APEC Members Tackle Developments in Biotech Regulations

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), ISAAA, United States Department of State, and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) conducted the first leg of the APEC High-Level Policy Dialogue on Agricultural Biotechnology on April 27 and 28, 2021.

The online workshop's objective was to bring together the APEC member economies to discuss the development of regulatory capacities for biotechnology, particularly in genetic engineering. Among the topics discussed were the challenges in implementing regulatory frameworks by member economies, the implications of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety in the inter-boundary movement of biotech products, and the status of crop genetic engineering research and commercialization by selected member economies. Regulatory frameworks were the main focus of the workshop, and resource speakers elaborated on the elements for effective science-based risk assessment, and the resources needed to implement it effectively and efficiently. By the end of the activity, selected member economy representatives and the resource persons all actively participated in an in-depth discussion on how to apply the knowledge exchanged during the workshop to improve the individual economy regulatory policies and framework, if necessary, and to select a regulator per economy who can be consulted in the process.

The event was conducted online to safely engage the international group of resource speakers and participants despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. 54 representatives from around 10 member economies participated in the workshop.

For more details about the event, please send a message to raldemita@isaaa.org.