Lao BCH Activities to Implement Cartagena Protocol and Biotechnology Safety Law
Since Lao PDR has become a party of the Convention on Biological Diversity on September 20, 1996 and the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety on November 1, 2004. The Lao government is obliged to develop its national regulartory framwork in the field of the safe transfer, handling and use of living modified organisms resulting from modern biotechnology for reducing potential consequences that may have an adverse effect biological diversity and human health.
After that, the National Biosafety Framwork has been developed since 2002 and was adopted by the government on December 25, 2004. It consists of a combination of policy, legal, administrative and technical instruments that are set in place to address safety contains of components including i) the government policy on Biosafety, ii) the regulatory regime for Biosafety, iii) administrative systems for Biosafety, iv) mechanism for public education awareness and participation, and v) capacity building programs to implement CPB.
Then, Biotechnology Safety Law was adopted in 2014 that Biosafety Clearing-House is highlighted in the Article 44.
In order to implement the Cartagena Protocol, Biosafety Framework and Biotechnology Safety Law, the Lao BCH activities are as following:
1) developed and published appropriate awareness materials such as CPB and BCH simply explained-video, handbook for accessing BCH, handbook for scenarios on interactive CPB and BCH, sheet of risk assessment procedures, the decision making leaflet, brochures, newsletters, Biotechnology Safety Law books, Framework books and posters.
2) conducted awareness raising activities through biosafety training workshops and seminars. During the training workshops, the BCH was introduced to participants who from relevant government agencies and departments for there are familiar with the modalities in place to enable their contribution to the BCH. The workshops was also provided key stakeholders with a clear understanding of the informational available in the BCH can best be utilized, the format of the BCH records as well as the procedures for registering and publishing biosafety-related decisions.
3) Updated the national information in the BCH and national BCH including national contracts, laws and regulations, event, news, etc. by BCH national focal point.
IMPLEMENTATION STORY OF CARTAGENA PROTOCOL - LAO PDR
Date: 23 November 2016
The following table aims at offering a brief history of Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety in Lao PDR.
| Year |
Activities and purpose |
| 2004 |
· Lao PDR has become a party of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety on November 01, 2004. The Lao government obliges to develop its national regulatory regime in the field of the safe transfer, handling and use of living modified organisms (LMOs) resulting from modern biotechnology for reducing potential consequences that may have an adverse effect on human health and biodiversity.
· The country participated in a UNEP-GEF funded project to develop the National Biosafety Framework (NBF) that adopted in 2004. The framework consists of combination of policy, legal, administrative and technical instruments that are set in place to address safety contains of six components including the government policy on Biosafety, the regulatory regime for Biosafety, administrative systems for Biosafety, mechanism for public education awareness and participation, capacity building programs to implement the Cartagena Protocol and the project priority to Implement the National Biosafety Framework.
|
| 2005 |
· A draft Biotechnology Safety Law was considered initially at the Government Meeting in this year. |
| 2009 - present |
· Followed up from the National Biosafety Framework that adopted in 2004. The country got the final support by UNEP-GEF for implementation of National Biosafety Framework (INBF) in 2009-2014. During the Project, the Capacity and Institution building have improved including a laboratory for LMOs’ detection has been equipped and the national staff trained. Many stakeholders have been participated to activities of awareness raising on Biosafety through training, workshop, and mass media. Also, the awareness material on biosafety has been produced for awareness raising purposes and used in wide communication campaigns for the general public.
· A Biotechnology Safety Law was adopted in 2014.
· Currently, the Environmental Release Biosafety Regulation, Food and Feed Biosafety Regulation, Contained use Biosafety Regulation, Liability and Redress Regulation have been drafted and is under review and finalization process. |
