The World Trade Organization (WTO) has been facilitating trade relations among countries across the world since its inception in 1995. The organization also plays a crucial role in regulating international trade agreements related to biosafety. Biosafety refers to the safe handling, use, and transfer of living modified organisms (LMOs).
To regulate the international trade of LMOs, the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety was adopted in 2000. It is an international agreement that governs the movement of living modified organisms (LMOs) resulting from modern biotechnology from one country to another. The Protocol also requires importing countries to ensure that the LMOs being imported are handled safely to protect the environment and human health. The protocol also requires the establishment of national biosafety frameworks to regulate the activities related to LMOs in each country.
The WTO has a committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) measures, which deals with measures related to the protection of human, animal, and plant health. The committee provides a forum for members to discuss the implementation of the SPS agreement and to exchange information on their respective measures.
The SPS agreement is significant because it ensures that countries impose only necessary measures on traded organisms, and these measures do not act as unnecessary barriers to trade. The agreement also requires countries to base their measures on scientific principles and risk assessments.
In addition to the Cartagena Protocol and the SPS agreement, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) has developed the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) to manage chemicals effectively. The SAICM is a policy framework that aims to promote the safe use and handling of chemicals worldwide. It includes actions to prevent and reduce the risks to human health and the environment from the production, use, storage, and transport of chemicals, including LMOs.
The WTO plays a critical role in regulating international trade agreements related to biosafety. Through its committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary measures, it ensures that countries impose only necessary measures on traded organisms. The Cartagena protocol provides a framework for the safe handling and transfer of LMOs from one country to another, while the SAICM promotes the safe use and handling of chemicals worldwide. These international agreements ensure that trade in LMOs is regulated with the utmost priority for human health and the environment.