Cooperation between the

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Cooperation between the African Union (AU)
and the German Federal Ministry for Economic
Co-operation and Development (BMZ) in biosafety
issues by Hartmut Meyer
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Capacity Building for the implementation of the
Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety
German Federal Ministry for Economic Co-operation
and Development, BMZ Deutsche Gesellschaft für
Technische Zusammenarbeit (German Technical
Co-operation), GTZ
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Capacity building instruments an overview

• Policy advice
• Public administration
• Biosafety Clearing House Mechanism
• Monitoring, evaluation and inspection services
• Basic and further training of decision makers,
  experts and multiplicators
• Public awareness raising, education and
  promotion of public participation

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The Cartagena Protocolon Biosafety

• On 11, Sep 2003, the Cartagena Protocol on
  Biosafety (CPB) entered into force.
• It sets

• minimum international standards for the
  evaluation of risks posed by genetically modified
  organisms
• minimum international standards for governmental
  decision procedures.

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The Cartagena Protocolon Biosafety

• Its implementation in developing countries is
  mainly supported through UNEP/GEF biosafety
  projects. These projects assist countries in
  establishing a National Biosafety Framework and a
  Biosafety Clearing House mechanism, and finally
  to implement the Framework.
• Essentially all African countries have
  participated in one or two of these projects.

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Issues not sufficiently elaborated under the
Protocol

• Contained use of LMOs
• Domestic development export of LMOs
• Approval of deliberate releases of LMOs
• Approval of LMOs and their products for food and
  feed
• Labelling of LMOs and their products for food and
  feed

National biosafety legislation needs to develop
more specific provisions.
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African Model Lawon Safety in Biotechnology

• Based on a 1997 submission by the Ethiopian
  Government on behalf of the African Group in the
  Cartagena Protocol negotiations
• Drafted by an OAU working group 1999 - 2001
• Draft version adopted in May 2001 by- 50
  representatives of 28 African governments-
  34 representatives of NGOs, research institutes
  and biotechnology industry- 5 representatives of
  the OAU and UNEP
• Under revision by the AU Department for Human
  Resources, Science Technology

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The AU Executive Council
4. URGES Member States, in abiding by the
provisions of the Cartagena Protocol, to use the
African Model Law in Biosafety prepared by the AU
Commission as a basis for drafting their national
legal instruments in Biosafety, taking into
account their national peculiarities, in order to
create an harmonized Africa-wide space and system
in Biosafety for the regulation of Genetically
Modified Organisms movement, transportation and
importation in Africa July 2003, DECISION ON
THE REPORT OF THE INTERIM CHAIRPERSONON THE
AFRICA-WIDE CAPACITY BUILDING IN
BIOSAFETYEX/CL/Dec 26 (III)
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The AU Executive Council
2. STRESSES the need for Member States to equip
themselves with the necessary human and
institutional capacities to deal with Biosafety
issues within the framework of te implementation
of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety 5.
APPEALS to the developed countries, particularly
Africas development partners willing to assist
Africa in ist endeavour, to grant the necessary
resources as well as financial and technical
support towards the implementation of this
programme 6. REQUESTS the Chairperson of the
Commission to convene a meeting of Experts and
Civil Society Organizations to give further
consideration to this issue and come out with
proposals for an African Common Position for
adoption by the policy organs of he African
Union July 2003, DECISION ON THE REPORT OF THE
INTERIM CHAIRPERSONON THE AFRICA-WIDE CAPACITY
BUILDING IN BIOSAFETYEX/CL/Dec 26 (III)
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The project Support of the AU in the matters of
biosafety
Principle Aim The African States have ensured
safety in use, handling, and transfer as well as
research and development of GMOs and products
thereof. Project Aim The topic biosafety has
been incorporated into the political and
institutional frameworks of the AU and into its
support services for the Member States.
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Major activitiesto be performed by the AU

1. Selection of two experts by the AUecology and
   biosafety environmental lawand an
   administrator
2. Establishment of a biosafety unit at the AU,
   including a biosafety web pageand a Technical
   Advisory Committee
3. Organization of a preparatory workshop for
   African delegates before COP-MOP-3Mar 06,
   Curitiba/Brazil

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Major activitiesto be performed by the AU

1. Training of the project staffJun - Aug 06
2. Drafting an African Strategy on
   Biosafetyfinalization through an expert workshop
   to prepare endorsement by the Extra-ordinary
   Conference of African Ministers on Science
   Technology and the AU Heads of State and
   Government Summit, Aug 06 - Jan 07

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Major activitiesto be performed by the AU

1. Revision of the African Model Law on Safety in
   Biotechnologyfinalization through an expert
   workshop to prepare endorsement at the
   Ministerial and Heads of States and Government
   level, Jan - Jul 07
2. Presentation of the Strategy and Model Law to
   Member States in five regional workshopsAug 07
   - Mar 08

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Major activitiesto be performed by the AU

1. Preparation of publications supporting the
   implementation of the Strategy, for example-
   Survey of African GMO detection facilities-
   Study on GMO-containing bulk commodity imports
   into Africa
2. Development of an approach to involve African
   Parliaments in the project activitiesJan - Jul
   07

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Major activitiesto be performed by the GTZ

1. Technical and financial audit to prepare a
   funding proposal for the support and
   establishment of a network of GMO detection
   laboratories in Africa
2. Training of AU staff in organisational and
   technical matters
3. Support of the project by African and German
   biosafety experts

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African network of GMO detection laboratories

• Is there a need?
• Is there political and financial support by
  national governments and (sub)regional
  organisations?
• Is there a legal and technical framework?
• Is there existing capacity and expertise in
  Afrika?
• Are there existing examples of related and
  successful cooperations?

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Main issues to be resolved

• mandating appropriate national ministries
  (sub)regional organisations
• creation and/or adoption of norms standards
• equipment of customs laboratories
• training of staff
• accreditations certification of laboratories
• transport of samples in regional networks

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German technical co-operation in MSTQ

• long-standing co-operation between the BMZ, the
  German National Metrology Institute (PTB) and
  partners in developing countries
• new policy framework with strategy paper from
  2004Quality Infrastructure, Conformity
  Assessment - Metrology, Standardization, Testing,
  Quality Management (MSTQ)

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MSTQ-projects in Africa

• Support to SADC in implemenmting the
  SQAM-program 2004 - 2006
• Establishment of a regional SQMT-architecture in
  the East African Community (EAC)
  2004 - 2006
• Encouragement su système de métrology et dessai
  des pays dAfrique de lOuest
  2001 - 2004