In 2008, FAO approved a two-year Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP) project in the Near East and North Africa region entitled "Strengthening capacities towards the establishment of a regional platform for the detection of genetically modified organisms", with Jordan, Lebanon, the Sudan, Syria, United Arab Emirates and Yemen as the six participating countries. The aim of this regional TCP project is to strengthen capacities and to enhance regional information exchange and dialogue in biosafety towards the establishment of a regional platform for handling and managing GMO detection and related procedures. Within the project, one of the tasks is to prepare a comparative analysis of the current practices in the six participating countries and identify options for standardization. A 203-page document by M. Madkour, entitled "Status and options for regional GMOs detection platform: A benchmark for the region", has now been published whose aim is to present the status of GMO detection in these six countries, identify the gaps, needs and options for strengthening the regional approach towards establishing a GMO detection platform. See http://www.fao.org/docrep/012/al310e/al310e00.htm or contact [email protected] for more information.

09/11/2010