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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Patenting
genetic inventions<BR>GURTS - call for views<BR>Technical consultation on
biological risk management in food and agriculture<BR>UNESCO biotechnology
fellowships<BR>Cartagena protocol on biosafety - ratification
status<BR></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>PATENTING
GENETIC INVENTIONS<BR>January 2003<BR>FAO-BiotechNews: 1-2003<BR></FONT><A
href="http://www.fao.org/biotech/index.asp"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>http://www.fao.org/biotech/index.asp</FONT></A><BR><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3>The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and
Development (OECD) has just<BR>published "Genetic inventions, intellectual
property rights and licensing<BR>practices: Evidence and policies". The main
body of this 110-page report is<BR>based on discussions at an expert workshop
held by the OECD Working Party on<BR>Biotechnology on 24-25 January 2002 in
Berlin, Germany. The workshop was<BR>entitled "Genetic inventions, IPR, and
licensing practices" and was attended<BR>by over 100 private and public sector
experts from 18 OECD countries. The<BR>objectives of the workshop were to assess
the impact of patents on genetic<BR>inventions (i.e. patents whose claims
include nucleotide (DNA or RNA)<BR>sequences) on access to the information and
technologies covered by DNA<BR>patents and to discuss the challenges they pose
for scientists,<BR>industrialists and medical practitioners. See<BR></FONT><A
href="http://www.oecd.org/pdf/M00037000/M00037885.pdf"><FONT
face="Times New Roman"
size=3>http://www.oecd.org/pdf/M00037000/M00037885.pdf</FONT></A><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3> (685 KB) or contact<BR></FONT><A
href="mailto:icgb@oecd.org"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>icgb@oecd.org</FONT></A><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3> for more
information.<BR><BR><BR><BR>GURTS - CALL FOR VIEWS<BR>January
2003<BR>FAO-BiotechNews: 1-2003<BR></FONT><A
href="http://www.fao.org/biotech/index.asp"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>http://www.fao.org/biotech/index.asp</FONT></A><BR><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3>International organisations, smallholder farmers,
indigenous and local<BR>communities are invited to submit to the Secretariat of
the Convention on<BR>Biological Diversity (CBD), at their earliest convenience
but no later than<BR>31 January 2003, their views on the potential impacts of
Genetic Use<BR>Restriction Technologies (GURTs) on smallholder farmers,
indigenous and<BR>local communities and on Farmers' Rights. The views submitted
will be<BR>compiled in a document to be used for a meeting of the Ad Hoc
Technical<BR>Expert Group on GURTs to be held on 19-21 February 2003, in
Montreal,<BR>Canada. See<BR></FONT><A
href="http://www.biodiv.org/doc/notifications/2002/ntf-2002-113-gurt-en.pdf"><FONT
face="Times New Roman"
size=3>http://www.biodiv.org/doc/notifications/2002/ntf-2002-113-gurt-en.pdf</FONT></A><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3> (which<BR>also contains a list of relevant
documentation prepared by the Secretariat<BR>of CBD and FAO) or contact
</FONT><A href="mailto:secretariat@biodiv.org"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>secretariat@biodiv.org</FONT></A><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3> for
more information.<BR><BR><BR><BR>TECHNICAL CONSULTATION ON BIOLOGICAL RISK
MANAGEMENT IN FOOD AND AGRICULTURE<BR>January 2003<BR>FAO-BiotechNews:
1-2003<BR></FONT><A href="http://www.fao.org/biotech/index.asp"><FONT
face="Times New Roman"
size=3>http://www.fao.org/biotech/index.asp</FONT></A><BR><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3>The FAO Technical Consultation on Biological Risk
Management in Food and<BR>Agriculture was held on 13-17 January 2003 in Bangkok,
Thailand. Biological<BR>risk management in food and agriculture is referred to
as Biosecurity by FAO<BR>and covers food safety, plant life and health, animal
life and health and<BR>the environment, including the introduction and release
of genetically<BR>modified organisms and their products. The meeting's objective
was to<BR>further explore the scope and relevance of Biosecurity as a
holistic<BR>approach to managing risks associated with food safety, animal and
plant<BR>health and the environment. The agenda and working papers are available
in<BR>Arabic, Chinese, English, French and Spanish. See<BR></FONT><A
href="http://www.fao.org/es/ESN/food/meetings_biosecurity_en.stm"><FONT
face="Times New Roman"
size=3>http://www.fao.org/es/ESN/food/meetings_biosecurity_en.stm</FONT></A><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3> or contact<BR></FONT><A
href="mailto:biosecurity@fao.org"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>biosecurity@fao.org</FONT></A><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3> for
more information.<BR><BR><BR><BR>UNESCO BIOTECHNOLOGY FELLOWSHIPS<BR>January
2003<BR>FAO-BiotechNews: 1-2003<BR></FONT><A
href="http://www.fao.org/biotech/index.asp"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>http://www.fao.org/biotech/index.asp</FONT></A><BR><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3>As part of the UNESCO/Biotechnology Action Council
programme, two short-term<BR>(2-3 months) plant biotechnology (potato,
sweetpotato) fellowships are<BR>available in Pretoria, South Africa. Candidates
from Angola, Lesotho,<BR>Namibia, South Africa or Swaziland will be selected
based on their<BR>scientific background, potential, active involvement in
biotechnology and<BR>their expressed interest in plant transformation. Deadline:
31 January 2003.<BR>For more information, contact </FONT><A
href="mailto:gthompson@vopi.agric.za"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>gthompson@vopi.agric.za</FONT></A><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>.<BR><BR><BR><BR>CARTAGENA PROTOCOL ON BIOSAFETY - RATIFICATION
STATUS<BR>January 2003<BR>FAO-BiotechNews: 1-2003<BR></FONT><A
href="http://www.fao.org/biotech/index.asp"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>http://www.fao.org/biotech/index.asp</FONT></A><BR><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3>In a letter dated 7 January 2003, Philemon Yang,
Chairman of the<BR>Intergovernmental Committee for the Cartagena Protocol on
Biosafety (ICCP),<BR>and Hamdallah Zedan, Executive Secretary of the Convention
on Biological<BR>Diversity, update the ICCP National Focal Points about the
status of<BR>ratification of the Protocol and remind them of the further action
that<BR>would be required to realising the entry into force of the Protocol
without<BR>much more delay. See<BR></FONT><A
href="http://www.biodiv.org/doc/notifications/2003/ntf-2003-01-cpbs-en.pdf"><FONT
face="Times New Roman"
size=3>http://www.biodiv.org/doc/notifications/2003/ntf-2003-01-cpbs-en.pdf</FONT></A><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3> or<BR>contact </FONT><A
href="mailto:secretariat@biodiv.org"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>secretariat@biodiv.org</FONT></A><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3> for
more information.</FONT><BR></DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>