Agenda 21 Chapter 16

ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND MANAGEMENT OF BIOTECHNOLOGY

16.1. Biotechnology is the integration of the new techniques emerging from modern biotechnology with

the well-established approaches of traditional biotechnology. Biotechnology, an emerging

knowledge-intensive field, is a set of enabling techniques for bringing about specific man-made

changes in deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), or genetic material, in plants, animals and microbial

systems, leading to useful products and technologies. By itself, biotechnology cannot resolve all the

fundamental problems of environment and development, so expectations need to be tempered by

realism. Nevertheless, it promises to make a significant contribution in enabling the development of,

for example, better health care, enhanced food security through sustainable agricultural practices,

improved supplies of potable water, more efficient industrial development processes for transforming

raw materials, support for sustainable methods of afforestation and reforestation, and detoxification

of hazardous wastes. Biotechnology also offers new opportunities for global partnerships, especially

between the countries rich in biological resources (which include genetic resources) but lacking the

expertise and investments needed to apply such resources through biotechnology and the countries

that have developed the technological expertise to transform biological resources so that they serve

the needs of sustainable development. 1/ Biotechnology can assist in the conservation of those

resources through, for example, ex situ techniques. The programme areas set out below seek to foster

internationally agreed principles to be applied to ensure the environmentally sound management of

biotechnology, to engender public trust and confidence, to promote the development of sustainable

applications of biotechnology and to establish appropriate enabling mechanisms, especially within

developing countries, through the following activities:

a. Increasing the availability of food, feed and renewable raw materials;

b. Improving human health;

c. Enhancing protection of the environment;

d. Enhancing safety and developing international mechanisms for cooperation;

e. Establishing enabling mechanisms for the development and the environmentally sound

application of biotechnology.

PROGRAMME AREAS

A. Increasing the availability of food, feed and renewable raw materials

Basis for action

16.2. To meet the growing consumption needs of the global population, the challenge is not only to

increase food supply, but also to improve food distribution significantly while simultaneously

developing more sustainable agricultural systems. Much of this increased productivity will need to

take place in developing countries. It will require the successful and environmentally safe application

of biotechnology in agriculture, in the environment and in human health care. Most of the investment

in modern biotechnology has been in the industrialized world. Significant new investments and

human resource development will be required in biotechnology, especially in the developing world.

Objectives

16.3. The following objectives are proposed, keeping in mind the need to promote the use of appropriate

safety measures based on programme area D:

a. To increase to the optimum possible extent the yield of major crops, livestock, and

aquaculture species, by using the combined resources of modern biotechnology and

conventional plant/animal/micro-organism improvement, including the more diverse use

of genetic material resources, both hybrid and original. 2/ Forest product yields should

similarly be increased, to ensure the sustainable use of forests; 3/

b. To reduce the need for volume increases of food, feed and raw materials by improving

the nutritional value (composition) of the source crops, animals and micro-organisms,

and to reduce post-harvest losses of plant and animal products;

c. To increase the use of integrated pest, disease and crop management techniques to

eliminate overdependence on agrochemicals, thereby encouraging environmentally

sustainable agricultural practices;

d. To evaluate the agricultural potential of marginal lands in comparison with other

potential uses and to develop, where appropriate, systems allowing for sustainable

productivity increases;

e. To expand the applications of biotechnology in forestry, both for increasing yields and

more efficient utilization of forest products and for improving afforestation and

reforestation techniques. Efforts should be concentrated on species and products that are

grown in and are of value particularly for developing countries;

f. To increase the efficiency of nitrogen fixation and mineral absorption by the symbiosis of

higher plants with micro-organisms;

g. To improve capabilities in basic and applied sciences and in the management of complex

interdisciplinary research projects.

Activities

(a) Management-related activities

16.4. Governments at the appropriate level, with the assistance of international and regional organizations

and with the support of non-governmental organizations, the private sector and academic and

scientific institutions, should improve both plant and animal breeding and micro-organisms through

the use of traditional and modern biotechnologies, to enhance sustainable agricultural output to

achieve food security, particularly in developing countries, with due regard to the prior identification

of desired characteristics before modification, taking into account the needs of farmers, the socioeconomic,

cultural and environmental impacts of modifications and the need to promote sustainable

social and economic development, paying particular attention to how the use of biotechnology will

impact on the maintenance of environmental integrity.

16.5. More specifically, these entities should:

a. Improve productivity, nutritional quality and shelf-life of food and animal feed products,

with efforts including work on pre- and post-harvest losses;

b. Further develop resistance to diseases and pests;

c. Develop plant cultivars tolerant and/or resistant to stress from factors such as pests and

diseases and from abiotic causes;

d. Promote the use of underutilized crops of possible future importance for human nutrition

and industrial supply of raw materials;

e. Increase the efficiency of symbiotic processes that assist sustainable agricultural

production;

f. Facilitate the conservation and safe exchange of plant, animal and microbial germ plasm

by applying risk assessment and management procedures, including improved diagnostic

techniques for detection of pests and diseases by better methods of rapid propagation;

g. Develop improved diagnostic techniques and vaccines for the prevention and spread of

diseases and for rapid assessment of toxins or infectious organisms in products for human

use or livestock feed;

h. Identify more productive strains of fast-growing trees, especially for fuel wood, and

develop rapid propagation methods to aid their wider dissemination and use;

i. Evaluate the use of various biotechnology techniques to improve the yields of fish, algal

and other aquatic species;

j. Promote sustainable agricultural output by strengthening and broadening the capacity and

scope of existing research centres to achieve the necessary critical mass through

encouragement and monitoring of research into the development of biological products

and processes of productive and environmental value that are economically and socially

feasible, while taking safety considerations into account;

k. Promote the integration of appropriate and traditional biotechnologies for the purposes of

cultivating genetically modified plants, rearing healthy animals and protecting forest

genetic resources;

l. Develop processes to increase the availability of materials derived from biotechnology

for use in food, feed and renewable raw materials production.

(b) Data and information

16.6. The following activities should be undertaken:

a. Consideration of comparative assessments of the potential of the different technologies

for food production, together with a system for assessing the possible effects of

biotechnologies on international trade in agricultural products;

b. Examination of the implications of the withdrawal of subsidies and the possible use of

other economic instruments to reflect the environmental costs associated with the

unsustainable use of agrochemicals;

c. Maintenance and development of data banks of information on environmental and health

impacts of organisms to facilitate risk assessment;

d. Acceleration of technology acquisition, transfer and adaptation by developing countries

to support national activities that promote food security.

(c) International and regional cooperation and coordination

16.7. Governments at the appropriate level, with the support of relevant international and regional

organizations, should promote the following activities in conformity with international agreements or

arrangements on biological diversity, as appropriate:

a. Cooperation on issues related to conservation of, access to and exchange of germ plasm;

rights associated with intellectual property and informal innovations, including farmers'

and breeders' rights; access to the benefits of biotechnology; and bio-safety;

b. Promotion of collaborative research programmes, especially in developing countries, to

support activities outlined in this programme area, with particular reference to

cooperation with local and indigenous people and their communities in the conservation

of biological diversity and sustainable use of biological resources, as well as the fostering

of traditional methods and knowledge of such groups in connection with these activities;

c. Acceleration of technology acquisition, transfer and adaptation by developing countries

to support national activities that promote food security, through the development of

systems for substantial and sustainable productivity increases that do not damage or

endanger local ecosystems; 4/

d. Development of appropriate safety procedures based on programme area D, taking

account of ethical considerations.

Means of implementation

(a) Financing and cost evaluation

16.8. The Conference secretariat has estimated the average total annual cost (1993-2000) of implementing

the activities of this programme to be about $5 billion, including about $50 million from the

international community on grant or concessional terms. These are indicative and order-of-magnitude

estimates only and have not been reviewed by Governments. Actual costs and financial terms,

including any that are non-concessional, will depend upon, inter alia, the specific strategies and

programmes Governments decide upon for implementation.

(b) Scientific and technological means*

(c) Human resource development

16.9. Training of competent professionals in the basic and applied sciences at all levels (including

scientific personnel, technical staff and extension workers) is one of the most essential components

of any programme of this kind. Creating awareness of the benefits and risks of biotechnology is

essential. Given the importance of good management of research resources for the successful

completion of large multidisciplinary projects, continuing programmes of formal training for

scientists should include managerial training. Training programmes should also be developed, within

the context of specific projects, to meet regional or national needs for comprehensively trained

personnel capable of using advanced technology to reduce the "brain drain" from developing to

developed countries. Emphasis should be given to

* * * *

* See paras. 16.6 and 16.7.

* * * *

encouraging collaboration between and training of scientists, extension workers and users to produce

integrated systems. Additionally, special consideration should be given to the execution of programmes for

training and exchange of knowledge on traditional biotechnologies and for training on safety procedures.

(d) Capacity-building

16.10. Institutional upgrading or other appropriate measures will be needed to build up technical,

managerial, planning and administrative capacities at the national level to support the activities in

this programme area. Such measures should be backed up by international, scientific, technical and

financial assistance adequate to facilitate technical cooperation and raise the capacities of the

developing countries. Programme area E contains further details.

B. Improving human health

Basis for action

16.11. The improvement of human health is one of the most important objectives of development. The

deterioration of environmental quality, notably air, water and soil pollution owing to toxic chemicals,

hazardous wastes, radiation and other sources, is a matter of growing concern. This degradation of

the environment resulting from inadequate or inappropriate development has a direct negative effect

on human health. Malnutrition, poverty, poor human settlements, lack of good-quality potable water

and inadequate sanitation facilities add to the problems of communicable and non-communicable

diseases. As a consequence, the health and well-being of people are exposed to increasing pressures.

Objectives

16.12. The main objective of this programme area is to contribute, through the environmentally sound

application of biotechnology to an overall health programme, to: 5/

a. Reinforce or inaugurate (as a matter of urgency) programmes to help combat major

communicable diseases;

b. Promote good general health among people of all ages;

c. Develop and improve programmes to assist in specific treatment of and protection from

major non-communicable diseases;

d. Develop and strengthen appropriate safety procedures based on programme area D,

taking account of ethical considerations;

e. Create enhanced capabilities for carrying out basic and applied research and for

managing interdisciplinary research.

Activities

(a) Management-related activities

16.13. Governments at the appropriate level, with the assistance of international and regional

organizations, academic and scientific institutions, and the pharmaceutical industry, should, taking

into account appropriate safety and ethical considerations:

a. Develop national and international programmes for identifying and targeting those

populations of the world most in need of improvement in general health and protection

from diseases;

b. Develop criteria for evaluating the effectiveness and the benefits and risks of the

proposed activities;

c. Establish and enforce screening, systematic sampling and evaluation procedures for drugs

and medical technologies, with a view to barring the use of those that are unsafe for the

purposes of experimentation; ensure that drugs and technologies relating to reproductive

health are safe and effective and take account of ethical considerations;

d. Improve, systematically sample and evaluate drinking-water quality by introducing

appropriate specific measures, including diagnosis of water-borne pathogens and

pollutants;

e. Develop and make widely available new and improved vaccines against major

communicable diseases that are efficient and safe and offer protection with a minimum

number of doses, including intensifying efforts directed at the vaccines needed to combat

common diseases of children;

f. Develop biodegradable delivery systems for vaccines that eliminate the need for present

multiple-dose schedules, facilitate better coverage of the population and reduce the costs

of immunization;

g. Develop effective biological control agents against dis ease-transmitting vectors, such as

mosquitoes and resistant variants, taking account of environmental protection

considerations;

h. Using the tools provided by modern biotechnology, develop, inter alia, improved

diagnostics, new drugs and improved treatments and delivery systems;

i. Develop the improvement and more effective utilization of medicinal plants and other

related sources;

j. Develop processes to increase the availability of materials derived from biotechnology,

for use in improving human health.

(b) Data and information

16.14. The following activities should be undertaken:

a. Research to assess the comparative social, environmental and financial costs and benefits

of different technologies for basic and reproductive health care within a framework of

universal safety and ethical considerations;

b. Development of public education programmes directed at decision makers and the

general public to encourage awareness and understanding of the relative benefits and

risks of modern biotechnology, according to ethical and cultural considerations.

(c) International and regional cooperation and coordination

16.15. Governments at the appropriate levels, with the support of relevant international and regional

organizations, should:

a. Develop and strengthen appropriate safety procedures based on programme area D,

taking account of ethical considerations;

b. Support the development of national programmes, particularly in developing countries,

for improvements in general health, especially protection from major communicable

diseases, common diseases of children and disease-transmitting factors.

Means of implementation

16.16. To achieve the above goals, the activities need to be implemented with urgency if progress

towards the control of major communicable diseases is to be achieved by the beginning of the next

century. The spread of some diseases to all regions of the world calls for global measures. For more

localized diseases, regional or national policies will be more appropriate. The achievement of goals

calls for:

a. Continuous international commitment;

b. National priorities with a defined time-frame;

c. Scientific and financial input at global and national levels.

(a) Financing and cost evaluation

16.17. The Conference secretariat has estimated the average total annual cost (1993-2000) of

implement ing the activities of this programme to be about $14 billion, including about $130 million

from the international community on grant or concessional terms. These are indicative and order-ofmagnitude

estimates only and have not been reviewed by Governments. Actual costs and financial

terms, including any that are non-concessional, will depend upon, inter alia, the specific strategies

and programmes Governments decide upon for implementation.

(b) Scientific and technological means

16.18. Well-coordinated multidisciplinary efforts involving cooperation between scientists, financial

institutions and industries will be required. At the global level, this may mean collaboration between

research institutions in different countries, with funding at the intergovernment al level, possibly

supported by similar collaboration at the national level. Research and development support will also

need to be strengthened, together with the mechanisms for providing the transfer of relevant

technology.

(c) Human resource development

16.19. Training and technology transfer is needed at the global level, with regions and countries having

access to, and participation in exchange of, information and expertise, particularly indigenous or

traditional knowledge and related biotechnology. It is essential to create or enhance endogenous

capabilities in developing countries to enable them to participate actively in the processes of

biotechnology production. The training of personnel could be undertaken at three levels:

a. That of scientists required for basic and product-oriented research;

b. That of health personnel (to be trained in the safe use of new products) and of science

managers required for complex intermultidisciplinary research;

c. That of tertiary-level technical workers required for delivery in the field.

(d) Capacity-building*

C. Enhancing protection of the environment

Basis for action

16.20. Environmental protection is an integral component of sustainable development. The environment

is threatened in all its biotic and abiotic components: animals, plants, microbes and ecosystems

comprising biological diversity; water, soil and air, which form the physical components of habitats

and ecosystems; and all the interactions between the components of biodiversity and their sustaining

habitats and ecosystems. With the continued increase in the use of chemicals, energy and nonrenewable

resources by an

* * * *

* See programme area E.

* * * *

expanding global population, associated environmental problems will also increase. Despite increasing

efforts to prevent waste accumulation and to promote recycling, the amount of environmental damage

caused by overconsumption, the quantities of waste generated and the degree of unsustainable land use

appear likely to continue growing.

16.21. The need for a diverse genetic pool of plant, animal and microbial germ plasm for sustainable

development is well established. Biotechnology is one of many tools that can play an important role

in supporting the rehabilitation of degraded ecosystems and landscapes. This may be done through

the development of new techniques for reforestation and afforestation, germ plasm conservation, and

cultivation of new plant varieties. Biotechnology can also contribute to the study of the effects

exerted on the remaining organisms and on ot her organisms by organisms introduced into

ecosystems.

Objectives

16.22. The aim of this programme is to prevent, halt and reverse environmental degradation through the

appropriate use of biotechnology in conjunction with other technologies, while supporting safety

procedures as an integral component of the programme. Specific objectives include the inauguration

as soon as possible of specific programmes with specific targets:

a. To adopt production processes making optimal use of natural resources, by recycling

biomass, recovering energy and minimizing waste generation; 6/

b. To promote the use of biotechnologies, with emphasis on bio-remediation of land and

water, waste treatment, soil conservation, reforestation, afforestation and land

rehabilitation; 7/ 8/

c. To apply biotechnologies and their products to protect environmental integrity with a

view to long-term ecological security.

Activities

(a) Management-related activities

16.23. Governments at the appropriate level, with the support of relevant international and regional

organizations, the private sector, non-governmental organizations and academic and scientific

institutions, should:

a. Develop environmentally sound alternatives and improvements for environmentally

damaging production processes;

b. Develop applications to minimize the requirement for unsustainable synthetic chemical

input and to maximize the use of environmentally appropriate products, including natural

products (see programme area A);

c. Develop processes to reduce waste generation, treat waste before disposal and make use

of biodegradable materials;

d. Develop processes to recover energy and provide renewable energy sources, animal feed

and raw materials from recycling organic waste and biomass;

e. Develop processes to remove pollutants from the environment, including accidental oil

spills, where conventional techniques are not available or are expensive, inefficient or

inadequate;

f. Develop processes to increase the availability of planting materials, particularly

indigenous varieties, for use in afforestation and reforestation and to improve sustainable

yields from forests;

g. Develop applications to increase the availability of stress-tolerant planting material for

land rehabilitation and soil conservation;

h. Promote the use of integrated pest management bas ed on the judicious use of bio-control

agents;

i. Promote the appropriate use of bio-fertilizers within national fertilizer programmes;

j. Promote the use of biotechnologies relevant to the conservation and scientific study of

biological diversity and the sustainable use of biological resources;

k. Develop easily applicable technologies for the treatment of sewage and organic waste;

l. Develop new technologies for rapid screening of organisms for useful biological

properties;

m. Promote new biotechnologies for tapping mineral resources in an environmentally

sustainable manner.

(b) Data and information

16.24. Steps should be taken to increase access both to existing information about biotechnology and to

facilities based on global databases.

(c) International and regional cooperation and coordination

16.25. Governments at the appropriate level, with the support of relevant international and regional

organizations, should:

a. Strengthen research, training and development capabilities, particularly in developing

countries, to support the activities outlined in this programme area;

b. Develop mechanisms for scaling up and disseminating environmentally sound

biotechnologies of high environmental importance, especially in the short term, even

though those biotechnologies may have limited commercial potential;

c. Enhance cooperation, including transfer of biotechnology, between participating

countries for capacity-building;

d. Develop appropriate safety procedures based on programme area D, taking account of

ethical considerations.

Means of implementation

(a) Financing and cost evaluation

16.26. The Conference secretariat has estimated the average total annual cost (1993-2000) of

implementing the activities of this programme to be about $1 billion, including about $10 million

from the international community on grant or concessional terms. These are indicative and order-ofmagnitude

estimates only and have not been reviewed by Governments. Actual costs and financial

terms, including any that are non-concessional, will depend upon, inter alia, the specific strategies

and programmes Governments decide upon for implementation.

(b) Scientific and technological means*

(c) Human resource development

16.27. The activities for this programme area will increase the demand for trained personnel. Support for

existing training programmes needs to be increased, for example, at the university and technical

institute level, as well as the exchange of trained personnel between countries and regions. New and

additional training programmes also need to be developed, for example, for technical and support

personnel. There is also an urgent need to improve the level of understanding of biological principles

and their policy implications among decision makers in Governments, and financial and other

institutions.

(d) Capacity-building

16.28. Relevant institutions will need to have the responsibility for undertaking, and the capacity

(political, financial and workforce) to undertake, the above-mentioned activities and to be dynamic in

response to new biotechnological developments (see programme area E).

* * * *

* See paras. 16.23-16.25 above.

* * * *

D. Enhancing safety and developing international mechanisms for cooperation

Basis for action

16.29. There is a need for further development of internationally agreed principles on risk assessment and

management of all aspects of biotechnology, which should build upon those developed at the national

level. Only when adequate and transparent safety and border-control procedures are in place will the

community at large be able to derive maximum benefit from, and be in a much better position to

accept the potential benefits and risks of, biotechnology. Several fundamental principles could

underlie many of these safety procedures, including primary consideration of the organism, building

on the principle of familiarity, applied in a flexible framework, taking into account national

requirements and recognizing that the logical progression is to start with a step -by-step and case-bycase

approach, but also recognizing that experience has shown that in many instances a more

comprehensive approach should be used, based on the experiences of the first period, leading, inter

alia, to streamlining and categorizing; complementary consideration of risk assessment and risk

management; and classification into contained use or release to the environment.

Objectives

16.30. The aim of this programme area is to ensure safety in biotechnology development, application,

exchange and transfer through international agreement on principles to be applied on risk assessment

and management, with particular reference to health and environmental considerations, including the

widest possible public participation and taking account of ethical considerations.

Activities

16.31. The proposed activities for this programme area call for close international cooperation. They

should build upon planned or existing activities to accelerate the environmentally sound application

of biotechnology, especially in developing countries.

(a) Management-related activities

16.32. Governments at the appropriate level, with the support of relevant international and regional

organizations, the private sector, non-governmental organizations and academic and scientific

institutions, should:

a. Make the existing safety procedures widely available by collecting the existing

information and adapting it to the specific needs of different countries and regions;

b. Further develop, as necessary, the existing safety procedures to promote scientific

development and categorization in the areas of risk assessment and risk management

(information requirements; databases; procedures for assessing risks and conditions of

release; establishment of safety conditions; monitoring and inspections, taking account of

ongoing national, regional and international initiatives and avoiding duplication wherever

possible);

c. Compile, update and develop compatible safety procedures into a framework of

internationally agreed principles as a basis for guidelines to be applied on safety in

biotechnology, including consideration of the need for and feasibility of an international

agreement, and promote information exchange as a basis for further development,

drawing on the work already undertaken by international or other expert bodies;

d. Undertake training programmes at the national and regional levels on the application of

the proposed technical guidelines;

e. Assist in exchanging information about the procedures required for safe handling and risk

management and about the conditions of release of the products of biotechnology, and

cooperate in providing immediate assistance in cases of emergencies that may arise in

conjunction with the use of biotechnology products.

(b) Data and information*

(c) International and regional cooperation and coordination

16.33. Governments at the appropriate level, with the support of the relevant international and regional

organizations, should raise awareness of the relative benefits and risks of biotechnology.

16.34. Further activities should include the following (see also para. 16.32):

a. Organizing one or more regional meetings between countries to identify further practical steps to

facilitate international cooperation in bio-safety;

b. Establishing an international network incorporating national, regional and global contact points;

c. Providing direct assistance upon request through the international network, using information

networks, databases and information procedures;

d. Considering the need for and feasibility of internationally agreed guidelines on safety in

biotechnology releases, including risk assessment and risk management, and considering studying

the feasibility of guidelines which could facilitate national legislation on liability and

compensation.

* * * *

* See paras. 16.32 and 16.33.

* * * *

Means of implementation

(a) Financing and cost evaluation

16.35. The UNCED secretariat has estimated the average total annual cost (1993-2000) of implementing

the activities of this programmes to be about $2 million from the international community on grant

or concessional terms. These are indicative and order-of-magnitude estimates only and have not

been reviewed by Governments. Actual costs and financial terms, including any that are nonconcessional,

will depend upon, inter alia, the specific strategies and programmes Governments

decide upon for implementation.

(b) Scientific and technological means*

(c) Human resource development*

(d) Capacity-building

16.36. Adequate international technical and financial assistance should be provided and technical

cooperation to developing countries facilitated in order to build up technical, managerial, planning

and administrative capacities at the national level to support the activities in this programme area

(see also programme area E).

E. Establishing enabling mechanisms for the development and the environmentally sound application of biotechnology

Basis for action

16.37. The accelerated development and application of biotechnologies, particularly in developing

countries, will require a major effort to build up institutional capacities at the national and regional

levels. In developing countries, enabling factors such as training capacity, know-how, research and

development facilities and funds, industrial building capacity, capital (including venture capital)

protection of intellectual property rights, and expertise in areas including marketing research,

technology assessment, socio-economic assessment and safety assessment are frequently

inadequate. Efforts will therefore need to be made to build up capacities in these and other areas and

to match such efforts with appropriate levels of financial support. There is therefore a need to

strengthen the endogenous capacities of developing countries by means of new international

initiatives to support research in order to speed up the development and application of both new and

conventional biotechnologies to serve the needs of sustainable development at the local, national

and regional levels. National mechanisms to allow for informed comment by the public with regard

to biotechnology research and application should be part of the process.

* * * *

* See para. 16.32.

* * * *

16.38. Some activities at the national, regional and global levels already address the issues outlined in

programme areas A, B, C and D, as well as the provisioin of advice to individual countries on the

development of national guidelines and systems for the implementation of those guidelines. These

activities are generally uncoordinated, however, involving many different organizations, priorities,

constituencies, time-scales, funding sources and resource constraints. There is a need for a much

more cohesive and coordinated approach to harness available resources in the most effective

manner. As with most new technologies, research in biotechnology and the application of its

findings could have significant positive and negative socio-economic as well as cultural impacts.

These impacts should be carefully identified in the earliest phases of the development of

biotechnology in order to enable appropriate management of the consequences of transferring

biotechnology.

Objectives

16.39. The objectives are as follows:

a. To promote the development and application of biotechnologies, with special

emphasis on developing countries, by:

i. Enhancing existing efforts at the national, regional and global levels;

ii. Providing the necessary support for biotechnology, particularly research and product development, at the national, regional and international levels;

iii. Raising public awareness regarding the relative beneficial aspects of and risks related to biotechnology, to contribute to sustainable development;

iv. Helping to create a favourable climate for investments, industrial capacity building and distribution/marketing;

v. Encouraging the exchange of scientists among all countries and discouraging the "brain drain";

vi. Recognizing and fostering the traditional methods and knowledge of indigenous peoples and their communities and ensuring the opportunity for their participation in the economic and commercial benefits arising from developments in biotechnology; 9/

b. To identify ways and means of enhancing current efforts, building wherever possible

on existing enabling mechanisms, particularly regional, to determine the precise

nature of the needs for additional initiatives, particularly in respect of developing

countries, and to develop appropriate response strategies, including proposals for any

new international mechanisms;

c. To establish or adapt appropriate mechanisms for safety appraisal and risk

assessment at the local, regional and international levels, as appropriate.

Activities

(a) Management-related activities

16.40. Governments at the appropriate level, with the support of international and regional organizations,

the private sector, non-governmental organizations and academic and scientific institutions, should:

a. Develop policies and mobilize additional resources to facilitate greater access to the new

biotechnologies, particularly by and among developing countries;

b. Implement programmes to create greater awareness of the potential and relative benefits and risks

of the environmentally sound application of biotechnology among the public and key decision

makers;

c. Undertake an urgent review of existing enabling mechanisms, programmes and activities at the

national, regional and global levels to identify strengths, weaknesses and gaps, and to assess the

priority needs of developing countries;

d. Undertake an urgent follow-up and critical review to identify ways and means of strengthening

endogenous capacities within and among developing countries for the environmentally sound

application of biot echnology, including, as a first step, ways to improve existing mechanisms,

particularly at the regional level, and, as a subsequent step, the consideration of possible new

international mechanisms, such as regional biotechnology centres;

e. Develop strategic plans for overcoming targeted constraints by means of appropriate research,

product development and marketing;

f. Establish additional quality-assurance standards for biotechnology applications and products,

where necessary.

(b) Data and information

16.40. The following activities should be undertaken: facilitation of access to existing information

dissemination systems, especially among developing countries; improvement of such access where

appropriate; and consideration of the development of a directory of information.

(c) International and regional cooperation and coordination

16.41. Governments at the appropriate level, with the assistance of international and regional

organizations, should develop appropriate new initiatives to identify priority areas for research

based on specific problems and facilitate access to new biotechnologies, particularly by and among

developing countries, among relevant undertakings within those countries, in order to strengthen

endogenous capacities and to support the building of research and institutional capacity in those

countries.

Means of implementation

(a) Financing and cost evaluation

16.42. The Conference secretariat has estimated the average total annual cost (1993-2000) of implementing

the activities of this programme to be about $5 million from the international community on grant or

concessional terms. These are indicative and order-of-magnitude estimates only and have not been

reviewed by Governments. Actual costs and financial terms, including any that are nonconcessional,

will depend upon, inter alia, the specific strategies and programmes Governments

decide upon for implementation.

(b) Scientific and technological means

16.43. Workshops, symposia, seminars and other exchanges among the scientific community at the

regional and global levels, on specific priority themes, will need to be organized, making full use of

the existing scientific and technological manpower in each country for bringing about such

exchanges.

(c) Human resource development

16.44. Personnel development needs will need to be identified and additional training programmes

developed at the national, regional and global levels, especially in developing countries. These

should be supported by increased training at all levels, graduate, postgraduate and post-doctoral, as

well as by the training of technicians and support staff, with particular reference to the generation of

trained manpower in consultant services, design, engineering and marketing research. Training

programmes for lecturers training scientists and technologists in advanced research institutions in

different countries throughout the world will also need to be developed, and systems giving

appropriate rewards, incentives and recognition to scientists and technologists will need to be

instituted (see para. 16.44). Conditions of service will also need to be improved at the national level

in developing countries to encourage and nurture trained manpower with a view to retaining that

manpower locally. Society should be informed of the social and cultural impact of the development

and application of biotechnology.

(d) Capacity-building

16.45. Biotechnology research and development is undertaken both under highly sophisticated conditions

and at the practical level in many countries. Efforts will be needed to ensure that the necessary

infrastructure facilities for research, extension and technology activities are available on a

decentralized basis. Global and regional collaboration for basic and applied research and

development will also need to be further enhanced and every effort should be made to ensure that

existing national and regional facilities are fully utilized. Such institutions already exist in some

countries and it should be possible to make use of them for training purposes and joint research

projects. Strengthening of universities, technical schools and local research institutions for the

development of biotechnologies and extension services for their application will need to be

developed, especially in developing countries.