Capacity-building for integration of biosafety into national development plans, strategies and programmes

Online conference: 19 January to 6 February 2009

See also the Introduction and Objectives pages

Agenda of the conference

The conference is organised into the following four sessions which will run concurrently:

• Session 1: The scope and rationale of integrating biosafety into development plans and processes.
• Session 2: Country status, experiences and lessons learned in integrating biosafety into national development plans and processes.
• Session 3: Strategies and approaches for Integrating Biosafety into Development Planning, Financing and Implementation.
• Session 4: Measures to Strengthen National Capacities to Integrate Biosafety into Development Plans and Processes.

Session 1: The Scope and Rationale of Integrating Biosafety into Development Plans and Processes

Discussion Questions

1. What does integration of biosafety into national development plans mean in practical terms?
2. What is the linkage between biosafety, biotechnology and the national development issues and priorities that influence government policy, resource allocation and programmes for addressing poverty and the achievement of the millennium development goals and other international sustainable development goals?
3. Why is it important to integrate biosafety considerations into national development plans and implementation processes and programmes?
4. What are the key considerations that need to be taken into account during the mainstreaming process?

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Session 2: Country Status, Experiences and Lessons Learned in Integrating Biosafety into National Development Plans and Processes

Discussion Questions

1. To what extent have existing development plans and programmes, such as Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers, considered biosafety issues?
2. What experience has been gained in integrating biosafety into national development plans and programmes and what have been some of the success factors and challenges?
3. What are the main obstacles and challenges to integrating biosafety into national development plans and how have they been, or could they be, addressed?

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Session 3: Strategies and Approaches for Integrating Biosafety into Development Planning, Financing and Implementation

Discussion Questions

1. What specific tools, processes and mechanisms have been used or could be used by governments to integrate biosafety considerations into national development plans and programmes?
2. How could biosafety be integrated in the policies, procedures and programmes of development assistance agencies?
3. What additional tools could be developed to assist in designing mainstreaming interventions which are likely to be more effective and have the desired impact?
4. What indicators could be used to monitor progress and evaluate the success of mainstreaming biosafety into national development plans and processes?
5. What are some of the possible entry points for integrating biosafety into national development plans?

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Session 4: Measures to Strengthen National Capacities to Integrate Biosafety into Development Plans and Processes

Discussion Questions

1. In what specific aspects of biosafety mainstreaming is capacity-building most urgently required?
2. What roles should government officials in different departments (environment, agriculture, planning, finance, and others) play in raising the importance of biosafety issues in the national development planning process and poverty reduction efforts and how can external partners (including bilateral and multilateral institutions, non-governmental organizations and the private sector) support them in their efforts.
3. What key elements should be contained in possible generic guidance for assisting countries to integrate biosafety into their national development plans and programmes?
4. What specific activities should be taken to strengthen the capacities of countries to integrate biosafety into their national development plans and programmes and who does what and when?
5. What is the way forward?
6. What other general recommendations should be considered?

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