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Malaysia Ratifies Cartagena Protocol On Biosafety
In accordance with the Protocol, countries that have ratified the agreement are required to institute their own laws on the trans-boundary movement of GMOs, or living modified organisms (LMOs) and their product derivatives. (A LMO is any living thing that contains a combination of genetic material, such as genetically- modified seeds. Product derivatives contain dead modified organisms and include certain vaccines, drugs, processed foods and agricultural commodities.) Malaysia will table a Biosafety Bill in 2 Dec, Parliament once the Cabinet gives its approval. The draft Bill was submitted to the Cabinet in early September 2003 and is undergoing some revisions. Among its provisions would be mechanisms and procedures by which information about LMOs or their presence in products must be disclosed to importing countries and consumers. Public concern and yet-unknown risks of the effects of LMOs on human health and the environment have made disclosure necessary. According to the Ministry of Science, Technology and the Environment, getting the Biosafety Bill approved is a priority, not just because Malaysia has ratified the Protocol, but also of its importance to consumers. The lengthy process in promulgating the Bill was due to the involvement of several Ministries, as LMOs affect, among others, agriculture, health, international trade, consumer affairs, science and environment. Malaysia is also in the process of drafting another law on Access to Genetic Resources and Benefit-Sharing which will govern the rights and ownership of biological resources in the country. The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety entered into force on 11 September 2003 after 50 countries ratified it. This follows ratification by the 50th State, the Republic of Palau, on 13 June 2003.The Protocol was adopted in Cartagena, Columbia, in January 2000, at a meeting of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). As of 9 September 2003, 57 States and the European Community have ratified it. Underscoring the significance of the Protocol's entry into force, CBD Executive Secretary, Mr. Hamdallah Zedan at a press conference to mark the occasion said, "The Protocol has now become a binding instrument for States (Parties) that have given their consent to be bound by it. This means that the transboundary movement of IM0s from one country to another will have to be in conformity with the provisions of the Protocol, in cases where both countries are Parties to the Protocol. However, in cases where movement of LMOs involve a Party and a non Party, such movement shall be consistent with the objective of the Protocol." The decision-making body of all the member countries of the Protocol - the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Protocol - will convene from 23 to 27 February 2004 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to address strategic and operational measures for the implementation of the Protocol. While the ultimate responsibility to ensure that the Protocol is implemented lies with Parties, Mr. Zedan observed that "all relevant stakeholders including business and industry, NGOs, scientists, researchers and the media, have a big role to play." Saying that their cooperation is essential for the successful implementation of the Protocol, he urged all players to take on their respective responsibilities in support of the Protocol. "I strongly urge all countries that have not yet done so to ratify the Protocol as soon as possible in order that they may participate as full partners in the decision-making at the first meeting of Parties, which will shape the future of the Protocol," said Mr. Zedan. |
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Malaysia
has ratified the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, a framework for minimising the
adverse effects on modern biotechnology, particularly on the environment and
human health. Malaysia ratified the agreement on 3 September 2003 and will
become a full-fledged member of the Protocol on 2 December 2003, fulfilling the
90-day requirement on ratification to become a member. By ratifying the
Protocol, Malaysia is legally-bound to the global agreement that regulates the
import, export, handling and use of genetically-modified organisms (GMOs).
MTC’s
