Decision on safe transfer, use of LMOs expected at UN meeting

The LMOs are the organisms that have been genetically modified through biotechnology.

The sixth meeting of the Conference of Parties (to the Cartagena Protocol on Bio-safety (COP MOP 6)), that began on Monday last, is discussing capacity-building, bio-safety clearing-house, socio-economic considerations concerning LMOs and review of the effectiveness of the Protocol, officials of the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD) said.

The decisions taken on all the issues are expected to contribute to the vision of the 10-year strategic plan for the protocol adopted in 2010 - making biodiversity adequately protected from adverse effects of LMOs.

Charles Gbedemah, an official of the Secretariat of the CBD, said efforts are being made to adopt a framework to help countries in capacity-building in different components of bio-safety.

He said discussions were taking place on the Nagoya-Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocol, its current status of ratification and signing.

The Supplementary Protocol, which was adopted at Nagoya, Japan in 2010, received 51 signatures and two ratifications by March 6, 2012. It will come into force 90 days after 40 Parties have ratified it, he said.

The Supplementary Protocol deals with liability and redress for damage resulting from trans-boundary of movements of LMOs. (MORE)