COMESA PREPARES TO HARMONIZE BIOTECH POLICY,

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 LUSAKA 000072

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT PASS TO USTR (BILL JACKSON)
DEPARTMENT FOR EEB/TPP/MTAA/ABT (M SZYMANSKI AND J BOBO)

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAGR TBIO ETRD PREL
SUBJECT: COMESA PREPARES TO HARMONIZE BIOTECH POLICY,
SOLICITS ADDITIONAL USG SUPPORT

REF: LUSAKA 41


1. (SBU) Summary. The Common Market for Eastern and
Southern Africa (COMESA) Secretariat intends to launch a
high-level outreach program on biotechnology that is geared
to COMESA heads of state as well as agriculture and trade
ministers. Although the primary objective of the program is
to arrive at a joint regulatory structure and policy,
Secretariat officials appear to have their sights set on
removing regional bans on biotechnology in order to boost
agricultural productivity. With USAID/East Africa
assistance, the Secretariat intends to hire an advisor on
biotechnology to lobby member state governments. The
Secretariat also has requested USG support, through
diplomatic outreach and engagement, both at the Secretariat
in Lusaka as well as in the capitals of COMESA member states.
End Summary.


2. (U) During a January 29 meeting, COMESA Senior
Agricultural Advisor Cris Muyunda relayed to emboff that
technical experts from COMESA's nineteen member states have
reached agreement on the need to advance biotechnology and
biosafety policy within the region. He referred to a May
2006 COMESA workshop on biotechnology and biosafety in
Nairobi that was part of the USAID-supported Regional
Approach to Biotechnology and Biosafety Policy (RABESA),a
project jointly implemented by COMESA, the Association for
Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central
Africa (ASARECA),the Program for Biosafety Systems (PBS) at
the International Food Policy Research Institute, and various
other partners. RABESA has achieved consensus among
technical partners on the need for a harmonized biosafety
framework to help individual countries draft appropriate laws
and regulations that do not create inconsistent or
contradictory biosafety standards.


3. (U) RABESA is now developing a road map, a communications
strategy, and biosafety guidelines. COMESA recently named a
panel of senior African experts to advise this process. The
2006 workshop communique recommended establishing a COMESA
biotechnology clearing-house to provide member states with
information to inform national trade policy and to provide
centralized assessment of genetically modified seed. The
clearing-house would increase transparency and reduce costs
by sharing resources and expertise. The workshop communique
also called for a food aid policy to address the
transportation and distribution of food aid containing
genetically modified organisms.


4. (SBU) According to Muyunda, there is mounting pressure
within COMESA to develop a biotechnology and biosafety policy
in order to keep apace with agricultural developments in
other African countries that do not prohibit biotechnology.
In particular, he pointed to concern from the Egyptian
private sector regarding biotechnology's role in South
African agricultural growth. He said that many within COMESA
are also wary of the competition they will face due to the
impending commercialization of genetically modified cotton in
West Africa. COMESA's biotechnology policy would result in
harmonized regulations, yet allow individual member states to
determine whether or not to accept products with genetically
modified content.


5. (SBU) Muyunda said that despite openness to biotechnology
at the working level, the Secretariat needed the "blessing"
of COMESA leaders. To this effect, the Secretariat intends
to launch high-level policy intervention aimed at COMESA
heads of state and ministers of agriculture and trade. With
USAID/East Africa's assistance, the Secretariat will recruit
an advisor to open a dialogue with regional leaders. Muyunda
said that the Secretariat will also direct its campaign to
the Government of Tanzania, which is not a COMESA member, but
which for all practical reasons needs to be part of regional
biotechnology policy planning.


6. (SBU) Emboff explored ways that the USG might support the
Secretariat, including outreach program possibilities using
EEB biotech outreach funds (reftel). Emboff and Muyunda
discussed the possibility of a biotech event on the margins
of the COMESA agricultural ministers' meeting in March,
featuring a USG-funded speaker. (Note: Although the venue
for agricultural ministerial was originally going to be
Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, Muyunda thought it likely that the
Zimbabweans would be unable to host the meeting. End Note.)
Muyunda suggested that a speaker from a third country, such
as Brazil, Argentina, or India, could be more persuasive

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given pre-existing (and unjustified) prejudice that a U.S.
speaker would be biased by U.S. commercial biotech interests.


7. (SBU) Muyunda also inquired into the possibility of
supplementing the Secretariat's lobbying with low-profile USG
outreach in COMESA capitals, such as visitor programs,
scientific exchanges, and diplomatic engagement with host
governments. Emboff suggested that Muyunda provide periodic
updates on the Secretariat's progress so that Embassy Lusaka
can share this information with other Embassies in the COMESA
region. Emboff also recommended that Muyunda discuss the
issue at the next U.S.-COMESA Trade and Investment Framework
Agreement (TIFA) Council meeting this spring.


8. (SBU) Comment: Although the Secretariat's explicit
objective is to develop a centralized regulatory and policy
framework for biotechnology and biosafety, Muyunda (and
Secretary General Sindiso Ngwenya) appear keen to promote
understanding of biotechnology, dispel myths, and ultimately
remove barriers to trade. Ngwenya and Muyunda consider
biotechnology promotion essential to the fourth pillar of the
Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP)
of improving agricultural research and attaining new
agricultural technologies. More importantly, they consider
biotechnology as the key to regional agricultural growth and
competitiveness. Given Ngwenya's access to COMESA leaders,
the Secretariat may be in a position to achieve headway on an
issue that is significant to COMESA's food security,
agricultural development, and economic integration.

BOOTH