Biotechnology and Development Monitor, No. 43, p.4 and p.6

Glossary and Citations on the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety.

Keywords:	Biosafety, Glossary.
Correct citation:	N.N. (2000), "Glossary and Citations on the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety." Biotechnology and Development Monitor, No. 43, p. 4, p.6.

Citations

Rio Declaration on Environment and Development - Principle 15

“In order to protect the environment, the precautionary approach shall be widely applied by States according to their capabilities. Where there are threats of serious or irreversible damage, lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for postponing cost-effective measures to prevent environmental degradation.”
http://www.unep.org/unep/rio.htm

Agenda 21 - Paragraph 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-by-case 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.”
http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/agenda21text.htm

Convention on Biological Diversity - Article 19.3

“The Parties shall consider the need for and the modalities of a protocol setting out appropriate procedures, including, in particular, advance informed agreement, in the field of the safe transfer, handling and use of any living modified organism resulting from biotechnology that may have adverse effect on the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity.”
http://www.biodiv.org/chm/conv/default.htm

Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety - Article 10.6 Decision procedure

“Lack of scientific certainty due to insufficient relevant scientific information and knowledge regarding the extent of the potential adverse effects of a living modified organism on the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity in the Party of import, taking also into account risks to human health, shall not prevent that Party from taking a decision, as appropriate with regard to the import of the living modified organism in question as referred to in Paragraph 3 above in order to avoid or minimize such potential adverse effects.”
http://www.biodiv.org/biosafe/Protocol/Protocol.html

Glossary

Most definitions of genetic modification (e.g. in the revised text of the Council Directive 90/220/EEC on the deliberate release into the environment of genetically modified organisms) include in vitro nucleic acid and cell fusion techniques and result in the creation of a genotype that could not be gained by natural reproductive methods. Genetic modification as defined in the CPB excludes other new or old techniques that merely lead to an alteration of the genotype.

Terms as defined in the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety Article 3 (Use of Terms)

(b) “Contained use” means any operation, undertaken within a facility, installation or other physical structure, which involves living modified organisms that are controlled by specific measures that effectively limit their contact with, and their impact on, the external environment;
(g) “Living modified organism” means any living organism that possesses a novel combination of genetic material, obtained through the use of modern biotechnology;
(h) “Living organism” means any biological entity capable of transferring or replicating genetic material, including sterile organisms, viruses and viroids;
“Modern biotechnology” means the application of:
that overcome natural physiological reproductive or recombination barriers and that are not techniques used in traditional breeding and selection;
(k)“Transboundary movement” means the movement of a living modified organism from one Party to another Party, save that for the purposes of Articles 17 (Unintentional transboundary movements and emergency measures) and 24 (Non-parties) transboundary movement extends to movement between Parties and non-Parties.

back to:
H. Meyer: The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety	A. van Dommelen: The Precautionary Principle

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