FAO Global Agrifood Biotechnologies Conference
Biotechnologies for a Sustainable Future: Driving Agrifood Systems Transformation
Programme
16 - 18 june 2025, FAO, Rome
Policies in Biotechnology: Ensuring innovation and equity, balancing regulatory frameworks
Wednesday 18 June
11.00 - 12.30
Red Room
The session will recognize the policies and regulatory efforts and advocate for public trust and transparency. The discussions will elaborate the evidence-based policies, regulations and legislation to ensure food safety and address the potential risks. It will emphasize the need to build policy coherence towards sustainable action ensuring equity. Th session will highlight the policies for equitable access and responsible application of biotechnologies by addressing consumer concerns and ensuring integration of ethical considerations. Collaboration by connecting government policy-makers, scientists, civil society, private sector and farmers to drive inclusive biotechnological policies will be stressed. The discussions will briefly mention how biotechnologies are addressed in global climate, biodiversity and environmental agreements and bioeconomy strategies.
- Status of International and national policies and regulations for biotechnologies
Mr Piet van der Meer, Professor, Ghent University, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium - Biosafety regulatory frameworks – Experiences of formulation and dissemination of guidelines
Ms Vibha Ahuja, Chief General Manager, Biotech Consortium India Limited, New Delhi, India - Policy and regulatory affairs for biotechnologies: Experiences from Africa
Mr Francis Nangayo, Senior Manager and Head, Regulatory and Policies, African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), Nairobi, Kenya. - Biotechnology policies applied to agriculture, food and biofuels: Ensuring policy coherence, equity and ethics
Mr Carl Pray, Distinguished Professor, Department of Agricultural, Food and Resource Economics, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Rutgers – New Brunswick, USA - Analytical information to inform regulatory and policy processes in Africa and South East Asia: advocating for public trust and transparency
Ms Judith Chambers, Director, Programme for Biosafety Systems, IFPRI, Washington D.C, USA - Policies and regulations of agricultural biotechnologies in Malawi – stakeholder relations and communications
Ms Lilian Chimphepo, Chief Environmental Officer (Biosafety Registrar), Environmental Affairs Department, Malawi - Policy enablers for regulating agricultural biotechnologies in Africa
Mr Samuel Timpo, Principal Programme Officer – Biosafety, Johannesburg, South Africa