World to become "bio safe" from September 11
11 August 2003 | News
Thanks
to the power and reach of the televison, print and internet-based media systems,
most of the world's population will remember the date September 11 because of
the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York on that day in 2001
which killed over 3,000 people. Come September 11, 2003, two years after that
event, the world may have that date to remember for another important happening.
It will be the day when the first international treaty that will regulate the
transboundary movement of all genetically modified organisms.
The journey to make the world safe from accidental release of Living Modified Organisms (LMOs) began on January 29, 2000. It has taken the first step to become a reality on June 13, 2003, when a representative of the tiny island republic of Palau deposited a ratified copy of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety with the United Nations. As per the provisions of the convention, the treaty will come into effect on September 11, exactly 90 days after the 50th member country ratified the protocol. While India has ratified the Protocol, countries like the US, UK and Japan have yet to do so.
The contours of the treaty was evident when the countries that were party to the UN's Convention on Biological Diversity adopted a supplementary agreement to the Convention known as the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety on January 29, 2000.
The Protocol sought to protect biological diversity from potential risks that may be posed by LMOs resulting from modern biotechnology.
The full name of the Protocol is the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity. Cartagena is city in Colombia where the Protocol was originally scheduled to be concluded and adopted in February 1999. However, due to a number of outstanding issues, the Protocol was finalized and adopted a year later on 29 January 2000 in Montreal, Canada.
The Protocol has established an Advance Informed Agreement (AIA) procedure for ensuring that countries are provided with prior written notification and information necessary to make informed decisions before agreeing to the first import of LMOs that are to be intentionally introduced into the environment.
| What happens to LMOs from September 11
A number of provisions of the Protocol will take effect from September 11, 2003:These are:
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| What are LMO
products?
LMOs form the basis of a range of products and agricultural commodities. Processed products containing dead modified organisms or non-living GMO components include certain vaccines; drugs; food additives; and many processed, canned and preserved foods. They can also include corn and soybean derivatives used in many foods and nonfoods, cornstarch used for cardboard and adhesives, fuel ethanol for gasoline, vitamins, vaccines and pharmaceuticals, and yeast-based foods such as beer and bread.
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The Protocol makes reference to the precautionary approach contained in Principle 15 of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development.
The Protocol also establishes a Biosafety Clearing-House(BCH) to facilitate the exchange of information and experiences on LMOs and to assist countries in the implementation of the Protocol.
The Protocol was adopted by more than 130 countries on 29 January 2000 in Montreal, Canada. During the time it was open for signature, from May 15, 2000 to June 4, 2001, it received 103 signatures.
The Protocol aims to contribute to the safe transfer, handling and use of LMOs that may have adverse effects on the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, taking also into account risks to human health and specifically focusing on transboundary movements.
Experts said from September 11, it will become legally binding in the international legal system and in the legal systems of countries that have given consent to be bound by it; and henceforth member countries must comply with, and implement, all the provisions of the Protocol.
The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety is the only international instrument that deals exclusively with LMOs. Two other international environment related agreements such as the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) and the Codex Alimentarius Commission covers various safety aspects of LMOs along with several other issues.
The Protocol deals with transboundary movement of LMOs that may have adverse effects on biodiversity, taking also into account human health. It does not, however, cover non-living products derived from LMOs, such as cooking oil from Genetically Modified (GM) corn or ketchup from GM tomatoes.
N Suresh
| Biosafety conscious countries
Africa Botswana, Cameroon, Djibouti, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Mali, Mauritius, Mozambique, Tanzania, Tunisia and Uganda. Asia & Pacific Bhutan, Fiji, India, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Oman, Palau and Samoa. Central and Eastern Europe Belarus, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Republic of Moldova, Slovenia and Ukraine. Latin America & Caribbean Barbados, Bolivia, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela. Western Europe and Others Group Austria, Denmark, the European Community, France, Luxembourg, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and The Netherlands.
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| An interesting footnote: The first and the 50th states to ratify the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety are small island developing states: the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago was the first state to ratify the Protocol (1 August 1996). The Republic of Palau became the 50th State to ratify the Protocol on June 13 2003 |
