What is Biosafety? Biosafety & Genetically Modified Organisms

“Biosafety” means the mechanism developed through policy and procedures to ensure the environmentally safe application of which results to develop Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs).

What is Genetic Modification?

Genetic modification is a technology which allows scientists to take genes from one organism and put them into another. This changes the way the organism develops, making new types of plants and animals.

What is Gene?

All organisms, from to humans, contain a unique set of instructions which set down how they develop, grow and live called . These instructions are found inside cells on a long molecule called DNA. DNA is divided into small section which control different aspects of the

organism’s growth and characteristic, and these sections are called genes. Very simple organisms such as bacteria may have a few thousands genes, while more complicated organisms have many more, for example, it has been estimated that maize has around 50,000 genes.

Government of Pakistan 1 National Biosafety Centre 2 Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency Ministry of Environment, Islamabad What are Genetically Modified • Crops Organisms (GMOs)? o Improved resistance to disease, pests, and herbicides A Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) is an o Increased nutrients, yields, and stress organism whose genetic material has been altered tolerance using recombinant DNA technology. Recombinant o Reduced maturation time DNA technology is the ability to combine DNA o Enhanced taste and quality molecules from different sources into the one o New products and growing molecule in a test tube. Thus, the abilities or the techniques of the organism, or the protein it • Environment produces, can be modified through the modification o "Friendly" bioherbicides and of its genes. In , DNA is cut up bioinsecticides and genes can be moved around from one organism o Conservation of soil, water, and to another. energy GM products (current or in the pipeline) include o Bioprocessing for forestry products and , foods and food ingredients, o Better natural waste management feeds and fibers. o More efficient processing • Society What types of GM products: Benefits o Increased food security for growing and Controversies populations

Benefits Controversies

• Animals • Access and Intellectual Property o Increased resistance, productivity o Domination of world food and feed efficiency production by a few companies o Better yields of , eggs, and milk o Increasing dependence on o Improved animal health and Industrialized nations by developing diagnostic methods countries o Bio-piracy foreign exploitation of natural resources

3 4 • Ethics Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. The Convention o Violation of natural organisms' has three main goals. intrinsic values o Tampering with nature by mixing 1- Conservation of biological diversity genes among 2- Sustainable use of its compounds and o Objections to consuming animal 3- Fair and equitable sharing of benefits from genes in plants and vice versa genetic resources. th o Stress for animal It was open for signature on 5 June 1992 and th • Labeling entered into Force on 29 December 1993. th o Not mandatory in some countries Pakistan signed the Convention on 5 June 1992 (e.g., United States) and became the party to the Convention on 26th July o Mixing GM crops with non-GM 1994 by ratification. confound labeling attempts • Safety The convention recognized for the first time in o Potential human health impact: international law that the conservation of biological allergens, transfer of antibiotic diversity is "a common concern of humankind" and resistance markers, unknown effects, is an integral part of the development process. The potential environmental impact: agreement covers all ecosystems, species, and unintended transfer of genetic resources. It links traditional conservation through cross-pollination, unknown efforts to the economic goal of using biological effects on other organisms (e.g., soil resources sustainably. It sets principles for the fair microbes), and loss of flora and and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from fauna biodiversity the use of genetic resources, notably those destined • Society for commercial use. It also covers the rapidly o New advances may be skewed to expanding field of biotechnology through its interests of rich countries Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, addressing Convention on Biological Diversity technology development and transfer, benefit- (CBD) and Cartagena Protocol on sharing and biosafety issues. Importantly, the Biosafety Convention is legally binding; countries that join The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is it('Parties') are obliged to implement its provisions. an international treaty that was adopted at the Earth

5 6 With a view to adopt sufficient precautions on , whether conducted in laboratories of transboundary movement of LMOs, a Cartagena teaching, research and development institute in Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on public and private sector. The work involved the Biodiversity was adopted on 29 January 2000 and it field trial and commercial release of developed came into force on 11 September 2003. The GMOs (plants, animals and microorganisms). The Protocol deals with safe transfer, handling and use import, export, sale and purchase of GMOs for of LMOs such as genetically engineered plants, commercial purposes. animals, and microbes that can cross international borders. The Cartagena Protocol is also intended to After notification of Biosafety Rules 2005, the avoid adverse effects on the conservation and National Biosafety Guidelines, 2005 were sustainable use of biodiversity without developed, which establishes the proper procedures unnecessarily disrupting world food trade. Till and forms to carry out the above mentioned October 2, 2006, 134 instruments of ratification or activities related to GMOs under the safety limits. accession to Cartagena Protocol were deposited The Pakistan Biosafety Rules 2005 provides legal with the UN including countries of our region like cover to the National Biosafety Guidelines and its Iran, India and Bangla Desh. implementation in the country.

th Pakistan is Signatory to this Protocol on 4 June The mechanism of monitoring and implementation 2001. The summary for the Ratification to of the National Biosafety Guidelines is built on the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention following three tiers as specified in the Biosafety on Biodiversity is under way to be submitted to the Rules, 2005. Cabinet Division. i) National Biosafety Committee (NBC) GMOs Fate in Pakistan and Role of the ii) Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) Ministry of Environment iii) Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) To get the full benefit of this advanced technology and for the safety of human and environment, st NBC is headed by Secretary Ministry of Pakistan Biosafety Rules have been notified on 21 Environment, is responsible to oversee all April, 2005, S.R.O. 336 (I)/2005, governing the laboratory work, field trial, commercial release, manufacture, import, and storage of modified import, export, sale and purchase of GMOs and organisms and gene technological products for their products. All applications/requests of any such

7 8 activity related to GMOs, as prescribed in the Composition of National Biosafety National Biosafety Guidelines 2005, will be Committee submitted to the relevant IBC which is monitoring, Secretary Ministry of Environment Chairperson implementing and regulatory authority at baseline level. Then these must be transferred to TAC for Director General Pakistan Environmental Member/ assessment and on its recommendations, NBC will Protection Agency Secretary take further necessary actions. Director General Environmental Protection Member Agency Sindh, Karachi Implementation of Project “National Chairman Pakistan Agriculture Member Biosafety Centre”: Research Council Secretary Sports and Environment, Member National Biosafety Centre, which serves as the Government of Balochistan. Chief Health Ministry of Health Member secretariat of the National Biosafety Committee. The National Biosafety Centre provides the Director General, Ministry of Education Member requisite set-up for the implementation of the National Institute of Science & Technical Biosafety Rules, 2005 and Biosafety Guidelines, Education (NISTE) 2005. The over all objective of the centre is to Member (Sciences) Pakistan Atomic Energy Member provide safeguard against undesirable effects of the Commission Genetically Modifies Organisms (GMOs). Director General Environmental Protection Member Agency, Government of AJK For awareness raising about the GMOs and the risk Director General Pakistan Environmental Member involved for human health and environment, public Protection Agency, Government of N.W.F.P notices, workshops and seminars may be arranged Director General Federal Seed Certification Member country wide on federal as well as provincial levels. and Registration Department (Ministry of Food and Agriculture) Director General Department of Plant Member Protection

Assistant/Deputy Ministry of Science and Member Scientific Advisor Technology District Officer Environment Rawalpindi Member Government of Punjab

9 10 Composition of Technical Advisory Committee

Director General Pakistan Environmental Chairperson Protection Agency Director National Institute of Bio Vice Technology and Genetic Chairperson Engineering, Faisalabad. Director Pakistan Environmental Member/ Protection Agency Secretary

Executive Director Pakistan Medical Research Member Council (PMRC), Islamabad Director Pakistan Council of Industrial Member (Training/Analytical and Scientific Research Laboratory) (PCSIR), Islamabad Director Health Services Academy Member (HAS), Islamabad Executive Director National Institute of Health, Member Islamabad For more information contact the Deputy Chief Pakistan Atomic Energy Member National Biosafety Centre, Pakistan Environmental Scientists/ Commission, Islamabad Protection Agency Breeder, NIAB Director Centre for Molecular , Member Address University of Karachi # 311, Main Margalla Road, Professor of Centre for Applied and Member F-11/3, Islamabad, Pakistan. Molecular Molecular Biology, Lahore

Secretary General National Commission on Member NCB/Member Food Biotechnology, Islamabad Telephone and Agriculture 92-51-9235320-1 Member Plant Sciences, Pakistan Member Fax Agriculture Research Council 92-51-9267622 (PARC), Islamabad Email Member Animal Sciences, Pakistan Member [email protected] Agriculture Research Council (PARC), Islamabad For details visit the website Member Two experts From Private/Civil Society www.environment.gov.pk

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