www.czu.cz ; www.usab-tm.ro ; www.raupp.info

This is about the new Public Sector Initiative, read the introduction:

Countries and organisations throughout the world have invested considerably
in public sector research, and are continuing to do, so in order to develop
biotechnological applications that meet a variety of crucial needs such as
strengthening the sustainable production of food, feed and fibre, addressing
water shortage, and improving health care and environmental protection. The
extent to which modern biotechnology will be able to achieve these goals
will depend to a large extent on the regulatory regimes that apply to
biotechnology and on the way in which they are implemented. These national
regulations in turn are strongly influenced by international agreements,
particularly the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. This Protocol was
negotiated between 1995 and 2000, adopted in January 2000, and came into
force in September 2003. The first Meeting of the Parties (MOP1) took place
in February 2004 in Kuala Lumpur and MOP2 is scheduled for May - June 2005.

A central aim of the negotiations was to involve all stakeholders. Records
of the negotiations show that NGOs and the private sector were indeed well
represented. HOWEVER, THE PUBLIC RESEARCH SECTOR INVOLVED IN DEVELOPING
BIOTECHNOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS, WHICH INCLUDES OVER A HUNDRED THOUSAND
RESEARCHERS OF THOUSANDS GOVERNMENTAL, ACADEMIC AND INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH
INSTITUTIONS IN DEVELOPING AND DEVELOPED COUNTRIES, WAS NOT REPRESENTED IN
ANY SIGNIFICANT OR ORGANISED WAY DURING THE NEGOTIATIONS OR DURING MOP1.


As a result, the public research sector has been not able to provide
scientific input for the benefit of the negotiations nor to express its
views about the effectiveness and workability of the provisions of the
Protocol. Another consequence of the absence of the public research sector
during the negotiations is the persistence of the misconception that modern
biotechnology, and in particular its agricultural application, is the
exclusive domain of a handful of big, western multinationals. The initiative
described below proposes to offer a forum for the public research sector to
be involved in the forthcoming Meetings of the Parties to the Cartagena
Protocol on Biosafety in May 2005 and related meetings.

This is why Piet van der Meer and Willy de Greef have launched the
initiative, with a kickoff meeting at the Danforth Institue in St. Louis,
hosted by Roger Beachy.
The programme:
[www.botanischergarten.ch]-
4.pdf


The outline of the initiative:
[www.botanischergarten.ch]-
outline2005-01-07.pdf


and a pertinent article in Nature Biotechnology from Joel Cohen:
[www.botanischergarten.ch]

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