September 2015


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To the man on the street, the clever media hype that surrounds technology, might make it appear as though creative products and solutions materialise from thin air and unto our shelves, but this is not the case. Years, sometimes decades of research, development and safety tests are needed before any new products interface with the public, even more so when it involves food and pharmaceuticals.

In October 2000, Trinidad and Tobago acceded to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, which is one the Protocols found in the Convention on Biological Diversity. The term Biosafety is used to describe practices to reduce and eliminate any risks resulting from biotechnology and its products. The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety is the means by which over 169 countries will establish minimum standards for regulating the import and export of products made using modern biotechnology.

Since the inception of the project to implement the Protocol, The University of the West Indies, through its Office of the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research), has been partnering with the Government of Trinidad and Tobago to reach out to citizens; heightening awareness of the Protocol on Biosafety; explaining the science of modern biotechnology and how this technology is used around the world. The University has been the main collaborator in national public consultations in north, east and south Trinidad as well as in Tobago. Youth were also engaged in specially designed sessions, which included many of the young researchers from The UWI’s St. Augustine Campus as well as national institutions such as NIHERST, IICA, CARDI, UTT and secondary school students. Through these varied interactions with the public, a National Policy on Biosafety was created and successfully approved by Parliament in April 2014.

As a regional institution, The University’s role extends far beyond the twin-island shores of Trinidad and Tobago. The UWI is the lead executing agency for the Regional Project for Implementing Biosafety Frameworks in the Caribbean SubRegion, which is part of the UNEP-GEF suite of projects. It is mandated to oversee the implementation of the Protocol in all Caribbean countries that are signatories. The overall goal of the regional project is to implement effective, operable, transparent and sustainable National Biosafety Frameworks, which cater for national and regional need and deliver global benefits, which are compliant with the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. Countries participating in this project include Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago. The countries of Barbados and Bahamas also participate in project activities but in a limited capacity.

Relying on the strength of more than 60 years’ experience in leading regional issues, The University was able to efficiently pool technical personnel and financial resources for the maximum benefit of all in the Caribbean. Nowhere has this been better reflected than in the numerous University hosted regional workshops, facilitated by international experts from the United States, Canada and Australia, to build capacity among scientists and technocrats in the region.

The University partnership with the National Biosafety Co-ordinating Unit, focal point of the national project of Trinidad and Tobago, continues in 2015. Professor of Genetics Path Umaharan, is a member of the Trinidad and Tobago Cabinet appointed committee on Biosafety and is also the Technical Lead of the Regional Project on Biosafety of which Trinidad and Tobago is a part.

The successful implementation of this policy will promote the safe use of the technology while protecting consumer rights. View the national biosafety policy at: http://www.legalaffairs.gov.tt/

Dr. Marissa Moses is the National Biosafety Project Coordinator in the Ministry of Legal Affairs