The National Biosafety Policy, 2024 of Bangladesh, adopted to establish a comprehensive framework for the safe development, handling, testing, transport, import, export, release and use of living modified organisms (LMOs) and products derived from modern biotechnology. The policy seeks to ensure that advances in biotechnology contribute to agricultural development, food security, health, industry and economic growth while preventing or minimising potential adverse effects on human health, biodiversity, wildlife and the environment. It is aligned with the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety and incorporates precautionary, science-based risk assessment and risk management principles into national decision-making processes. The policy’s principal objectives are to strengthen institutional biosafety governance, enhance national capacity for biosafety assessment and oversight, regulate the movement and commercial use of LMOs, promote transparency and information-sharing, and ensure compliance with international biosafety obligations. It establishes mechanisms for risk identification, risk assessment, risk mitigation and risk communication, while creating institutional structures such as the National Committee on Biosafety and related advisory bodies. The policy also aims to facilitate safe research and innovation, improve public awareness and stakeholder participation, support environmental monitoring and emergency response measures, and safeguard biodiversity and human well-being through the responsible application of modern biotechnology.
Bangladesh · 2024-01-01