APEC countries tackles safety
of biotechnology

ELEVEN member-countries of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) will convene in Manila to discuss the regulations to ensure the safety of modern biotechnology products in a three-day conference titled “Biosafety Options for APEC Economies” to be held at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel starting January 16. The Philippines’ Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Agency for International Development oversee the conference.

Biosafety is a term used to describe efforts to reduce and eliminate the potential risks resulting from biotechnology and its products. While developed countries that are at the center of the global biotechnology industry have established domestic biosafety regimes, many developing countries are only now starting to establish their own national systems.

Director Alicia Ilaga, head of the Philippines Department of Agriculture Biotechnology Program Unit, said that in the longer term, the increased understanding and sharing of experiences will help APEC economies meet requirements of international agreements, build their biotechnology sectors, and develop rational regulatory biosafety systems. The policy discussions will also explore areas for future regional collaboration.

Government representatives of APEC member-countries including Canada, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Peru, United States, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, Australia, and Chile will participate in the said event. Among the speakers are Dr. Kym Anderson, Lead Economist in Trade Policy for the World Bank’s Development Economics Research Group; Dr. William Bowen, Principal Consultant at ITS Global; Dr. Mark Rosegrant, Division Director for the International Food Policy Research Institute; and Stephen Yarrow, Director of the Plant Biosafety Office of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

The theme of the conference reflects one of the priorities identified in the APEC High Level Policy Dialogue on Agricultural Biotechnology.  Among the APEC economies, one finds both some of the largest agricultural exporting countries who have adopted biotechnology crops, as well as agricultural importers. 

“The APEC forum represents a unique opportunity for policy dialogue and sharing of experience on the implications of biosafety on trade and investment from the perspectives of both importing and exporting APEC economies, as well as international organizations such as the World Bank,” said Director Ilaga.