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THE United States Agency for
International Development (USAID) has awarded the Program for
Biosafety Systems (PBS) $14.8 million to assist developing countries
to enhance biosafety policy, research and capacity.
PBS will be run by a consortium of professionals and institutions
with an unmatched level of knowledge in the biosafety programme
and policy development in poor countries. The programme will work
initially with Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, the Philippines and
East and West Africa, and is likely to later expand to other countries
and regions.
“Modern biotechnology has significant potential for improving
agriculture in developing countries, but any nation wishing to
benefit from biotechnology needs a functional biosafety system,”
said Dr. Joel Cohen, project manager of New Technologies for Agricultural
Research at the International Service for National Agricultural
Research (ISNAR) in the Netherlands, who leads the consortium.
“Through this project, we hope to assist our partners in
determining how to best create such a system, making sound decisions
based on scientific evidence.”
The programme’s unique approach addresses biosafety as part
of a sustainable development strategy, anchored by agriculture-led
economic growth, trade, and environment objectives.
It will assist national governments in studying the policies and
procedures necessary to evaluate and manage the potential harmful
effects of modern biotechnology on the environment and human health.
Among the consortium’s goals are to improve regional cooperation
on issues related to genetically modified organisms and expand
management skills in the area of biosafety, to assist governments
in making science-based decisions about the effects on biodiversity
of introducing genetically engineered organisms into the environment.
The consortium also seeks to build collaboration between agricultural
research and environmental conservation communities in the US
and developing countries, as well as assist partner countries
in regulating and safely conducting experimental field trials.
“Building biosafety systems are a key to helping countries
make effective decisions about biotechnology, decisions that span
development strategies across economic, environmental, trade,
and social sectors,” said Emmy Simmons, assistant administrator
of USAID, which administers the US foreign assistance programme
providing economic and humanitarian assistance in more than 80
countries worldwide.
For participating countries and regions, the group looks to build
a firm foundation for policy development and biosafety decision-making
in the future. The programme, which will last for five years,
began in May, with collaborators from all levels gathering for
a participatory planning meeting in July.
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