Swaziland’s Biosafety Regulatory Framework
Swaziland acceded to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety on Jan 13, 2006. The country’s efforts aimed at developing a National Biosafety Framework (NBF) started in 2003 following receipt of grants from the Global Environment Facility of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP-GEF) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) under the project “Strengthening national capacities in the formulation and implementation of legal instruments on genetically modified organisms”. Under the two projects, a number of activities were carried out ranging from:
- Assessment of the status of Biotechnology and Biosafety in the country,
- Several public awareness workshops targeting various stakeholder groups including extension workers, teachers, customs officials,
- Risk Assessment and Risk Management training and,
- Development of the Draft Policy on Biotechnology and Biosafety and the Draft Bill
Key events towards development of the country’s NBF are outline in the diagram below: