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Socio-Economic Impacts
The following provides an overview of the Global Industry Coalition views on socio-economic considerations in decision-making under the Cartagena Protocl on Biosfety for the discussion on this issue that will take place at the fifth meeting of the Parties to the Protocol (Nagoya, Japan from 11-15 October 2010).
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Any consideration of socio-economic impacts in decision-making must remain within the scope of the language of Article 26 of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosfaety (Protocol), which requires that these considerations: (a) must be taken into account in a manner consisten with Parties' international obligations; and (b) must be limited to those arising from the impact of living modified organisms (LMOs) on the conservation and sustainble use of biological diversity. Work on this issue should focus on continued research and information-exchange.
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A. Scope of Socio-economic Considerations and Methods for Taking them into Account
- Article 26 of the Biosafety Protocol establishes the right of Parties to take into account socio-economic considerations arising from the impact of LMOs with regard to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in reaching a decision on whether to import these organisms.
- However, when Parties are taking these impacts into account, Article 26.1 places several constraints on this consideration. Firstly, Parties must limit any consideration of socio-economic impacts of LMOs to those impacts on the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity. Broadening the scope and type of socio-economic considerations to those beyond this limitation would be inconsistent with the provisions of the Protocol, reduce the transparency of the regulatory process, and increase the overall cost and length of time required in regulatory decision-making.
- For example, a Party that wishes to consider socio-economic considerations in decision-making under the Protocol could properly include an assessment of impacts of the LMO on protected species and/or habitats. Biological diversity encompasses the number and variety of life on earth and the ecological systems needed to support it. Many countries effectively address biodiversity related concerns by defining species and habitats whose conservation status is threatened as protected. To this end, a Party that wishes to assess the socio-economic impacts of an LMO on such protected species and habitats would be acting within the scope of Article 26.1.
- On the other hand, considering positive or negative effects in relation to livelihoods of local and indigenous communities, ethical considerations that may arise in connection with the use of the LMO, or any favorable or unfavorable social consequences that may arise from the use of the LMO, for example, would be outside the scope of Article 26.1 of the Protocol. These elements are not related to potential impacts on the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, as required by Article 26.1.
- In addition, such considerations may only be taken into account consistent with Parties’ existing international obligations. While the parameters of this limitation have not yet been explored in the Protocol context, consideration of existing obligations under the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreements and those found under other international standard-setting bodies provide guidance to the Parties on this issue. Decisions and guidance provided under the Protocol must take this limitation into account and avoid outputs that would jeopardize Parties’ abilities to comply with their other legal obligations.
B. Cooperation in Resarch and Information Exchange
- At their fourth meeting in 2008, Parties to the Protocol considered views and case-studies concerning socio-economic impacts of LMOs on the basis of submissions from Parties, other Governments and relevant international organizations, including the GIC. Parties requested the next coordination meeting on capacity-building activities to consider possibilities for cooperation in identifying needs for capacity-building for research and information exchange on socio-economic impacts of LMOs. Any recommendations from this meeting will be submitted for the consideration of the Parties at their fifth meeting in October 2010 to inform the capacity building agenda item discussions. In addition, Parties and other Governments were invited to continue to share information and experiences on socio-economic impacts of LMOs through the Biosafety Clearing-House (BCH).
- To assist in the effort to share information, the Secretariat is conducting an online survey on the application of and experience in the use of socio-economic considerations in decision-making on living modified organisms. This online survey will occur from 1-31 October 2009.
- As recognized by the Parties at their fourth meeting, information sharing about the potential positive and negative impacts of LMOs on the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity is an important part of the public education and awareness activities necessary for informed choice and public acceptance of biotechnology. In addition, cooperation with regard to research and information exchange about the potential positive and negative socio-economic impacts of LMOs, including impacts on indigenous and local communities, can be useful for government regulators, public research institutes, private sector, academia, and other stakeholders as well as the public at large. As such, the GIC supports the Secretariat’s effort to collect this information through the online survey.
- However, it is important that online survey discussions concerning this item are limited to the mandate in the Protocol and, in particular, to the current work plan that focuses exclusively on cooperation on research and information exchange.
- An example of an existing source of online information of peer-reviewed material about the socio-economic benefits of biotechnology can be found on the CropLife International Database of the Benefits and Safety of Biotechnology. This tool provides access to research studies that meet agreed-upon criteria for high quality that highlight important impacts of agricultural biotech products and technologies. These studies can be easily searched in terms of crops, traits, countries, regions, and/or beneficial impact area (agronomic, environmental, safety and health, socioeconomic, developing countries or co-existence).
Footnote
The Global Industry Coalition (GIC) for the Cartagena Protocl on Biosafety receives input and direction from trade associations representing thousands of companies from all over the world. Participants include associations representing and companies engaged in a variety of industrial sectors such as plant sciences, seeds, agricultural biotechnology, food production, animal agriculture, human and animal health care, and the environment.
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