2. The Global Forum on Biotechnology

2. REGULATION OF MODERN BIOTECHN The Global Forum on Biotechnology OLOGY . 41

The Global Forum on Biotechnology, established in 2010, is one of 16 Global Forums created by OECD Committees. Global Forums are generally not offi cial OECD bodies, but are best described as broad communities or networks of stakeholders in the areas of responsibility of one or more Committees. OECD Committees have an interest in hearing the views of these stakeholders, but their capacity to accommodate (non-Member) partners as participants is limited.

Collaboration continues with partner countries and international organisations involved in biosafety, in particular on the occasion of the meetings of the OECD Working Parties i) on the Harmonisation of Regulatory Oversight in Biotechnology, and ii) for the Safety of Novel Foods and Feeds held remotely in March 2021. These events were attended online by delegates from Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Kenya, Paraguay, the Philippines, the Russian Federation, South Africa, Thailand, Uruguay, Viet Nam, the African Biosafety Network of Expertise (AUDA NEPAD), and other observer Organisations. Thanks to this collaboration, these economies strengthened their participation in related projects, Paraguay presented its new simplifi ed procedures for the approval of genetically-engineered crops, while Argentina reported its recent legislations in the national biosafety regulatory framework and shared information on approved GE plant varieties that were included to the OECD BioTrack Product Database for the fi rst time.

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Bertrand DAGALLIER