves Confined Field Trials of Living Modified Organisms.

2012-11-20T14:59:19Z

Ghana has approved three applications for Confined Field Trials of Living Modified Organisms. The applications were submitted by two institutions of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). The approvals were granted on Friday November 16, 2012 following reviews by a Technical Advisory Committee established by the NBC.

Côte d'Ivoire - National workshop of restitution of the trainers training on biotechnology and biosafety

2012-11-13T15:55:53Z

The Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, in collaboration with the Commission of the UEMOA, organized a national workshop of restitution of the trainers training on the biotechnology and biosafety in Abidjan.
This workshop aims to increasing competences of the national institutions in charge of the biosafety.

Philippines - BCH News

2012-11-10T15:02:10Z

The Biotechnology Public Information Unit of the Department of Agriculture in collaboration with the Fisheries and Agriculture Information Services of the DA conducted a Seminar in Agricultural Biotechnology for information Officers of the Department on 8-10 November 2012 in Punta Villa Resort, Iloilo City. The Seminar is a build-up activity in Celebration of the 2012 National Biotechnology Week.

The Seminar intends to create awareness among the Information Officers of the Bureaus and Agencies under the Department of Agriculture nationwide on the application of Modern Biotechnology in the areas of agriculture, livestock and fisheries. The Seminar presented the increasing global adoption of biotechnology crops and its impact on global security, discussed the on-going initiatives carried out by public research institutions in the development of Bt eggplant, Golden Rice which are under the regulatory oversight of the Bureau of Plant Industry. Discussions were also focused on the marker assisted initiatives in the area of fisheries and animal biotechnology particularly, in water buffalo. Domestic regulations on agricultural crops were also presented as well as communicating the experiences, challenges and key messages required in communicating biotechnology and biosafety to the public.

The domestic regulatory fraework on GM crops was presented along with the Biosafety Clearing House ( BCH), the web-based information platform established in support to the countrys policy on public accountability and transparency. In response to the query for source of reliable information, the partticipants were directed to access the Biosafety Clearing House for information about biotechnology and biosafety, specifically the risk assessment and decisions taken by countries to the Protocol, the training modules and educational materials which can be used as reference and popularizing the BCH and the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety.

The BCH and its features will again be presented to various stakeholders during the week-long celebration of the National Biotechnology Week on 26-30 November 2012.

Julieta Fe L. Estacio
Project Development Officer IV
Department of Science and Technology
And National Focal Point, BCH Pilipinas

Benin - Atelier National de Restitution des Formations sur les OGM et la Biosécurité Cotonou du 29 octobre au 02 novembre 2012

2012-11-01T19:37:15Z

Dans le cadre de la mise en oeuvre du plan de renforcement des capacités du Programme Régional de Biosécurité de l'UEMOA (PRB-UEMOA), dix cadres béninois ont bénéficié de formations sur les OGM et la biosécurité.
Ceux une fois formés, ont l'obligation de restituer les formations reçues. Ainsi, sur le plan national, les parties prenantes se voient leurs capacités également renforcées dans les différentes thématiques.

Cuba - IX Convención Internacional sobre Medio Ambiente y Desarrollo - 1er Coloquio de Regulación y Control Ambiental en las esferas de Seguridad Biológica, Química, Nuclear y Medio Ambiente

2012-10-31T18:43:21Z

Del 8 al 12 de julio del 2013 tendrá lugar la IX Convención Internacional sobre Medio Ambiente y Desarrollo en el Palacio de las Convenciones de La Habana, Cuba. Dentro de esta Convención, sesionará al mismo tiempo el 1er Coloquio de Regulación y Control Ambiental en las esferas de Seguridad Biológica, Química, Nuclear y Medio Ambiente.

Los detalles en el documento adjunto

Togo - Atelier national de restitution des formations sur la biosécurité dans le cadre du Programme Régional de Biosécurité de l'UEMOA (PRB-UEMOA)

2012-10-31T14:00:49Z

Du 22 au 26 octobre 2012, s'est tenu dans la salle de conférence de FOPADESC à Agoényivé (Togo), un atelier de restitution des formations sur la biosécurité dispensées par l'UEMOA. Organisateurs : le Ministère de l’Environnement et des Ressources Forestières du Togo en collaboration avec la Commission de l'UEMOA / Programme Régional de Biosécurité de l'UEMOA (PRB-UEMOA). Objectif : renforcer les capacités des acteurs nationaux pour une mise en œuvre efficiente du Protocole de Cartagena sur la prévention des risques biotechnologiques. Une cinquantaine de participants issus de toutes les couches sociales, notamment les régulateurs, les représentants des services techniques de l’administration publique directement concernés par les questions de biosécurité, les chercheurs scientifiques, les parlementaires, la société civile et le secteur privé ont pris part à l'atelier.

The photo gallery for the COP-MOP 6 is now available

2012-10-12T00:00:00Z

10th Issue of the Biosafety Protocol News is now available entitled: The role of media in promoting biosafety awareness

2012-10-12T00:00:00Z

Communiqué: Hyderabad, 27 September 2012 - Some 2000 delegates from more than 150 countries will convene this coming Monday in Hyderabad, India, for the sixth meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (COP MOP 6).

2012-10-03T00:00:00Z

Press Release: The sixth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (or COP-MOP 6) opened yesterday at the International Convention Centre in Hyderabad, India.

2012-10-03T00:00:00Z

The sixth meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties (COP-MOP 6) to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety opens in Hyderabad, India.

2012-10-03T00:00:00Z

Statement by Mr. Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, CBD Executive Secretary, on the occasion of the Opening Session of the Sixth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties Serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, Hyderabad, India, 1 October 2012

2012-10-01T00:00:00Z

The live webcast is now available

2012-10-01T00:00:00Z

Senegal - Atelier de validation du manuel régional des procédures et approches méthologiques d'évaluation et de gestion des risques liés aux organismes génétiquement modifiés dans l'espace UEMOA (22 au 24 septembre 2012 à Dakar; Sénégal)

2012-09-29T09:03:47Z

Les travaux de l'atelier (organisé par le Programme Régional de Biosécurité de l'UEMOA)ont consisté à l’examen du rapport provisoire de l'étude sur l'état des lieux de la biosécurité dans l'espace UEMOA et du projet de manuel de procédures d’évaluation et de gestions des risques par les participants provenant des huit pays de l'UEMOA et de représentants de l'UICN, de la CEDEAO, du ROPPA et de la COPAGEN. Les deux documents élaborés par le CORAF ont fait l'objet d'un examen par le Comité régional de biosécurité (du 19 au 22 septemebre à Dakar)

Training Workshop for BCH National Focal Points on Biosafety Clearing-House at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC) in Hyderabad, India 28 - 29 September, 2012

2012-09-29T06:31:01Z

The United Nations Environment Programme, Division of Environmental Law and Conventions (UNEP-DELC), in collaboration with the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (SCBD) has conducted a two-day Training Workshop for BCH National Focal Points (NFPs) on Biosafety Clearing-House (BCH). The workshop took place at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC) in Hyderabad, India, 28 - 29 September at the margins of the sixth meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (COP/MOP-6).

Saint Lucia - Fourth workshop on Biosafety Clearing House

2012-09-27T15:25:46Z

A fourth workshop on the Biosafety Clearing House was conducted in Saint Lucia, for one day, on Tuesday the 25th September 2012. It was targeted at selected staff from the newly minted Ministry of Sustainable Development, Energy, Science and Technology as a public awareness exercise. This new ministry is now responsible for biosafety and biodiversity issues on the island.

Peru - Tercer Taller del Proyecto BCH II

2012-09-26T15:22:37Z

Profesionales comunicadores e investigadores de la Capital y distintas Regiones (Huanuco, Junin, Lambayeque, Piura, Cajamarca, Loreto, San Martìn, Ucayali y Lima) del país se capacitan en el conocimiento y gestión del Centro de Intercambio de Información sobre Seguridad de la Biotecnología. El evento es organizado por el Ministerio del Ambiente y se realiza el 25 y 26 de setiembre de 2012.

Panama - Se realiza evento Taller de cierre del Proyecto PNUMA-GEF BCH-II Panamá "Aumento Continuado de la creación de capacidad para una participación efectiva en el Centro de Intercambio de Información sobre Seguridad de la Biotecnología"

2012-09-24T20:54:07Z

Durante los días 18, 19 y 20 se septiembre 2012 se desarrolló en el Hotel Holiday Inn, Ciudad del Saber, en Ciudad de Panamá el evento Taller de Cierre del Proyecto PNUMA-GEF “Aumento Continuado de la Creación de Capacidad para una Participación Efectiva en el Centro de Intercambio de Información sobre Seguridad de la Biotecnología” ejecutado en Panamá por la Autoridad Nacional del Ambiente (ANAM). Este taller estuvo dirigido a los representantes de las Autoridades Nacionales Competentes en Biotecnología y Bioseguridad, que incluyen al Ministerio de Desarrollo Agropecuario, Ministerio de Comercio e Industrias, Autoridad Panameña de Seguridad de Alimentos, Autoridad de Recursos Acuáticos de Panamá, al Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, la Secretaría Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología, y la Autoridad Nacional del Ambiente.

The calendar for the fair on national experiences with the national implementation of the Biosafety Protocol during MOP 6 is now available.

2012-09-21T00:00:00Z

الورشة الأولى الوطنية لغرفة تبادل المعلومات

2012-09-20T08:13:50Z

تم عقد الورشة الأولى لغرفة تبادل المعلومات
في صنعاء- اليمن ابتداء من يوم السبت 15/9/2012 والتي سوف تستمر الى يوم السبت الموافق 23/9/2012 وكان عدد المشاركين 23 شخصا من جهات حكومية مختلفة ..حيث كانت الورشة ناجحةبسبب جهود الأدارة المنسقة