OECD

The conference will be chaired by the Earl of Selborne, KBE, FRS, Chairman of the U.K. Chemicals Shareholder Forum. It will be opened by the UK Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott; a Thai Deputy Prime Minister; and Herwig Schlögl, Deputy Secretary-General of the OECD. The Assistant Director-General of FAO, Hartwig de Haen and Ann Kern, WHO’s Executive Director for Sustainable Development and Healthy Environments will be among the high level expert participants.

Two dozen speakers and panellists - all experts on national and international aspects of new biotechnology and genetically modified foods and crops - will promote discussions on the scientific assessment of their safety; how that assessment is used by national and international decision-making bodies; and how civil society contributes to the debate. Speakers and panellists include representatives of intergovernmental organisations, governments, consumer groups, environmental NGOs, industry and farmers from five continents. Around 200 participants will attend.

A key aspect of the dialogue will be to provide an opportunity for all stakeholders, from both developed and developing countries, to share their views and to highlight their concerns and needs, including those specific to particular geographic regions.

The conclusions of the conference will be presented to the G-8 Summit of Heads of State and Government in Genoa in July to support their discussions on new biotechnology. They will also feed into other major discussions, particularly in the OECD, FAO, WHO, UNEP and the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety.