The 24th FAO Regional Conference for Africa took place from 30 January to 3 February 2006 in Bamako, Mali. One of the items for discussion was the "African Seeds and Biotechnology Programme", which FAO has proposed to provide a strategic approach for the comprehensive development of the seed sector and biotechnology in Africa, taking into account the different needs of the countries and regions. See document ARC/06/4 (in Arabic, English, French and Spanish) at http://www.fao.org/Unfao/Bodies/RegConferences/arc24/24arc_en.htm or contact [email protected] for more information. An information document was also presented on "Policy and regulation of biotechnology in food production", which reviews existing policy and legal instruments and summarizes discussions in the region on genetically modified products. See document ARC/06/INF/5 (in Arabic, English, French and Spanish) at http://www.fao.org/Unfao/Bodies/RegConferences/arc24/24arc_en.htm or contact [email protected] for more information. The FAO Regional Conference meets every two years and is attended by Ministers of Agriculture and other top officials from 53 countries in Africa.

13/04/2006