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AGENDA 21, CHAPTER 16



ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND MANAGEMENT OF
 BIOTECHNOLOGY






NOTE:	This is a final, advanced version of a chapter of Agenda 21, as 
adopted by the Plenary in Rio de Janeiro, on June 14, 1992.  
This document will be further edited, translated into the 
official languages, and published by the United Nations for the 
General Assembly this autumn.





........../2



INTRODUCTION



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 socio-economic, 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 UNCED 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 

16.9.  See paragraphs 16.6 and 16.7 above.

(c)	Human resource development 

16.10.  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 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 

16.11.  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 

16.12.  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 

16.13.  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

16.14.  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 
disease-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 

16.15.  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 

16.16.  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

16.17.  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

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

16.19.  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 intergovernmental 
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 

16.20.  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 

16.21.  See programme area E.


C.  Enhancing protection of the environment

Basis for action

16.22.  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 non-renewable 
resources by an 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.


16.23.  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 other organisms by organisms 
introduced into ecosystems.

Objectives

16.24.  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

16.25.  Governments at the appropriate level and 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 based 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

16.26.  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

16.27.  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

16.28	The UNCED 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 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

16.29.  See paragraphs 16.25-16.27 above.

(c)	Human resource development

16.30.  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

16.31.  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).

			D.  Enhancing safety and developing international
			    mechanisms for cooperation

Basis for action

16.32.  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 recognising that the logical progression is to start with 
a step-by-step and case-by-case approach, but also recognising 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 categorising; complementary consideration of risk 
assessment and risk management, and classification into contained use or 
release to the environment.



Objectives

16.33.  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

16.34.  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

16.35.  Governments at the appropriate levels and 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, avoiding duplication 
wherever possible);



          

	***  See research paper No. 55, entitled "Environmentally sound 
management of biotechnology:  safety in biotechnology - assessment and 
management of risk" (February 1992), prepared by the United Nations 
Conference on Environment and Development secretariat to take account of 
comments made at the third session of the Preparatory Committee for the 
United Nations Conference on Environment and Development on part II of 
document A/CONF.151/PC/67, which incorporated the findings of the ad hoc 
workshop of Senior-level Experts on Assessing and Managing Biotechnology 
Risks, held in London in June 1991.

	(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

16.36.  See paragraphs 16.35 and 16.37.

(c)	International and regional cooperation and coordination

16.37.  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.

16.38.  See paragraph 16.35.  Further activities should include the 
following:

	(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.


Means of implementation

(a)	Financing and cost evaluation

16.39.  The UNCED Secretariat has estimated the average total annual cost 
(1993-2000) of implementing the activities of this programme 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 non-concessional, will depend upon, inter alia, the specific 
strategies and programmes governments decide upon for implementation.

(b)	Scientific and technological means

16.40.  See paragraph 16.35.

(c)	Human resource development

16.41.  See paragraph 16.35.

(d)	Capacity-building

16.42.  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

16.43.  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 such as 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.
16.44.  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 provision 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

16.45.  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)	Recognising and fostering the traditional methods and the 
knowledge of indigenous people 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

16.46.  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)	Define and implement strategies to overcome constraints 
identified in the areas of food, feed and renewable raw materials; human 
health; and environmental protection, building upon existing strengths;

	(e)	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 
biotechnology, 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;

	(f)	Develop strategic plans for overcoming targeted constraints by 
means of appropriate research, product development and marketing;

	(g)	Establish additional quality-assurance standards for 
biotechnology applications and products, where necessary.

(b)	Data and information

16.47.  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

16.48.  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

16.49.	The UNCED 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 non-concessional, will depend upon, inter alia, the specific 
strategies and programmes governments decide upon for implementation.

(b)	Scientific and technological means

16.50.  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 

16.51.  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. 16.50).  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

16.52.  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.


Notes

	1/	See chap. 15 (Conservation of biological diversity).

	2/	See chap. 14 (Promoting sustainable agriculture and rural 
development).

	3/	See chap. 11 (Combating deforestation).

	4/	See chap. 34 (Transfer of environmentally sound technology, 
cooperation and capacity building).

	5/	See chap. 6 (Protecting and promoting human health 
conditions).

	6/	See chap. 21 (Environmentally sound management of solid wastes 
and sewage-related issues).

	7/	See chap. 10 (Integrated approach to the planning and 
management of land resources).

	8/	See chap. 18 (Protection of the quality and supply of 
freshwater resources: application of integrated approaches to the 
development, management and use of water resources).

	9/	See chap. 26 (Recognizing and strengthening the role of 
indigenous people and their communities).
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