Bridging the gap between researchers and policy-makers: International collaboration through the Biosafety Clearing-House

Abstract

Most governments have developed, or are developing, national biosafety frameworks to enable them to address known and potential risks associated with the introduction of GMOs into their territories, and these regulatory systems may have a great impact on biotechnology research – not only at the stage of environmental testing, but also during laboratory studies. These national systems are in turn strongly influenced by international agreements, particularly the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (‘the Protocol’). The Protocol is a legally binding instrument that governs the international movement of living modified organisms resulting from modern biotechnology1 (broadly equivalent to GMOs), and has an impact on international trade, environmental protection, and human health. The Protocol addresses issues as diverse as welldefined procedures for exporting GMOs that will be introduced into the environment (through the ‘Advance Informed Agreement’ procedure), to measures that will impact on importing and exporting GMOs that are destined for contained use (under Article 18 on ‘Handling, Transport, Packaging and Identification’). Free-flowing dialogue between the policy-makers who set global rules for environmental biosafety protection, and the researchers that will ultimately be responsible for implementing many of these rules at a local level, is a key element in ensuring that the policies produced through the international process are scientifically sensible and practical to implement ‘on the ground’. The Biosafety Clearing-House – an information-exchange mechanism established under the Protocol – can play an important role in assisting this exchange of information. Although the Protocol focuses on addressing concerns of the potential adverse effects of living modified organisms on biological diversity, it is recognized in the text of the Protocol itself that modern biotechnology has great potential for human well-being if developed and used with adequate safety measures. Many researchers are strongly committed to developing GMOs that aim to meet pressing social and economic needs, as well as environmental protection (Cohen, 2005), and the Protocol’s parent Convention on Biological Diversity aims to promote both conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.