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Experiences with Public Awareness and Outreach Activities

Experiences with Public Awareness and Outreach Activities. Lim Li Ching, Third World Network Joint Aarhus Convention/Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety Workshop on Public Awareness, Access to Information and Public Participation Regarding Living/Genetically Modified Organisms

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Experiences with Public Awareness and Outreach Activities

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  1. Experiences with Public Awareness and Outreach Activities Lim Li Ching, Third World Network Joint Aarhus Convention/Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety Workshop on Public Awareness, Access to Information and Public Participation Regarding Living/Genetically Modified Organisms Nagoya, Japan, 8-9 October 2010

  2. Background and Experiences • Third World Network (TWN) • Biosafety programme • Analysis and research • Capacity building • Awareness and education • Dedicated biosafety website (www.biosafety-info.net) and information service on biosafety • Publications • Organization of meetings and seminars

  3. Needs and Challenges • Who provides the information? • What kind of information? • Not just about biosafety, but also about the non-GMO alternatives to meet development priorities • How is the information presented? • Transparency and openness • Communicating complex scientific issues

  4. Needs and Challenges • How to communicate scientific uncertainty and scientific disagreement? • Who gets what information? • False divide between scientific, and socio-economic and ethical issues • What information gets disclosed? • Need to support the right to information and the right to prior informed consent • E.g. location of release sites

  5. Needs and Challenges • How to deal with confidential information? • Article 21 needs to be implemented in a manner that is consistent with Article 23 • Define nationally the scope and criteria/conditions for claims for protection of confidential information • TRIPS: secret, commercial value, subject to reasonable to keep secret; protect undisclosed data against disclosure, except where necessary to protect the public • How to reach out to sectors that are not organized?

  6. Concluding Thoughts • Access to information is integral to awareness-raising • Access to information in a timely manner is necessary for effective public participation • Not just about raising awareness about biosafety issues, but also about raising awareness about the public’s rights • to information, to participation, to access to justice

  7. Concluding Thoughts • Awareness and access to information are necessary pre-conditions for meaningful public participation and access to justice • Biosafety awareness and outreach is about empowering the public, as well as enabling policy makers to make informed choices

  8. Thank you! www.twnside.org.sg www.biosafety-info.net

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