The inaugural session of Meeting of Parties (MoP) to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety will be held at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre here on Monday. There will be deliberations on the safe usage of genetically modified organisms for the benefit of humanity. The Cartagena Protocol, which came into force in September 2003, is an international agreement to ensure safe handling, transportation and use of living modified organisms, that include transgenic crop varieties. Union minister for environment and forests Jayanthi Natarajan will deliver the inaugural speech.
The meeting will witness discussions on the Nagoya-Kuala Lumpur Protocol; Harnessing modern biotechnology for sustainable agriculture and environmental protection in developing countries; Biosafety regulations in Asia Pacific countries; Key issues for advancing biosafety in Hyderabad; Genetically modified trees, Biodiversity conservation leading to enhanced livelihood and food security in African countries. A book, Legal aspects of implementing the Cartagena Protocol on biosafety will be released by the Centre for International Sustainable Development Law. Also, International Union for Conservation of Nature will present a fact sheet on gender and biosafety. The Young Naturalist Network, UN Environment Progra-mme, Biotech Consortium India Limited will present their publications during the conference.