The UNECE Aarhus Convention and the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity recently organised a global roundtable on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in Geneva, Switzerland. The roundtable was attended by representatives of over 20 countries around the world, amongst them Dr. Mohammad Parvin, member of the Agricultural Biotechnology Research Institute. In an interview, Dr. Parvin emphasized the need to implement the principles of public participation and access to information in relation to GMO products. These and other fundamental principles of international environmental law are manifested in numerous international documents such as the 1992 Rio Declaration (principle 10), agenda 21, the 1993 Lugano Convention, the 1992 Paris Convention, and the Aarhus Convention. He furthermore explained that during the roundtable, views and experiences with regard to access to information and public participation in decision-making related to biotech-crops were shared, as well as information on the mechanisms and legal frameworks necessary to implement the respective provisions of the Aarhus Convention.
