Workshop on Phase II Capacity Building Project on Biosafety: Outcomes and Way Forward

Overview

At the request of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), the Agriculture & Food Systems Institute provided technical support under the risk assessment and risk management component of the Phase II Capacity Building Project on Biosafety, including: workshops on problem formulation and other aspects of environmental risk assessment (ERA); a survey of the pipeline of genetically engineered crops in development in India; a comprehensive set of resource documents, including eight crop-specific biology documents; training materials related to ERA; and a study tour to share learnings with the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (Australia).

On March 15, MoEF&CC convened a culminating workshop in New Delhi to mark the completion of the Phase II project, including the launch of a new E-Application System and the release of publications arising from the project.

Program

The inaugural address was provided by the Chief Guest, Shri. Anil Madhav Dave, Hon’ble Minister Environment, Forest & Climate Change. Dr. Amita Prasad, Additional Secretary, MoEF&CC spoke about the key achievements of the Phase II project, and Dr. Alex Owusu Biney, Portfolio Manager (Biosafety), United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) discussed opportunities for continued collaborative engagement between UNEP and MoEF&CC on the topic of biosafety capacity building. Each of the Phase II project partners, including the Agriculture & Food Systems Institute, shared progress to date as well as how biosafety capacity building in India can continue to be advanced.