BIO and IICA Enter into Memorandum of Understanding to Promote Agricultural Biotechnology in the Americas.WASHINGTON -- The Biotechnology Industry Organization Biotechnology Industry Organization or BIO was founded 1993 in Washington, DC. James C. Greenwood is BIO's current President. External links
IICA International Ice Cream Association (International Dairy Foods Association) ) today entered into a Memorandum of Understanding A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is a legal document describing a bilateral or multilateral agreement between parties. It expresses a convergence of will between the parties, indicating an intended common line of action and may not imply a legal commitment. (MOU (Minutes Of Usage) A metric used to compute billing and/or statistics for telephone calls or other network use. ) to cooperate for the continued adoption of agricultural biotechnology in the Americas as part of IICA's Hemispheric Biosafety and Biotechnology Program (HBBP). As part of the Memorandum of Understanding, both organizations will promote agricultural biotechnology initiatives that benefit the Americas around the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety is an international agreement on biosafety, as a supplement to the Convention on Biological Diversity. Overview of the Biosafety Protocol , the Convention on Biological Diversity The Convention on Biological Diversity, known informally as the Rio Treaty, is an international treaty that was adopted at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. , the Codex Alimentarius Commission, the International Plant Protection Convention The International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) is an international treaty organization that works to prevent the international spread of plant diseases. Among its functions are the maintenance of lists of plant pests, tracking of pest outbreaks, and coordination of , and World Trade Organization (WTO See World Trade Organization. ) agreements. "Formalizing the collaborative efforts between BIO and IICA will promote the development of national and regional policies and regulatory frameworks for agricultural biotechnology," said BIO President and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. Jim Greenwood. "Today, more than 80 percent of global biotech acreage lies in the Americas -- with a total of nine countries in North, Central, and South America growing biotech crops. Today's signing of the MOU will allow our two organizations to continue to encourage the acceptance of agricultural biotechnology by aiding countries in identifying their unique needs when implementing this technology." "Through the Hemispheric Biosafety and Biotechnology Program, IICA has worked to ensure that countries in the Americas are able to implement agricultural biotechnology and to meet international trade and environmental obligations," said Dr. Jim Butler, Deputy Director General of IICA. "Today's signing of the MOU will allow for BIO and IICA to further align their efforts to improve the acceptance and implementation of agricultural biotechnology across the Americas, and make certain that more farmers and consumers will receive the socioeconomic, environmental, and financial benefits associated with biotech crops." BIO and IICA have previously cooperated in the promotion of agricultural biotechnology to support the development of an abbreviated system of food safety risk assessment for adventitious ADVENTITIOUS, adventitius. From advenio; what comes incidentally; us adventitia bona, goods that, fall to a man otherwise than by inheritance; or adventitia dos, a dowry or portion given by some other friend beside the parent. presence (AP) and on implementation issues for the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. BIO represents more than 1,100 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations across the United States and 31 other nations. BIO members are involved in the research and development of health-care, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products. www.bio.org The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture is the specialized agency for agriculture of the inter-American system. Its mission is to support the Member States in their pursuit of progress and prosperity in the hemisphere through the modernization of the rural sector, promotion of food security, and development of an agricultural sector that is competitive, technologically prepared, environmentally managed, and socially equitable for the people of the Americas. For additional information, please go to: http://www.iica.int. Advance media registration for the BIO International Convention is now available online. Registration is complimentary for credentialed members of the news media. To register, please visit www.bio2007.org/Media. Reporters and editors working full-time for print or broadcast news organizations may register onsite with valid media credentials. All freelancers, college and online publications are strongly encouraged to register in advance by Friday, April 20, 2007. |
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