[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 241 (Wednesday, December 16, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69354-69355]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-33239]
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DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs
[Public Notice 2947]
Public Meeting on Government Activities on the Negotiation of a
Protocol on Biosafety
AGENCY: Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific
Affairs (OES), Department of State.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting regarding Government Activities on the
negotiation of a Protocol on Biosafety.
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SUMMARY: This public meeting will provide an overview of the major
issues to be addressed in the final negotiating session of the Protocol
on Biosafety under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
Negotiations on a protocol to govern the transboundary movement of
living modified organisms (LMOs) are scheduled to be completed
[[Page 69355]]
February 14-19, 1999 in Cartagena, Colombia. A special session of the
CBD Conference of the Parties (COP) is scheduled February 22-23 to
approve the agreement as a protocol to the CBD. The United States is a
world leader in biotechnology research and production. The United
States is working to ensure that a biosafety regime established by the
protocol is environmentally responsible, scientifically based and
analytically sound, and will not unduly affect research and trade in
beneficial biotechnology products. This meeting will take place from 10
a.m. to 12 noon on January 8, 1999 in room 1107, Department of State,
2201 C Street Northwest, Washington, DC. Attendees should use the
entrance at C Street and should provide Ms. Jean Bell (202-647-2418)
with their date of birth and social security number by January 6.
Attendees should bring picture identification. Participants who wish to
make statements and those who cannot attend are invited to fax comments
to John Tuminaro at 202 736-7351.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information, contact Mr.
John Tuminaro, United States Department of State, OES/ETC, Room 4333,
2201 C Street NW, Washington, DC 20520. Phone 202-647-2418; fax 202-
736-7351. Further information regarding the negotiations, including the
draft protocol text, can be obtained from the Convention on Biological
Diversity website www.biodiv.org.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The United States, through an interagency
working group chaired by the Department of State, is engaged in
negotiations under the auspices of the Convention on Biological
Diversity (CBD) that will result in an international protocol governing
the transboundary movement of living modified organisms, and
potentially products derived from them, that are developed using modern
biotechnology. Negotiations on the protocol are scheduled to conclude
with a sixth meeting in Cartagena, Colombia February 14-19, 1999. A
special session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the CBD will
be held in Cartagena February 22-23 to approve the agreement as a
protocol to the CBD.
Although not a party to the CBD, the United States has been
permitted to participate in the protocol negotiations under the mandate
of the Ad Hoc Working Group set up by the CBD COP to undertake the
negotiations of the biosafety agreement. Veit Koester of Denmark chairs
the Ad Hoc Working Group.
At the core of protocol will be an advance informed agreement
procedure (AIA). The AIA would include notice and consent requirements
that must be fulfilled before genetically modified organisms can be
exported from one country to another. Our experience has demonstrated
to us that the risks to biological diversity presented by genetically
modified organisms are limited and are not significantly different in
kind from those posed by traditionally developed organisms. With this
approach, the U.S. has worked consistently bilaterally and
multilaterally to ensure that the regime established by the protocol
will be environmentally responsible, scientifically based and
analytically sound, and will not unduly affect research and trade in
beneficial biotechnology products. Although the original mandate of the
negotiations was limited to the transboundary movement of living
modified organisms, a number of governments have expressed a desire to
expand this scope to include trade in products derived from living
modified organisms.
The Ad Hoc Working Group has met five times. The first two meetings
involved broad descriptions of positions. The third meeting worked to
produce a consolidated text of all options proposed on every issue. The
fourth and fifth meetings resulted in a streamlined text and the
reduction of options on the major issues. The sixth and final meeting
is expected to result in a completed protocol. The Department of State
has discussed the Biosafety Protocol with interested members of the
public prior to and throughout the negotiation process.
Dated: December 4, 1998.
Stephanie J. Caswell,
Acting Director, Office of Ecology and Terrestrial Conservation, Bureau
of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs.
[FR Doc. 98-33239 Filed 12-15-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710-09-P
