Online discussion 2015 - Discussion Groups

Question 1: In previous discussions on socio-economic considerations under the Protocol, a number of international agreements have been identified as possibly being relevant to the issue (see list below). Are there any other agreements, including regional agreements, that could be relevant in this context? How might the agreements listed below and the obligations they contain be relevant to Parties taking socio-economic considerations into account in their decision-making on LMOs pursuant to Article 26 of the Protocol?

Note: A number of previous discussions have addressed the issue of which international agreements and obligations might be relevant to socio-economic considerations. This discussion is aimed at building on those previous exercises by focusing on the specific aspects of the agreements that could be relevant.

• Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
• International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC)
• The General Agreements on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)
• The Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS)
• The Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT)
• International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA)
• Agreement on Trade- Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS)
• UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
• International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR)
• Indigenous and Tribal Populations Convention (ILO Convention No. 169)

This Forum is closed.

Thread		Replies	Last Post
	Opening of discussions on question 1	41	2015-04-06 13:10 Paola Scarone

Question 2: What are some concrete examples, besides the intrinsic value, of the value of biological diversity to indigenous and local communities? How are they linked to possible socio economic effects of LMOs? How can an effect, if any, be assessed?

Note: Art. 26 of the Protocol refers specifically to indigenous and local communities. Therefore it is important to identify and discuss possible effects on these communities with special emphasis on the value of biological diversity to them. In previous discussions, (Online discussion of March-April 2013, Question 3: How could the value of biological diversity to indigenous and local communities be measured or determined), the focus was on possibilities for measuring such effects. However, at COP-MOP 7 there was a strong feeling that more work is needed on the identification of links between possible socio economic effects and the value of biodiversity to indigenous and local communities (see decision BS-VII/13).

This Forum is closed.

Thread		Replies	Last Post
	Opening of discussions on question 2	29	2015-04-13 13:28 Paola Scarone
	RE: Opening of discussions on question 2	0	2015-04-10 15:54 Marco Antonio Caballero Garcia
	RE: Opening of discussions on question 2[#6643]	0	2015-04-10 15:48 Belisario Dominguez Mendez

Question 3: What are possible environment-related aspects of socio economic considerations that could arise from the use of LMOs, and which would be relevant in the context Article 26 of the Protocol? How can they be distinguished from those covered in other processes under the Protocol, e.g. risk assessment and risk management?

Note: The use of LMOs may have environment-related aspects with a direct link to social or economic issues. The aim of this session is to identify such aspects and to discuss the possibility to include them in an assessment framework under Art 26 of the Protocol.

This Forum is closed.

Thread		Replies	Last Post
	Opening of discussions of question 3	49	2015-04-20 13:09 Paola Scarone
	Opening of third theme of the Online forum of Socio-economic considerations	3	2015-04-17 19:33 Lidia Miranda de Lima
	An structural approach	0	2015-04-13 13:41 Ben David Durham

Question 4: Is there any relationship between risk assessment and the assessment of possible socio-economic effects? Are there any concrete examples of links between those assessment areas?

Note: The risk assessment process in accordance with Article 15 of the Protocol is intended to evaluate all possible adverse effects of LMOs on the likely potential receiving environment. However, some environment-related aspects of socio-economic considerations may not be fully or adequately addressed during an environmental risk assessment. This section of the discussion is aimed at collecting different views on this issue and the arguments substantiating those.

This Forum is closed.

Thread		Replies	Last Post
	Opening of discussions of question 4	24	2015-04-27 12:59 Paola Scarone

Question 5: Are there any possible human health-related issues with relevance for socio economic considerations? Are they already dealt with under food safety assessments or the provisions of Articles 15 and 16 (Risk assessment and risk management) of the Protocol? Are there any situations when they could they be dealt with under Art 26 of the Protocol?

Note: Possible effects of LMOs on human health are typically dealt with under food safety assessments. Articles 15 and 16 of the Protocol also allow for taking into account risks to human health. However, some human health-related aspects of socio-economic considerations may not be fully or adequately addressed during food safety assessments. These might be human health related aspects with a direct link to social or economic issues. The aim of this session is to identify such aspects, if there are any, and to discuss their relationship with socio-economic considerations.

This Forum is closed.

Thread		Replies	Last Post
	Opening of discussions on question 5	34	2015-05-04 13:50 Paola Scarone

Open discussion

Participants are invited to add any other comments or suggestions that may be relevant to the discussions held over the last weeks or that may assist the AHTEG in its work on: (i) the further development of conceptual clarity on socio-economic considerations arising from the impact of living modified organisms on the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, and (ii) developing an outline for guidance with a view to making progress towards achieving operational objective 1.7 of the Strategic Plan and its outcomes.

This Forum is closed.

Thread		Replies	Last Post
	Open discussion	21	2015-05-07 13:47 Paola Scarone