‘Committed to ensuring biosafety’
Agriculture Minister Dr Abdur Razzaque yesterday said Bangladesh is committed to ensure biosafety as an adaptor of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity.
“We have already adapted and enacted the ‘Biosafety Rules of Bangladesh, 2012’ and ‘Biosafety Guideline of Bangladesh, 2008’… We are committed to ensure biosafety,” said a press release, quoting the minister.
Razzaque, also a presidium member of ruling Awami League, made the remarks while inaugurating the “7th Annual South Asia Biosafety Conference” at a city hotel.
He said there has to be extensive research in this regard for the welfare of all living organisms, added the release.
Dr Vibha Ahuja, chief general manager of Biotech Consortium India ltd; Abdullah Al Mohsin Chowdhury, secretary of the environment and forest ministry; and Md Nasiruzzaman, secretary of the agricultural ministry, among others, spoke on the occasion.
Biosafety is the prevention of large-scale loss of biological integrity, focusing both on ecology and human health. These prevention mechanisms include conduction of regular reviews of the biosafety in laboratory settings, as well as strict guidelines to follow, according to Wikipedia.
Biosafety is also used for protection against harmful incidents. Many laboratories handling biohazards employ an ongoing risk management assessment and enforcement process for biosafety. Failure to follow such protocols can lead to increased risk of exposure to biohazards or pathogens. Human error and poor technique contribute to unnecessary exposure and compromise the best safeguards set in place for protection.
The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity is an in-ternational treaty governing the movements of living modified organisms (LMOs), re-sulting from modern biotechnology, from one country to another.
The Cartagena Protocol was adopted on January 29, 2000 as a supplementary agreement to the Convention on Biological Diversity and entered into force on September 11, 2003.
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