On request from its member countries, FAOs Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP) supports countries through small projects which address specific problems in their agriculture, fisheries and forestry sectors. In May 2008, a TCP was launched for Bangladesh on Assistance in the formulation of enabling regulatory measures for research and sustainable application of biotechnology, implemented jointly by FAO and the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC). Under this TCP, a training course was organized in Gazipur, Bangladesh on 21-30 November 2008, covering five modules, namely, agricultural biotechnology; ecological aspects of biosafety; biosafety guidelines including risk analysis; post-release monitoring; and legal aspects, including plant variety protection. A 293-page book entitled Biosafety of genetically modified organisms: Basic concepts, methods and issues, edited by M.K.A. Chowdhury, M.I. Hoque and A. Sonnino, comprising the proceedings of the training course is now available on the web. See http://www.fao.org/docrep/012/i1252e/i1252e00.htm or contact [email protected] for more information.

13/07/2010