title: Toward a workable biosafety system for regulating genetically modified organisms in Ethiopia: balancing conservation and competitiveness.
abstract: On September 9, 2009, Ethiopia enacted a highly restrictive biosafety law firmly based on precautionary principles as a foundation for its GMO regulation system. Its drafting process, led by the country's Environmental Protection Authority, was judged as biased, focusing only on protecting the environment from perceived risks, giving little attention to potential benefits of GMOs. Many of its provisions are very stringent, exceeding those of Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, while others cannot be fulfilled by applicants, collectively rendering the emerged biosafety system unworkable. These provisions include requirements for advance informed agreement and rigorous socioeconomic assessment in risk evaluation for all GMO transactions, including contained research use-which requires the head of the competent national authority of the exporting country to take full responsibility for GMO-related information provided-and stringent labeling, insurance and monitoring requirements for all GMO activities. Furthermore, there is no provision to establish an independent national biosafety decision-making body(ies). As a result, foreign technology owners that provide highly demanded technologies like Bt cotton declined to work with Ethiopia. There is a fear that the emerged biosafety system might also continue to suppress domestic genetic engineering research and development. Thus, to benefit from GMOs, Ethiopia has to revise its biosafety system, primarily by making changes to some provisions of the law in a way that balances its diverse interests of conserving biodiversity, protecting the environment and enhancing competition in agricultural and other economic sectors.
authors.affiliation: National Agricultural Biotechnology Laboratory, Holetta Agricultural Research Center, Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. adaneabraham@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Adane
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Abraham
mesh_terms: D001413:Bacillus thuringiensis / Q000378:metabolism; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D005002:Ethiopia; D003368:Gossypium / Q000235:genetics / Q000382:microbiology; D030781:Organisms, Genetically Modified / Q000254:growth & development*; D012926:Social Control, Formal
keywords: Btcotton; biotechnology community; institutional arrangement; law revision; private sector; special permit