| The workshop was organized
by the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council from July
11-15, 2004. It was participated in by a total of 51 stakeholders
including resource persons and policy workers. Majority of
the participants were researchers from various government
research and academic institutions and the rest were from
several private companies engaged in seed and biotechnology
activities.
Bangladesh being a developing agricultural country needs
agriculture production technologies that are sufficient enough
to meet the future challenges of feeding its rapidly growing
population. Modern biotechnologies have been envisioned as
one of those technologies which can immensely contribute to
food security and national food sufficiency. However, Biotechnology
R and D in Bangladesh is at its embryonic stage with activities
mainly focused on the development, standardization and use
of in-vitro culture and micro-organism (tissue culture) of
different crops such as cereals, vegetables and other horticultural
crops.
With regards to Biosafety framework Bangladesh is a party
to CBD, CPB, IIPGR and TRIPS and has drafted developed the
Biosafety Guidelines. Several inter-agency committees and
task force have been created to deal with biosafety issues
in relation to GMOs and other products of modern biotechnologies.
The workshop was conducted with the objective of creating
awareness among the different stakeholders especially regulatory
authorities regarding science-based risk assessment and risk
management measures of GMOs. With this goal the workshop was
expected to enable the participants to understand the necessity
of biosafety in handling, transporting, packaging and identification
of GMOs or LMOs (Living modified organisms) including LMO-FFPs;
have clear understanding of the procedure of risk assessment,
risk management and the procedure of releasing GMOs into the
environment; give the participants the capability of designing
legal frameworks in the development of national biosafety
frameworks (NBF) and acquire capacities in implementing biosafety
guidelines, laws and related international obligations such
as the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on
Biological Diversity (CBD).
As mentioned, the workshop was able to tackle all the issues
programmed for the 4 day activities. Both the local and international
resource persons were able to deliver what are expected of
them to attain the objectives of the workshop and come up
with the needed output. In the workshop, the following issues
were taken and discussed thoroughly:
- Biotechnology and its relationship with Biosafety;
- Biosafety measures at laboratory, green house and field
levels;
- Potential risks assessment of GMOs at laboratory, greenhouse
and at field level;
- Managing risk assessment of GMOs at laboratory, greenhouse
and field levels;
- Facilities and capacity needs in handling GMOs and in
implementing biosafety requirements;
- Step by step procedures for evaluation of GMOs as biotechnological
products/commodities
- Biotechnology, intellectual property rights/requirements
of TRIPS, breeder’s rights, etc.;
- national needs and international obligation related to
biosafety, CBD, CPB, TRIPS, etc.;
- Exercises on different issues of biotechnology/biosafety
;
- Public awareness on GMOs.
The training workshop was able to attain its objectives.
The participants were given insights on all the topics listed
above. However, it was found during the workshop that there
is an urgent need of closer collaboration among government
agencies serving as CBD National Focal Point and the competent
national authorities responsible and dealing with the implementation
of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Cartagena
Protocol on Biosfety. The workshop, other than having fulfilled
its objectives, has served as an excellent venue, as an ‘initial’
and ‘first’ contact among most participants representing
most, if not all, stakeholders as far as the CBD and the CPB
are concerned.
In spite of having human resources and adequate competence
in the country, Bangladesh is still relatively far from being
able to attain an adequate and full capacity in the development
of agricultural modern biotechnology especially on the biosafety
of GM crops. The country needs further, adequate and long-term
assistance from external assisting agencies in order to fulfill
the country’s basic obligations and to build a strong
infrastructure and technological foundation to cope within
the development and biosafety of GM crops and other GM related
matters and issues
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