Whereas by now most industrialised countries have adopted
regulations concerning the safe handling and use of genetically
engineered organisms, most developing countries still lack any
regulations in this field. This imbalance is already stimulating
companies to test their biotechnology products in the South,
rather than in the North. Faced with many examples of such
testing, there is a clear need for a binding regulatory
mechanism to rule the testing, release and trade of genetically
modified organisms (GMOs). This article draws from a position
paper prepared for the Second Session of the Intergovernmental
Committee for the Convention on Biological Diversity by the CEAT
(European Coordination Friends of the Earth) Clearinghouse on
Biotechnology and GRAIN. Since the mid 1980s most industrialised
countries have in place certain regulations concerning the safe
handling and use of genetically engineered organisms. Some, such
as the US, simply adapted their regulatory framework by
adjusting it to the special risk