Some 56 participants from 12 countries convened in the Malaysian Agriculture Research and Development Institute (MARDI) in Serdang, Malaysia to facilitate the participation of Asian scientists and stakeholders in the upcoming Meeting of the Parties (MOP 8) and Conference of the Parties (COP 13) in Cancun, Mexico.

The workshop Strengthening Asia's Participation in MOP 8 was conducted to raise awareness on some topics in the convention that includes how modern biotechnology can contribute to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity; the main characteristics of functional national biosafety systems and related elements of the Cartagena Protocol for Biodiversity; the importance of regional collaboration and harmonization; MOPs and key items on the MOP8 agenda and related topics in CoP13 and MOP2; how outcomes of MOPs and COPs relate to national systems; as well as to provide public and private sectors perspectives. Topics on socio-economic considerations, public awareness, synthetic biology, and the Nagoya Protocol were also discussed.

Experts from Public Research Regulation Initiative (PRRI), U.S. Department of Agriculture, India, Malaysia Biotechnology Information Center (MABIC) and an industry representative discussed the most updated documents and declarations for MOP 8. The ongoing workshop (October 24-27) was organized by the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications, in partnership with the PRRI, MABIC, MARDI, and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute of Malaysia.

For details of the workshop, contact knowledge.center@isaaa.org.