Discussion Group 2

Dear Forum Participant,

Welcome to Theme 9 on "Biosafety records management systems".

We welcome you to answer the guiding questions listed below.

1. Has your country established a biosafety records management system to ease public access to biosafety information? If yes, what type of system is in place (e.g. electronic or physical filing system)?

2. In your opinion, how can governments improve collecting and actively making accessible information to the public through a records management systems?

3. Are there clearly defined policies and procedures for filing, accessing, and managing biosafety records? If yes, please provide examples.

4. What type of classification and documentation system is in place to ease access to biosafety information? For example, are metadata about existing records in place?

5. How is the information/content in the records compiled and validated?

6. What system is in place to audit and archive or dispose of old records?

Best regards,

Ulrika Nilsson

9. Biosafety records management systems
Country specific.
In principal, to be system functional, one main authority needs to be charged by responsibility. If different corresponding data systems exist, those must be interconnected.

In Niger republic, we experienced two main authorities charged to collect data and information related to biosafety and biodiversity.The national BCH Focal Point ensures the link with the Secretariat of the Cartagena Protocol and makes available biosafety information to the public.
In addition the Clearing House Mechanism ( CHM ) manager has in charge Biodiversity data collection through all the country.In this context many natural resources conservation papers have been published with the possibility of public feed-back.
Best regards
Dr Gado

1. My country established a system of recording and management in order to make easy the access to information on the biosafety.  It is about the electronic system through the national BCH, Website, and the physical system with the resource centre of the Ministry of the Environment. 

2. The government can improve the system of collection and recording to make available information to the public while making functional BCH national and by carrying out the documentary ones on the LMO which one will be able to pass on the governmental chain and private. 

3. The policies and procedures for the recording and the information management on the biosafety are those defined in article 20 of the Protocol of Cartagena. 

4. The system of classification and documentation set up is the national BCH, and the Resource centre of the Ministry of the Environment with the availability of information in electronic version and hardware.

5. The electronic information put on the BCH is validated either by the National Focal Point of the BCH after the national validation, acts  taken by the government and laws by  the National Assembly. 

6. The body which is skill in auditor the files and the old disks is the National Committee of biosafety. 

KAKPO Comlan Marcel
Benin NFP of PCB and BCH

Posted on behalf of Mr. Mahaman Gado Zaki, Niger:

The ministry of Environment of Niger set up a system of classification and documentation of natural resources and particularly biosafety database .This system will be improved soon by making functional national BCH portal and at regional level the UEMOA BCH  central portal. This regional BCH include 8 countries from west Africa : Benin , Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinée Bissau ,Mali, Niger , Sénégal and Togo.It is a  priority activity in the implementation of the biosafety regional program.
Best regards
Dr Gado

1. Has your country established a biosafety records management system to ease public access to biosafety information? If yes, what type of system is in place (e.g. electronic or physical filing system)?

The Philippines has a number of websites where one can access information about biosafety and modern biotechnology. The National Committee on Biosafety of the Philippines is maintaining the following websites which contains information on the country’s law and regulations on contained use of GMOs as well as planned release of GMOs since 1992:  http://www.ncbp.dost.gov.ph; dost-bc.dost.gov.ph. The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) is hosting and  maintaining the 24/7 operations of the BCH Pilipinas, the BCH Central Portal counterpart,where  one can find relevant laws and regulations on biosafety regulations, contact details of the Competent National Authorities, and most importantly, country decisions and Risk Assessment on GMOs approved for direct use . All other applications for commercialization of GMOs and use for food, feed and processing can be found in the http://www.da.gov.ph website.  We are continuously updating the BCH to include recent decisions on direct use as well as decisions on field testing of GMOs  in compliance with the COPMOP5 decision in 2010. Other websites includes  http://www.bic.searca.org; http://www.dabiotechnet.net.

Aside from electronic type of record, the NCBP and the regulatory agencies involved in biosafety regulations, i.e. DOST, DA-Bureau of Plant Industry,  maintain a physical filing sytem of applications and other pertinent documents related to the applications as well as other records related to biosafety regulations.

2. In your opinion, how can governments improve collecting and actively making accessible information to the public through a records management systems?

   By making sure that the websites operate on a 24/7 basis and data/information is regularly   uploaded/updated and publicizing the websites in other related government agencies’ websites.

3. Are there clearly defined policies and procedures for filing, accessing, and managing biosafety records? If yes, please provide examples.

4. All the Competent National Authorities (CNAs) maintain a physical filing system of all records, applications, records of deliberations, permits issued and conditions and these are filed on a per application basis. With regard the BCH record, based on the agreed procedure crafted by the BCH Task Force, documents from the CNA’s will have to be validated first at the agency level, then endorsed by the Head of office to the BCH Task Force, members of which are the technical staff of the CNA’s, for approval. Once approved, the information is referred to the BCH Focal Point for validation and eventual uploading in the BCH Central Portal. All the country information/decisions at the BCH Central portal is mirrored in the BCH Pilipinas website: http://www.bch.dost.gov.ph by means of Ajax-plug-in.
All records/documents in the physical filing system is scanned. Records/documents  are properly disposed in accordance with the Governments’ law on record disposal and only after ascertaining that the said records have been scanned, copies of which are the possession of the Committee Secretariat.

Have a fruitful discussions and regards to all.

1. Has your country established a biosafety records management system to ease public access to biosafety information? If yes, what type of system is in place (e.g. electronic or physical filing system)?
        Yes, it has. An electronic filing system of the National Coordination Biosafety Centre is in place and it is available and accessible for public easily. 

2. In your opinion, how can governments improve collecting and actively making accessible information to the public in through records management systems?
        Our electronic filing system works very well. Government can improve collecting biosafety information by emphasizing the importance of submitting biosafety information to the National Coordination Biosafety Centre by each physical and legal entity involved in biosafety activities.

3. Are there clearly defined policies and procedures for filing, accessing, and managing biosafety records? If yes, please provide examples.
        Yes, there are. Policy and all procedures for filing, accessing and managing biosafety records are clearly defined in the following laws: “On Information, Informatization and Information Protection” of November 10, 2008, No.455-З, “On Safety in Genetic Engineering Activities” of January 9, 2006, No.96-З and in the Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus of September 15, 2006, No. 1222 “On Approval of the Regulation of the Procedure and Terms of Submitting Information from the Information Databank on Genetically Engineered Organisms”.

4. What type of classification and documentation system is in place to ease access to biosafety information? For example, are metadata about existing records in place?
        All records are easily accessible. The website map helps to reach any type of information.

5. How is the information/content in the records compiled and validated?
      Article 6 “The Right To Information Access” of the law “On Information, Informatization and Information Protection” says the following:
        "State agencies, individuals and legal entities shall be entitled to retrieve, receipt, transfer, collection, processing, accumulation, storage, distribution, and (or) use of information in accordance with this Law and other legislative acts of the Republic of Belarus.
        State bodies, public associations, officials are required to provide the citizens of the Republic of Belarus with an opportunity to familiarize with the information (as well as biosafety information) that affects their rights and legitimate interests in the manner prescribed by this Law and other legislative regulations of the Republic of Belarus.
        Citizens of the Republic of Belarus shall be guaranteed the right to receive, store and disseminate complete, reliable and timely information about the activities of state bodies, public associations, on political, economic, cultural and international life, the environment in the manner prescribed by this Law and other legislative regulations of the Republic of Belarus.
        The right to information cannot be used for popularization of war or extremist activities, and commitment of other illegal acts.”
        In accordance with Article 8  “Implementation of State Regulation and Control of Information, Informatization and Information Protection” of the same law, state regulation and control of information, informatization and information protection are carried out by the President of the Republic of Belarus, Council of Ministers, the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, Operations and Analysis Center under the President of the Republic of Belarus, Ministry of Communications and Informatization of the Republic of Belarus, other state bodies within their competence.
         Information/content in the records is compiled and validated by webmaster and specialists of the National Coordination Biosafety Centre.  

6. What system is in place to audit and archive or dispose of old records?
        All records are in place and still actual. We will keep archived records on CDs or portable hard drive in future.

BCH NFP Elena Makeyeva, Belarus

Posted on behalf of Ms. Mahlet Teshome Kebebe, African Union: 

In order to ensure sustainability electronic records albeit a challenge to many developing countries is considered best. All stakeholder government institutions (those that could be consulted in the decision making procedure) should have the records available of the particular type of LMO. The records should be treated with confidentiality of course and only the National Competent Authority (where the final decision lies) should have access to edit information contained in the system.

Posted on behalf of Ms. Pélagie Solote, Benin:

(Translations provided by the SCBD)

I am from Benin and as you know my country is still under moratorium, the second one, to better understand the outlines of the introduction of GMOs in our continent. We are actually in the position of a “yes”, a position interpreted differently by other countries but that do not prevent us from arranging outreach sessions among the various layers of our societies on the GMO issues. There is qualified and well-known researchers on these issues of biosafety in my country as journalists, lawyers and others who provide daily effort to inform and educate others about the ins and outs of the products, on how to prepare for and how to handle  GMOs (OGM) with the aim to ensure human and animals well-being. My country has a biosafety focal point who works hard every day on the issue.