Support for the African Union on Bio-safety Issues

Project description

Title: Support for the African Union on Bio-safety Issues
Commissioned by: German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Country: Africa, transnational (located in Ethiopia)
Lead executing agency: African Union Commission (AUC)
Overall term: 2003 to 2010

Context

The question of how to handle genetically modified (GM) organisms presents new challenges to the global business community, and also raises new environmental and consumer protection issues. Most African states lack the technical expertise or legal instruments to assess the risks that GM organisms pose for conservation and the sustainable use of biodiversity. Nor are they equipped to judge the related social and economic impacts or take steps to prevent them.

African states made a crucial contribution to the development of the Cartagena Protocol on Bio-safety, which sets minimum standards for assessing the safety of genetically modified organisms, and for state decision-making structures. In addition, the Organization of African Unity (OAU) drafted the African Model Law on Safety in Biotechnology, which is intended to serve as a guideline for the member states, when developing their own national legislation. The African Union, the successor organisation to the OAU, has maintained this successful regional cooperation.

Objective

The African Union (AU) Commission has the capacities and effective instruments it needs to assist its member states in establishing national regulatory systems for biological safety.

Approach

Acting on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), GTZ is supporting the establishment of a bio-safety unit within the AU. This unit facilitates regional consultation processes and acts as a service-provider on issues of bio-safety.

GTZ channels financial support to the African Union Commission through a financing agreement, which also covers the costs of the project staff. In addition, GTZ is providing technical and sectoral advice and supports project activities and networking.

Results achieved so far

The project is strengthening the AU's role in regional integration and the interaction of African states, while also enhancing its position as the representative of these nations before the rest of the world. At the same time, it has had a positive impact on other African policy processes in the field of genetic engineering and bio-safety. The project has established itself as an important partner of the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, which is responsible for the Cartagena Protocol. As a result, the AU is now invited to attend all relevant meetings.

By participating in the project activities, AU member states are raising the level of their technical competences. At the same time, they are also strengthening their capacity to develop networks. The preparatory work they now undertake in advance of negotiation processes means that the African states are better able to maintain their positions more purposefully in international negotiations.

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    Contact


    Ms Alexandra Müller
    Email: alexandra.mueller@giz.de