UN Conference:
Biotech liability in two years

(Mai 17, 2008) The fourth conference of signatories to the Cartagena Protocol on Biological Safety was concluded in Bonn, Germany, on the 16th of May. Liability with regard to the international trade of genetically modified organisms will be anchored fundamentally in the Protocol. A working group will formulate concrete regulations for such liability until the next conference, which takes place in 2010 in Japan. This compromise prevented the failure of the conference in Bonn.

"With political agreement on a legally binding regulation, we have achieved a good conclusion. An appropriate application of the Protocol is guaranteed thereby for the next two years," declared Ursula Heinen, state secretary in the Federal Ministry of Trade and Industry. As chairperson of the conference, Minister Heinen appraised the results as a success.

Ahmed Djoghlaf, executive secretary of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, also assessed the concluding document as a success. The document was adopted on Friday afternoon and contains a fundamental recognition of the entitlement to compensation in the case of damage caused by the introduction of GMOs. The convened working group now has two years for the provision of specific regulations that subsequently will be incorporated into the Cartagena Protocol.

The burden of proof is expected to lie with the complainant, who must demonstrate that certified damage to biodiversity – such as the suppression of native organisms – is due unequivocally to the use of the introduced GMO. In such cases, the complainant may claim compensation from the originator of the damage.

Futher information:

• The Cartagena Protocol (Full Text)
• BMELV: 4th Meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety
• GMO Safety: Basic decision on genetic engineering liability
• Planet Diversity