Welcome to the Guyana Biosafety Website

Background

Guyana became a signatory to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) on August 29, 1994. Articles 8 (g) and 8 (h) of the Convention outline the obligations of the Parties to ensure that the necessary measures are taken to address Biosafety issues as a result of the use and applications of modern biotechnology. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is the Focal Point for the CBD as well as the National Executing Agency (NEA) for the Biosafety Clearing House (BCH) Project.

Biosafety is one of the key issues addressed by the CBD and a supplemental agreement known as the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (CPB) which came into force in September, 2003 focuses on biosafety issues. The BCH is established as part of the Clearing-house Mechanism under Article 18 of the CBD to facilitate the exchange of scientific, technical, environmental and legal information.

The BCH is a web-based storehouse for up-to-date information on Biosafety and Living modified Organisms (LMOs), and is managed by the Secretariat of the CBD. Countries are required to input and manage their own data in the BCH.