In November 2001, the GEF Council approved 12 proposals for projects to support countries with the implementation of their national biosafety frameworks (NBFs). Two of those projects (India and Colombia) were coordinated by the World Bank, two (Malaysia and Mexico) by UNDP and eight by UNEP (Bulgaria, Cameroon, China, Cuba, Kenya, Namibia, Poland, Uganda).
The first batch of UNEP-GEF projects on Implementation of NBFs (the 8 Demonstration Projects) were implemented for approximately three years in duration, and the budgets range between US $500,000 and US $1,000,000.
The current tranche of UNEP-GEF Projects on Implementation of National Biosafety Frameworks are "country driven", participatory and multi-stakeholder based projects. The participating Governments are expected to ensure coordination with other relevant capacity building projects in their country, to avoid duplication and ensure synergy. The "Implementation Team" focuses on providing expert assistance and guidance, ensuring accountability through adequate and transparent reporting, and promoting collaboration and coordination with Governments and other organisations. The target of each country project is to have the main components of the national biosafety framework operational by the end of the 3 - 5-year project period.
At the end of the projects, each participating country will have:
- A workable and transparent regulatory regime consisting of enabling legislation, implementing regulations and complementing guidelines that are consistent with the Biosafety Protocol and other relevant international obligations
- Ability to implement systems for :
- handling of notifications or requests for approvals (including systems for administrative processing, risk assessment and decision making);
- enforcement and monitoring;
- public information and public participation.
Key activities to date include among others: Clear picture or a stocktaking of the status of Biosafety and Biotechnology at the start of Projects; Review of draft legislation by experts; Workshops; Detailed work plans; Meeting of the national coordinators; and Training on enabling legislation, implementing regulations, users' guides, technical/administrative manuals to support decision making and follow up monitoring and enforcement.
The current tranche of projects also have windows for issue specific or thematic or focused interventions to strengthen existing or operational national biosafety frameworks to support Biosafety Decision making. Interventions include capacity building on Risk Assessment and Risk Management, Socio-economic considerations, the BCH, Liability and Redress, Monitoring and Enforcement including tools for inspections and LMO Detection. New trends coming up also include review and development of regulatory responds to emerging trends in Biosafety and Biosecurity. The UNEP-GEF Biosafety Projects also create opportunities for uptake of new guidance/decisions from COP/MOP notable among them interventions on mainstreaming Biosafety into NBSAPs and other productive sectors, emerging regulatory issues on new biotechnologies including Synthetic Biology.
