• Biosafety protocol

Biosafety protocol

This report focuses on central Asia and Mongolia, both rich in genetic resources and traditional knowledge. The paper highlights the rich biodiversity of the region, the origin of many wild cultivars of domesticated crops of importance to the world, such as apricots and walnuts, as well as of endemic medicinal plants such as liquorice and Trans-Caspian thyme.

The paper reports on a series of workshops organised by the United Nations University. The principal aim of the workshops was to assist countries within the region to conserve and use their biological diversity in a sustainable manner.

The main points arising from the regional workshops included the need to:

• build political support and allocation of funding for environmental concerns such as biodiversity conservation
• strengthen the weak legislative base at a regional and country level
• overcome the lack of adequate information and limited access to information
• build appropriate scientific and technical expertise with regards to the establishment of benefit-sharing and biosafety frameworks
• promote institutional coordination within governments and between governments and stakeholders
• develop the ability to overcome difficulties in accessing and availability of funding
• design mechanisms to reduce direct economic pressure on ecosystems and secure increased recognition of conservation needs in national budget allocations
• increase public education and awareness
• support the promotion and protection of traditional knowledge
• build capacity for participation in international negotiations.

[adapted from author]

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