Parties promise to ratify Protocol

The much awaited implementation of the Cartagena Protocol on Biological Diversity is now imminent as more countries have indicated that they will ratify it before the end of this year.
Addressing the closing session of the third meeting of the Intergovernemental Committee for the Cartagena Protocol (ICCP-3), session chairman, Ambassador Philemon Yang of Cameroon, expressed optimism that the protocol was likely to come into force by the end of this year.
Presenting the results of a survey on the status of the ratification conducted in 82 countries, Yang told delegates during the closing session that 17 countries have so far ratified, five had ratified but not yet deposited their instruments with the secretariat; 21 countries planned to ratify before the end of this year; and five planned to ratify before April 2003. The Protocol needs 50 ratifications to come into force.

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Poor nations to benefit from biotech industry plan

Biotechnology companies intend to foster the development of medicines for the world’s poorest people and ensure that developing countries benefit when local plants or remedies are used for new drugs. In exchange, they want open markets, harmonised regulations, and respect for their intellectual property rights.
“Our industry needs to formulate its first foreign policy, one which is cognizant of the miserable judgements and mistakes of other industries and avoids them,” said Carl Feldbaum, president of the Biotechnology Industry
Organisation (BIO), a corporate group.

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