China Capacity Building Project for the Implementation of National Biosafety Framework

GEF - $997400
Co-financing - $269000

The China Capacity Building Project for the Implementation of National Biosafety Framework includes demand-driven activities that respond to the country's needs. The project addresses the most urgent priorities i.e. management, institutional strengthening, research, capacity building, human resource capacities, information exchange and data management.

The project is a key activity in a range of those that are addressing biosafety issues. The project will ensure that the biosafety framework developed during the Pilot Project phase becomes fully operational and will play an important role in launching biosafety management in China with a potential for replication world- wide.

National level activities
Development of national biosafety frameworks
Human-resources development
Information exchange & data management
Institutional strengthening
Risk assessment

Goals
To formulate relevant laws and regulations and to establish appropriate mechanisms to effectively assess, monitor, control and regulate the environmental release, commercial production and transboundary movement of living modified organisms (LMOs).

To produce and promulgate technical guidelines and develop techniques to improve national ability in risk assessment and risk management in connection with the storage, transportation, environmental release, use and transboundary movement of LMOs.

To develop further a proper monitoring parameters/indicators and methods to improve the ability to monitor environmental release and commercial production of LMOs.

To develop and set up a biosafety database system and establish a Biosafety Clearing-House (BCH) to facilitate information sharing among decision-makers, managers, scientists and the public which will contribute to the BCH set up through the Cartagena Protocol.

To organize a series of training courses, workshops and study tours to train decision-makers, customs officials, inspectors, scientists and technicians. These will provide information, knowledge, and understanding of relevant techniques and good practice for biosafety.

Objectives
The goal of the project is to develop and strengthen the capacity of China Government in order to implement the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety.

Main outcomes
Implementation of the project will lead to the following outcomes that constitute the basic legal and technical framework needed for making the biosafety management operational:

1) Finalization and submission to the State Council the "Biosafety Regulation of the People's Republic of China" that will provide a legal basis to enable the safe use of LMOs in China and the effective implementation of Cartagena Protocol;

2) Establishment of an administrative/management mechanisms for biosafety to effectively prevent the environment and human health from risk resulting from the research, development and use of LMOs.

3) Promulgation of "Technical Guidelines for the Risk Assessment and Risk Management of LMOs in China".

4) Promulgation of "Indicators and Methods for the Monitoring of Environmental Release and Commercial Release of LMOs in China";

5) Establishment of the biosafety database system and a BCH in order to meet China's obligations under the Cartagena Protocol and to promote information exchange and sharing among departments in China, and between China and the rest of the world.

6) Greatly improve the knowledge and practice for biosafety through a series of training courses, workshops and study tours for the decision-makers, customs officials, inspectors and scientists.

China is one of the countries with the richest biodiversity in the world. In China's Biodiversity country study, "the release of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and biosafety" is mentioned among the key issues to be considered when assessing the current status of biodiversity in the country and the potential threats to it. GMOs are addressed because of the potential ecological and biological risks associated to their release/use/commercialization.

The Chinese government is fully committed in the implementation of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety as evidenced by its active participation to the negotiation phase as well as by the signature of the Protocol in August 8, 2000. According to the stipulations of the Protocol, Contracting Parties are required to strengthen capacity building on legislation, policies, technologies, human resources and information for biosafety.

The project is addressing policy-makers, government departments and all the institutions (including research centers and universities) involved in the biosafety management system in China. Their involvement insure a high level acceptance of the legislation "Biosafety Regulation of the People's Republic of China" due to be approved by the State Council during the development of the project.

At present, in fact, China has issued several regulations at departmental level, but they do not address import and export of LMOs and an Integrated Biosafety Regulatory structure at national level is still lacking. Customs-officials, inspectors, managers and scientists, who are to be involved in the provision of general information, laws, regulations, policies, guidelines and practice of domestic and foreign biosafety management introducing the procedures for the application and approval of LMOs, are going to be important stakeholders as well. Their pro-active participation to all the capacity building activities foreseen in the project and their direct involvement in different phases of the biosafety management system (inspection, custom clearance, application of the existing regulations, etc.) will guarantee the needed support for the Biosafety Framework to be effectively implemented.

Other collaborating organizations
UNEP