Representatives and scientists from ministries of agriculture and environment from 16 countries and three international organizations participated in the “Regional Consultation on Biotechnology and Biosafety for Agriculture and Environment in the West Asia and North Africa Sub-region,” held at ICARDA, Aleppo, Syria, 8-10 September. Co-sponsored by FAO, UNEP and ICARDA, the objective of this workshop was to develop, through a participatory approach, a proposal for an integrated regional framework on biotechnology and biosafety involving major stakeholders.

Opening the workshop, Dr Mahmoud Solh, Director General of ICARDA, said that biotechnology offers the potential to deliver a new and more sustainable way of producing more food to meet the increasing demand in developing countries, but it must be nutritionally and environmentally safe. To increase the benefits from biotechnology and to reduce its negative impact, we need to rapidly evolve a clear regulatory biosafety framework through which to bring biotechnology products to the grower and consumer. Biosafety regulation is an integral part of the development of any transgenic variety, he said. Dr Solh expressed hope that the deliberations of the meeting would help develop and strengthen biosafety capacity, and promote the use of agricultural biotechnology in a manner that would pave the way for better environmental sustainability through the implementation of national biosafety frameworks.

Dr Kakoli Ghosh, representing the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), said that FAO was seeking to establish linkages between agriculture and environment to deal with the challenges of biosafety. “Biotechnology holds great promise for conservation and sustainable use of plant diversity. In this context biosafety acquires greater meaning. We would like to find a way to handle biosafety in an integrated manner to deal with needs of both agriculture and environment. Action-oriented programs and regional and national initiatives on biosafety are required to ensure that all stakeholders get the best benefit of biotechnology development,” she said.

Dr Fee Chan Chong, Manager of UNEP/GEF Projects on the Implementation of National Biosafety Frameworks, said biosafety should not be seen as an obstacle in the development of biotechnology, which can answer surmountable problems in the field of agriculture and health. Biosafety is necessary to ensure that farmers are not poorer by adopting new technologies, she said. Dr Chong added that this is the first time such a broad-based consultation, involving ministries of agriculture, ministries of environment, multi-institutional and multi-organizational representatives, is taking place.

Dr Michael Baum, ICARDA’s Biotechnologist, made a presentation on regional cooperation on biotechnology and biosafety. “ There is a need for establishing a network that allows formalized and structured cooperation between leading research institutes in the region on biotechnology and biosafety. This would also help avoid duplication of efforts and increase cooperation between research centers,” Dr Baum said.   

Some countries in the region have already implemented their national biosafety framework or are in the process of developing it.

From Egypt, Dr Taymour Nasr El-Din, Director, Agricultural Genetic Engineering Research Institute (AGERI), said that the work on developing biosafety regulations had started early in Egypt with assistance from USAID. “Egypt could contribute to the regional biosafety framework through its experience in technical aspects of handling transgenic material. We have trained staff and accumulated knowledge in this field,” he said.

Iran has also established a National Biosafety Council. “We are now focusing on sugar beet, date palm, potato, alfalfa and some other plants. The work on Bt rice is at an advanced stage and it is in the process of getting permission from the National Biosafety Council of Iran for commercial release,’’ Dr Mojtaba Khayam Nekoye, Director, Agriculture Biotechnology Research Institute of Iran (ABRI), said.

It was apparent from the presentations of country representatives that so far no transgenic crop variety has been commercialized in the participating countries. The consultation concluded by forming a follow-up committee representing all stakeholders, to develop a regional project for GEF’s consideration to enhance capacity in biotechnology and biosafety as well as to harmonize biosafety regulations across West Asia and North Africa.

The participants unanimously commended the outcome of the consultation.

For more information: Dr Michael Baum (m.baum@cgiar.org)