Article 26 of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety establishes the right of Parties to take into account socio-economic considerations arising from the impact of living modified organisms on the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, especially with regard to the value of biodiversity to indigenous and local communities, in reaching a decision on whether to import these organisms. The inclusion of socio-economic considerations in Parties' decision-making on the import of living modified organisms must be consistent with their other international obligations.
Paragraph 2 of Article 26 calls upon Parties to cooperate on research and information exchange on socio-economic impacts of LMOs, especially on indigenous and local communities
The Global Industry Coalition is of the view that 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 Biosafety (Protocol), which requires that these considerations: (a) must be taken into account in a manner consistent with Parties’ international obligations; and (b) must be limited to those arising from the impact of living modified organisms (LMOs) on the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity. Click here for the GIC’s full position on this issue.
With respect to the qualification in Article 26 to take into account any socio-economic impacts in a manner consistent with Parties’ international obligations, a paper by Craig Thorn at DTB Associates elaborates on the limitations necessary to ensure WTO compliance.