Biosafety and its socio-technical controversies as a learning process.

Abstract

11 September 2008 will mark the fifth anniversary of the entry into force of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. Decisions of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety demand actions from relevant organizations to stress the need for citizen's participation in environmental issues and for access to information on the environment held by public authorities. As the issue of biosafety should now be discussed as risk which is evolving from risk analysis to risk management and risk communication, we need to develop a Biosafety Culture, meaning not only to develop the capacity to access the information but to gain enough knowledge to use this information with the regard of free option. Throughout this kind of culture it is possible to define a national identity and thus, to be in safe.