In Washington: Timothy Carrington (202) 473 8133
tcarrington@worldbank.org Sarwat Hussain (202) 473 5690 shussain@worldbank.org In Abidjan: Bakary Sanogo (225) 22 40 04 07 bsanogo@worldbank.org In Bamako: Moussa Diarra (223) 222 22 83 mdiarra@worldbank.org In Cotonou/Lomé: Sylvie Nenonene (229) 21 30 58 57 snenonene@worldbank.org In Dakar/Banjul: Mademba Ndiaye (221) 849 50 00 mademba@worldbank.org In Niamey: Ibrahim Cheik Diop (227) 20 73 56 16 idiop@worldbank.org In Ouagadougou: Lionel Yaro (226) 50 30 63 36 lyaro@worldbank.org WASHINGTON, November 15, 2007 – The World Bank Board of Executive Directors endorsed on November 13, 2007, a $9.3 million “West Africa Regional Biosafety Project” that will help eight countries – Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal, and Togo – to establish and implement a shared biosafety regulatory framework by putting in place necessary environmental and social safeguards, thereby enabling them to meet their obligations under the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (CPB). "This is a key milestone that will have a dramatic impact for over 10 million households in the region who rely on farming for their livelihoods," said Global Environment Facility CEO and Chairperson Monique Barbut. "The program will contribute to the region's development while protecting biological diversity and human health. The money will also help countries meet recognized international standards for assessing risk associated with genetically modified organisms." The project is financed by a US$5.4 million grant from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), and a $3.9 million credit from the International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank Group’s concessional lending window. It is part of a larger program that includes other donors, including France and the European Commission. “We are delighted that the project has been endorsed,” said Soumaila Cisse, President of the WAEMU Commission that is implementing the project. “A harmonized regional biosafety framework will not only benefit individual countries to comply with the Convention on Biological Diversity but also build critical biosafety capacity across the entire WAEMU region.” The Program’s three components include: - Evaluating existing tools and guidelines used in WAEMU member states for risk assessment and management, and consolidating them to develop regional common approaches that meet recognized international standards in risk assessment of GMOs/LMOs. A national reference laboratory, with a mandate for regional support, will be established in Burkina Faso (a regional public good that will be financed by the IDA credit)
- Strengthening institutional capacity for preparing regional laws and regulations on biosafety, and creating an institutional framework to accompany the dissemination and implementation of the regional biosafety framework in WAEMU countries
- Providing support to WAEMU countries that have ratified the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (CPB); strengthening capacities of stakeholders such as producer organizations about national and regional regulations and their implications for the environment and socio-economic development and raising public awareness about the importance of biosafety at the country and regional levels.
“The project preparation phase was marked by a consultative process,” said Jean-Christophe Carret, project team leader and senior natural resource economist working in the World Bank’s Africa Region. “We sought and received inputs from a wide range of stakeholders, including civil society thereby helping us to develop a robust development program with social and environmental safeguards.” Under the terms of the Cartagena Protocol, the GEF is the financial mechanism that directs money toward national biosafety frameworks. The GEF also promotes information sharing and collaboration, especially at the regional and sub-regional level. ### For more information on the World Bank’s work in sub-Saharan Africa, please visit www.worldbank.org/afr For more information on GEF, please visit www.theGEF.org or www.worldbank.org/gef For further information on IDA, visit www.worldbank.org/ida For more information on the World Bank’s work in each country, please visit: www.worldbank.org/benin www.worldbank.org/burkinafaso www.worldbank.org/cotedivoire www.worldbank.org/guineabissau www.worldbank.org/mali www.worldbank.org/niger www.worldbank.org/senegal www.worldbank.org/togo For more information on this project, please visit: http://go.worldbank.org/TO13NI3GU0 |
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