Colombo, Sri Lanka - Sri Lanka, through its Ministry of Environment and in cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), is implementing a project, “Implementation of the National Biosafety Framework (NBF) in accordance with the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety”, which is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF). The project’s objective is to strengthen Sri Lanka’s regulatory, institutional and technical capacities for the safe handling, transport and use of living modified organisms (LMOs)/ genetically modified organisms (GMOs), the products of modern biotechnology in keeping with international norms.

An international conference was organized recently by the National Biosafety Project which brought together representatives of national and regional institutions to harmonize national guidelines, manuals, application formats and procedures, especially among the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries. The Regional Biosafety Conference strengthened linkages  within this specialized regional community of practice as a step towards an eventual harmonization of relevant practices across the countries.  

During the virtual conference held form 10 - 11 March 2022, regional partners were made aware of the key achievements in the Biosafety capacity building project in Sri Lanka. The conference proivided an inclusive platform for experience and knowledge sharing on biosafety related matters among Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Malaysia and Philippines while priority activities to be implemented jointly as a regional community of practice were identified. The conference also drew attention to the need for increased public awareness on the importance of biosafety for food security, nutrition and the safeguarding of biodiversity.