After being a signatory to the Nagoya-Kuala Lumpur supplementary protocol on biosafety, India is now preparing to ratify the protocol.
After being a signatory to the Nagoya-Kuala Lumpur supplementary protocol on biosafety, India is now preparing to ratify the protocol. So far, there are just three ratifications for the protocol though there are about 50 signatories. In fact, there are 164 parties to the Cartagena Protocol of 2000, which was followed by the Nagoya-KL supplementary protocol.
“We (Indian government) are working on ratifying the protocol. We have already shown our interest in taking it forward,” MF Farooqui, special secretary, ministry of environment and forests, said while speaking to media at the sixth meeting of the conference of the parties serving as the meeting of the parties to the Cartagena Protocol on biosafety. The conference is being held in Hyderabad from October 1-5 followed by the 11th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the convention on biological diversity (COP-11) from October 8-19.
However, he said that even in the absence of any formal ratification for allowing field trials to be conducted on several genetically modified crops in India, the local laws are currently ensuring that there is enough precaution. “We have our own laws which put in place required precautionary measures. We have been following the principle of precautionary and science-based approach,” he explained.
The focus on biosafety was taken up first during the Earth Summit in 1992 — the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development — which brought together more than 100 heads of state and government to adopt guiding principles and a blueprint towards sustainable development in the 21st century (Agenda 21).
The Earth Summit underscored the need for states to cooperate in a spirit of global partnership to conserve, protect and restore the health and integrity of the Earth’s ecosystem. In Chapter 16 of Agenda 21 on environmentally sound application of biotechnology, it also called for the creation of internationally agreed guidelines on safety in biotechnology applications.
Consequently, Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity adopted the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety in January 2000 with the objective to ensuring the safe transfer, handling and use of living modified organisms (LMOs) resulting from modern biotechnology that may have adverse effects on the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, taking also into account risks to human health. They recognised that modern biotechnology has great potential to contribute to the improvement of human well-being and sustainable development. However, they also recognised that it must be developed and used with adequate safety measures.
On the issue of slow adoption and just three governments ratifying the protocol despite having 50 signatories and 164 parties, Braulio Ferreira De Souza Dias, executive secretary of the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD), said, “Many countries are still in the early stage of implementing the administrative framework. There have also been concerns expressed by the parties. Capacity building is a major issue and lack of resources too is a challenge for many.”
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