Irene Lobo and Juliana Andrade
Reporters - Agência Brasil

Brasília – This week, between March 13 and 17, Brazil will host a meeting of the Protocol of Cartegena on Biosafety (Protocolo de Cartagena sobre Biossegurança), in the city of Curitiba, state of Paraná.

The Protocol of Cartagena on Biosafety was drawn up in September 2003, and Brazil became a signatory in February 2004. The protocol is an agreement on biological diversity, the first of its kind, dealing with the secure transport, handling and use of genetically modified living organisms (GMOs). The protocol also establishes rules for international commerce involving GMOs.

The Curitiba meeting will hold further talks on identifying, lablelling, handling and the use of GMOs as well as the legal aspects of possible damage caused by them.

The NGOs Greenpeace and GeneWatch will present a report on GMO contamination at the meeting. According to Gabriela Couto, of Greenpeace, GMOs can cause harm to biodiversity, as well as threaten sovereignty and the human food chain. She adds that the Protocol of Cartegena should be a tool for controlling and monitoring the commercialization of GMOs worldwide.

Translation: Allen Bennett