APEC Biotech Group Drafts Best Practices Guide on Influencing Biotech Perception

Participants to the two-day Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) HIgh Level Policy Dialogue Workshop on Public Perception of Agricultural Biotechnology in Lima, Peru are expected to come up with a best practices guide on influencing public perception of agricultural biotechnology. The workshop which ends October 5, 2007, had about 40 participants from The Philippines, Thailand, Korea, Chile, Peru, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the United States who all converged to share experiences on promoting greater awareness of crop biotechnology.

Among the speakers were Craig Cormick of Biotechnology Australia, Miquel Barandiaran Gamarra of Instituto Nacional de Investigacion Agraria in Peru; Michelle Veeman of the University of Alberta, Canada; and Andy Benson of the International Food Information Council, USA.

When completed, the best practices guide will provide strategies for community engagement, working with non-government organizations, building networks and partnerships, and related activities devoted to risk communication, managing media, and using new media. Such a guide will be given to APEC member countries to help facilitate awareness activities related to crop biotechnology.

For more details contact the workshop contact local organizer Miquel Barandiaran Gamarra at barandiaran@inia.gob.pe.