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ABOUT US The Biotechnology and Development Monitor is a quarterly magazine, published in the Netherlands by The Network University in Amsterdam. It deals with topics in the biotechnology and development fields and is directed at developing countries and sustainable development. The primary audience of the Monitor consists of current and future policy makers, scientists, farmers, students, journalists and teachers whose profession and/or interest lies in sustainable development, agriculture and biotechnology. Back to top Vision The Biotechnology and Development Monitor envisions a world where information on biotechnology and development is shared truly, respectfully, equally and impartially. A world in which the Monitor supports all those who would like to contribute to knowledge building in the South as well as in the North. Back to top Mission The Biotechnology and Development Monitor wants to improve policy and decision-making in the field of development, the application of biotechnology, its regulation and its research. Back to top How The Monitor analyses developments in biotechnology and its effect and impact worldwide through interdisciplinary and multi-sectoral approaches and integration of theoretical and empirical information from the natural and social sciences. It considers global, international, national and local levels, regulatory and production systems and economic and social developments and needs. For example: inventions and innovations, economic growth, employment, agricultural development, biodiversity, food safety and food security, basic needs, indigenous knowledge systems, social differentiation and human rights. The Monitor provides a forum for discussion on the positive and negative impact. The Monitor maintains a rigorously independent position and is not linked to any organisation with vested interests in biotechnology. Back to top Objectives To:
Justification The importance of and need for the Monitor is underlined by the fact that biotechnology is developing fast, has a high socio-, economic, environmental, cultural and political impact and has become an important instrument in dealing with many global issues. Its high degree of credibility and the fact that it is often the only source of up-to-date and relevant information for the target group, notably in developing countries, makes it indispensable. Back to top Target group The primary target group of the Monitor consists of current and future policy makers, interests groups and individuals that influence policymaking. These include policy and decision makers and analysts in the public sector, scientists, industrial, farmers', consumers' and many other non-governmental organizations, university students and public and private researchers in developing and industrialized countries. The target group also includes wide range of people like journalists, lecturers, opinion leaders, who work in the media and provide the primary target group with information through newspapers, magazines, lectures, website, radio, television, et cetera. Back to top Activities The Monitor is designed to meet its objectives through the publication of the journal Biotechnology and Development Monitor. It also internationalises many processes of spreading information, such as its international advisory board, its international editorial board and its use of new media means.
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