The International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) provides access to a wide range of video recordings of presentations by scientific experts from its meetings, courses and seminars. These include numerous presentations from the workshop on “Genome editing applications and beyond”, organised by ICGEB and the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) on 19-22 November 2019 in Trieste, Italy. See https://www.icgeb.org/outreach/podcasts/ or contact [email protected] for more information.

The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) is supported by a number of Specialist Commissions whose role is to use current scientific information to study problems of epidemiology and the prevention and control of animal diseases, to develop and revise OIE's international standards and to address scientific and technical issues raised by Members. These include the OIE Biological Standards Commission (BSC), which is concerned with developing internationally agreed standards for laboratory diagnostic tests and vaccines for OIE-listed animal diseases of mammals, birds and bees. The BSC meeting reports, including the latest one from 17-20 September 2019, are available in English, French and Spanish at https://www.oie.int/en/standard-setting/specialists-commissions-working-ad-hoc-groups/laboratories-commission-reports/meetings-reports/. For more information, contact [email protected].

The latest issue (December 2019) of the OECD Biotechnology Update, prepared by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Internal Co-ordination Group for Biotechnology, is now available. The 32-page newsletter provides updated information on the diverse activities at OECD related to biotechnology, including the safety of novel foods and feeds, BioTrack Online (with a database of transgenic products) and biotechnology statistics. See http://www.oecd.org/env/ehs/biotrack/oecdbiotechnologynewsletterupdates.htm or contact [email protected] for more information.

The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) Center of Excellence in Genomics and Systems Biology (CEGSB) organised a training course and workshop on “Next generation genomics for developing climate resilient crops” on 10-15 February 2020 in Hyderabad, India. It took place as part of the AdaptNET (Strengthening education, research and innovation for climate smart crops in India) project, funded by the European Commission. See the detailed agenda at https://adaptnet.aua.gr/index.php/events-adaptnet/5-workshop-4 and a brief report of the event at https://www.icrisat.org/empowering-young-scientists-with-new-skills-to-develop-genomic-assisted-climate-resilient-crops/. Contact [email protected] for more information. 

The 74th Session of the UN General Assembly recently considered a number of items where the preparatory documents and/or the resolutions adopted were relevant to biotechnologies. These included ‘Agricultural technology for sustainable development’ (document A/74/238 and resolution A/Res/74/215), ‘Science, technology and innovation for sustainable development’ (document A/74/230 and resolution A/Res/74/229), ‘Implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity and its contribution to sustainable development’ (document A/74/207 and resolution A/Res/74/221) and ‘Agriculture development, food security and nutrition’ (document A/74/237 and resolution A/Res/74/242). The documents and resolutions are available in English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese and Russian at https://www.un.org/en/ga/second/74/documentslist.shtml and https://www.un.org/en/ga/74/resolutions.shtml respectively.

The Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group (AHTEG) on Digital Sequence Information on Genetic Resources was established/extended by decision 14/20 of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity at its 14th meeting in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt on 17-29 November 2018. The AHTEG will meet from 17 to 20 March 2020 in Montreal, Canada. Documents for the meeting are available at https://www.cbd.int/meetings/DSI-AHTEG-2020-01. More information on the background and ongoing work at the Convention on Biological Diversity related to the issue of digital sequence information on genetic resources is available at https://www.cbd.int/dsi-gr/ (in English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese and Russian). Contact [email protected] for further information.

During the 14th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Parties agreed on a number of activities related to synthetic biology (decision 14/19). One of these was to extend the Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group on Synthetic Biology, with renewed membership and new terms of reference. The Expert Group met on 4-7 June 2019 in Montreal, Canada. Documents from the meeting, including the report, are available at https://www.cbd.int/meetings/SYNBIO-AHTEG-2019-01. Information on the background and activities carried out on synthetic biology under the Convention on Biological Diversity, including a calendar of activities for implementing the elements of decision 14/19, is available at https://bch.cbd.int/synbio/. Contact [email protected] for more information.

On 16-18 December 2019, the 3rd joint roundtable on public awareness, access to information and public participation regarding living modified organisms/genetically modified organisms (LMOs/GMOs) took place in Geneva, Switzerland. It was organized under the auspices of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (Aarhus Convention) and the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity.  Presentations and documents from the meeting are now available, including the 5-page ‘Chair’s Summary’. See https://www.unece.org/index.php?id=50759 or contact [email protected] or [email protected] for more information.

The 8th Session of the Governing Body of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) took place in Rome on 11-16 November 2019. One of the items on the agenda was ‘Consideration of digital sequence information in accordance with Resolution 13/2017’. By Resolution 13/2017, the Governing Body invited contracting parties, other governments, relevant stakeholders and individuals with relevant expertise to provide information regarding “digital sequence information” on plant genetic resources for food and agriculture. Information documents IT/GB-8/19/16.1/Inf.1 and IT/GB-8/19/16.1/Inf.1Add.1 contain the submissions of information and views received before and after 17 May 2019 respectively. These documents, as well as the meeting report, are available at http://www.fao.org/plant-treaty/meetings/meetings-detail/en/c/1111365/. The ITPGRFA is an FAO international instrument that promotes the conservation and sustainable use of agricultural biological diversity of plants which entered into force in 2004. Contact [email protected] for more information.

At the request of the Government of Sri Lanka, FAO has been providing technical assistance to the country in strengthening its institutional and human capacities for the implementation of the National Biosafety Framework and hence the safe handling of living modified organisms (LMOs) or genetically modified organisms (GMOs). It is doing this through a four-year project which began in 2017 on ‘Implementation of the National Biosafety Framework in Accordance with the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety’. The project is being implemented by the Ministry of Environment and Wildlife Resources and FAO. As part of the project, a biosafety newsletter is published twice a year in English, Sinhalese and Tamil. The latest version of the newsletter (January 2020) is available at http://www.fao.org/publications/card/en/c/CA7443T. For more information about the project, contact [email protected].