FOREWORD
It gives me great pleasure to launch this edition of the UNEP International Technical Guidelines for Safety in Biotechnology, adopted by the Global Consultation of Government-designated Experts, hosted by the Government of Egypt in Cairo from 11 to 14 December 1995.
It is gratifying to note that the consensus-building process which resulted in the success of the Global Consultation involved a wide spectrum of stakeholders, all of whom took the opportunity to translate their vision of safety in biotechnology into the spirit and flesh of the Guidelines.
The public and the private sectors (including the biotechnology industry), the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, relevant United Nations bodies, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, among others, all participated and played their part in the development of these Guidelines (at national, subregional and/or global levels).
More importantly, the consultations were undertaken in full cognizance of, and in total harmony with, the work of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity and its various bodies in their efforts to develop a protocol on biosafety. In this regard, great significance attaches to decision II/5 of the second meeting of the Conference of the Parties, held in Jakarta from 6-17 November 1995, which states that, during the development of a protocol on biosafety, internationally agreed guidelines on biosafety - such as the UNEP Guidelines (still in draft form at that time) - may serve as an interim mechanism in various substantive ways. They could facilitate the development of national capacities to assess and manage biotechnology risks, the establishment of adequate information systems; and the development of human resources and relevant expertise pertinent to issues of biosafety at the national and regional levels. The second meeting of the Conference of the Parties further noted in its decision II/5 that the UNEP Guidelines, without prejudice to the development of a protocol, could be used to complement it after its conclusion.
To UNEP, the linkage between the application of the Guidelines and the capacity-building that is essential for their implementation is both obvious and inevitable. Indeed, it is vital and urgent for countries and regions to acquire the various relevant capacities to implement the Guidelines. Neither these Guidelines nor the biosafety protocol currently under development, nor any future international agreement on biosafety will in or of themselves ensure safety in biotechnology development, research and application. Consequently, the national and regional capacity-building programmes that are necessary for the effective implementation of these Guidelines should be formulated and given adequate technical and financial support on a priority basis. Founded on sound scientific principles, their implementation needs to be undertaken with technical competence, logical consistency and judicious urgency.
UNEP has formulated such a programme as part of its 1996-1997 programme of work. It incorporates components and proposals for funding by, among others, the Global Environment Facility (GEF), through which developing countries and countries with economies in transition will receive the technical and financial support to develop and/or strengthen their national biosafety frameworks which will permit the effective implementation of these Guidelines and any future international agreement on biosafety within a harmonized regional and global context.
The development of the national biosafety frameworks called for in the Guidelines will entail technical and financial support to Governments and relevant in-country or regional entities. Such support is essential in order to:
There will, additionally, be need for a thorough, in-depth assessment of the status of safety in biotechnology worldwide. It would encompass the identification of emerging issues and new developments in biosafety and biotechnology and the assessment of existing guidelines, agreements and legislation, as well as related human, institutional and infrastructural capacities. Such a global biosafety assessment exercise would also attempt to provide a realistic scenario of the availability of the financial resources that would need to be mobilized and/or invested to achieve safety in biotechnology research, development and applications, as envisaged within the framework of the Guidelines (or future international agreement on biosafety).
In effecting the foregoing activities to assist in the enormous work at hand or ahead of us in the quest for safe development and application of biotechnology products covered by the Guidelines, strong partnerships are required and envisaged between UNEP, relevant United Nations bodies (such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Commission on Sustainable Development) and the various key players in the biotechnology and biosafety arenas at national, regional and international levels, both individuals as well as organizations and institutions (e.g. the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Instituto Interamericano de Cooperacion para la Agricultura (IICA), the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN), the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology and the Stockholm Environment Institute's Biotechnology Advisory Commission (BAC)). The agenda includes the preparation of sector-specific manuals on pertinent biosafety issues and themes; fostering North-South cooperation and collaborative ventures; mobilizing bilateral/ multilateral support and its timely disbursement; and staging national/ regional training workshops, seminars, symposia, etc. to facilitate the practical implementation of the Guidelines by all parties concerned.
I would like to reiterate here that, in executing the above tasks at all levels, we need to adopt a participatory approach, embracing the widest possible spectrum of stakeholders from among the scientific and general community at large, as well as the public and private sectors. Pertinent views and issues (including gender-related issues) should be duly taken into account, building through this process a consensus that incorporates and reflects the involvement, concerns and aspirations of the whole populace.
I hereby wish to present and commend the Guidelines to you all.
Elizabeth Dowdeswell
Executive Director
United Nations Environment Programme