This is the summary document of an FAO e-mail conference on the regulation of GMOs. Among other things, discussions touched on the role/importance of international agreements/guidelines (such as the Cartagena Protocol or Codex Guidelines on GM food).  The aim of the document is to provide a summary of the main issues discussed during the moderated e-mail conference, based on the messages posted by the participants. For the conference, about 400 people subscribed and 93 messages were posted, half of which came from people living in developing countries. Most messages came from people working in research centres, universities, NGOs and as private consultants, with the remainder from people working in government bodies, UN agencies or farmers' organizations. The main topics discussed were:   1. Is it important for developing countries to regulate GMOs? 2. How strict should the regulatory framework be in developing countries? 3. Developing countries lack the resources and capacity to adequately regulate GMOs 4. The approach to risk assessment and risk management  5. Regulation of GM versus non-GM products  6. Centres of origin or diversity  7. Co-ordination and harmonization of GMO regulations between countries  8. Co-ordination and harmonization of GMO regulations within a country  9. Public participation/awareness and GMO regulations  10. Monitoring implementation of GMO regulations  11. GMO regulations and liability  The Executive Summary and the document can be accessed at http://www.fao.org/biotech/logs/C9/summary.htm