Capacity-Building Workshop on Biosafety for the Caribbean

The capacity-building workshop on biosafety for the Caribbean was successfully conducted over the period January 19th -30th 2004 in Port of Spain, Trinidad. The workshop exemplified collaboration at its best, engendering as it did the co-operation of several national, regional and international bodies. National collaborators included NIHERST, the Ministry of Public Utilities and the Environment, the Ministry of Legal and Consumer Affairs and the Environment Management Authority in Trinidad and Tobago.

 External partners comprised the Caribbean Council for Science & Technology (CCST), the United Nations Development Programme through its Perrez Guerrero Trust Fund, the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Co-operation ACP-EU (CTA), the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI), the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) in Canada, and Commonwealth Secretariat. Through the strong support of its partners, the organisers were able to extend the participation and thus benefits of the workshop to seven Caribbean countries. Beneficiary countries were Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Guyana, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago. The diversity of the fifty (50) participants and presenters, of whom thirteen (13) were from other islands in the region, indicated strong support from both private and state sectors for biosafety.

The Honourable Senator Satish Ramroop, Minister of State in the Ministry of Science Technology and Tertiary Education, gave the feature address at the opening ceremony. His address highlighted the potential benefits of modern biotechnology to the region, and in particular the agricultural sector. However, the Minister stressed on the need to institute a proper framework at the national and regional level to exploit this technology in order to safeguard human health and the environment from any deleterious effects. 

The workshop proceeded through oral presentations, group work, and panel discussions led by regional and international experts to address the various aspects of biosafety. Participants were most fortunate to have the services of two leaders in the field, namely, Dr. Patricia Traynor of New AgriTech Strategies, and Dr Hector Quemada of Crop Technology Consulting. Caribbean presenters and facilitators included Dr. P. Umaharan of the UWI, St. Augustine, Prof. J. Duncan of the UWI St Augustine, Dr. Cyril Roberts of CARDI Barbados, Ms. Yasmin Comeau of the National Herbrarium, Dr. Bibi Ali of CABI, Trinidad, Mr. Victor Jordan of the Ministry of Trade and Mr. Anthony Smallwood of the EU Delegation.

The range of issues covered during the 10-day workshop included:

• The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety and other relevant international agreements,

• biosafety systems in selected developed and developing countries,

• scientific risk assessment and risk management focussing on transgenic plants, 

• food safety assessments and relevant international protocols, 

• decisions and decision making, 

• biosafety communication, 

• regional approaches to biosafety, and 

• biosafety resources and support. 

Additionally the status of and regulatory context for biotechnology and biosafety, existing capacities and capacity needs, as well as available support for biosafety capacity-building was identified through the presentation of reports from participating Caribbean countries. 

Through small group work and a synthesis in plenary sessions model guidelines for the safe transfer, handling, use and identification of biotechnology products, especially GMOs were drafted by participants, many of whom are involved in regulatory bodies and/or national biosafety committees in their countries. 

Risk assessment case studies on transgenic cotton, maize and bananas, and plenary exercises enriched the learning process and underscored the range of expertise and the rigor required to conduct a proper assessments of risks and benefits of a genetically engineered product. The cases also highlighted the importance of a congruent national biosafety framework, proper laws and regulations. 

This workshop provided a rich forum for discussion of biosafety issues including potential implications for trade with the USA, Canada and the EU, and the movement of transgenic material through open intra-Caribbean borders. It is envisaged that regional networking capabilities and co-ordination in biosafety would be improved through the workshop. Thirty-seven (37) participants received certificates of participation based on the achievement of 80% attendance at the workshop.

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