Andean countries to lay the groundwork for a regional strategy on biosecurity

Lima, Jan. 19, 2001. Government and private sector representatives of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela will meet on January 23 in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia. There they will lay the groundwork for an Andean biosecurity system that will allow those countries to take advantage of modern biotechnology without jeopardizing the environment and the wide diversity of resources to be found in the subregion.

The issue will be addressed as part of the First Regional Workshop on Biosecurity, organized by the Andean Community General Secretariat (CAN) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) with the support of Bolivia’s Vice-Ministry of the Environment and the consortium formed by GTZ/Fundeco/Institute of Ecology.

Biosecurity is the term used to describe the efforts that are made to reduce and eliminate the potential risks created by modern biotechnology.

Although this is a relatively new topic on the agenda of the Andean Community, its importance stems from the fact that the subregion boasts over 25 percent of the world’s biological diversity.

CAN sources pointed out that this situation "gives the Andean countries a major advantage, but at the same time raises the need for national and regional policies and strategies that will guarantee the conservation and sustainable use" of those resources.

The workshop organizers consider that the application and use of modern biotechnology "could contribute heavily to food security and the profitable utilization of the biodiversity." They are aware, however, that a series of measures must be studied at the same time to avoid or attenuate the risks involved in taking advantage of those resources.

In the course of those deliberations, which are scheduled to last until January 26, an effort will be made to create a platform for dialogue on biosecurity and to take the initial steps toward defining a Plan of Action for the regional strategy. The discussion will be based on a background paper prepared by the consortium formed by GTZ/Fundeco/Institute of Ecology of Bolivia.

The workshop is one of the activities that have been planned as part of the Project Regional Biodiversity Strategy for the Countries of the Andean Tropics, being carried out by CAN and the IDB since the signing in 1998 of a technical cooperation agreement between the two organizations.

The purpose of this project is to work with the Andean countries in drawing up a regional strategy on biodiversity and in defining and carrying out activities for the conservation and sustainable use of the ecosystems in the area.