*** ICGEB BIOSAFETY NEWS - FEBRUARY 2000 *** (lists)

[Giovanni Ferraiolo <biosafe@icgeb.trieste.it>]

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   *** ICGEB BIOSAFETY NEWS - FEBRUARY 2000 ***

       http://www.icgeb.trieste.it/biosafety/
          mailto:biosafe@icgeb.trieste.it

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The International Centre for Genetic Engineering and
Biotechnology (ICGEB) would like to invite those who 
are interested to receive the Biosafety News to subscribe
at http://www.icgeb.trieste.it/biosafety/bsfmail.htm 
or to send an e-mail at the following address:
mailto:biosafe@icgeb.trieste.it . Subscription is free.

We apologizes for any inconvenience due to undesired
posting. 

This list disseminates information regarding a) the
activities of the ICGEB Biosafety Unit, b) the updating of
the ICGEB Biosafety WebPages and c) major events related to
biosafety and risk  assessment for the environmental release
of  genetically modified organisms (GMOs).  
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*** The CARTAGENA PROTOCOL ON BIOSAFETY  has been adopted on
29 January 2000 in Montreal by delegates of 133 governments
attending the resumed session of the First Extraordinary
Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (ExCOP1) to the
Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). 

   On the ICGEB Biosafety WebPages:

* ICGEB Press Release (also attached herewith below)
at http://www.icgeb.trieste.it/biosafety/bsfn0200.htm 
* ICGEB synthetic description of the Cartagena Protocol
at http://www.icgeb.trieste.it/biosafety/bsfprot.htm

   For more information:

* Text of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety on the CBD
server [coming soon] at http://www.biodiv.org 
* For information only: UNOFFICIAL TEXT of the Protocol on
the Belgian Biosafety Server 
at http://biosafety.ihe.be/Biodiv/BP/BP_TC.html
* Earth Negotiations Bulletin (Linkages) Coverage of the
meeting at http://www.iisd.ca/biodiv/excop/


*** Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety: ICGEB evaluations

PRESS RELEASE

With regards to the adoption of  the Cartagena Protocol on
Biosafety by the United Nations Convention on Biological
Diversity, the International Centre for Genetic Engineering
and Biotechnology (ICGEB) make known what follows.

ICGEB considers the adoption of the Protocol and, through
it, the prevailing of the Precautionary Approach as defined
by the Rio Declaration, an essential milestone on the road
of Sustainable Development, traced by the Agenda 21 and its
Environmental Sound Management of Biotechnology. The
Protocol, in spite of all its evident limits, represents the
outcome of five years of negotiations and indicates the
willingness of Governments to set adequate and transparent
safety procedures in order  to allow the community at large
to be able to derive maximum advantage from biotechnology.

For more than thirteen years, the Centre has been promoting
the safe use of biotechnology through advanced research and
training in biotechnology, with special regard to the needs
of the developing world. In pursuing this mandate, ICGEB has
confirmed to the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological
Diversity its availability to co-operate and assist Parties
to the Convention in the capacity building and technology
transfer process required in the implementation of the Protocol.

In fact, through its training activities and information
sharing services, ICGEB possesses a unique expertise from
the technical and scientific points of view, that meets the
requirements of the Protocol at  the international level.

For instance in its annual programme of advanced courses for
scientific training, the Centre will held in the next months
two international workshops on biosafety. One of these,
jointly organized, under the auspices of the Italian
Ministry for Environment, by ICGEB and the Instituto
Agronomico per l’Oltremare  (Overseas Agronomic Institute,
IAO) will gather from 3-8 April 2000 in Florence (Italy)
more than 50 international experts, designated by
governments or by the private sector for the evaluation of
possible risks inherent to the environmental release of
genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The workshop will
focus on case studies presented by the participants and aims
to start a world-wide forum of scientists in biosafety.

Furthermore, in the last years ICGEB has been progressively
providing its Member States with accurate scientific
information on biosafety, while a specific agreement has
been finalized with the Italian Ministry for the Environment
in order to provide  technical and scientific assistance in
relation with environmental releases of GMOs. Details on the
 activities of the Centre and scheduled workshops, together
with a description of the main characteristics of the
"Cartagena Biosafety Protocol" are available on the Centre’s
web pages at http://www.icgeb.trieste.it

Trieste, 8 February 2000

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The ICGEB Biosafety Unit apologizes for any inconvenience
due to undesired posting and thanks you for your interest in
its activities (mailto:biosafe@icgeb.trieste.it)
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The International Centre for Genetic Engineering and
Biotechnology (ICGEB) is an autonomous, international,
intergovernmental organization formed by 62 signatory
countries of which 43 are full Member States. The Centre is
dedicated to advanced research and training in molecular
biology and biotechnology. The mandate of the ICGEB is to
promote the safe use of biotechnology world-wide and with
special regard to the needs of the developing world. Further
information on the ICGEB could be found on its web pages at 
http://www.icgeb.trieste.it
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