McGill University's Centre for Intellectual
Property Policy (CIPP) and the International Centre for Trade
and Sustainable Development (ICTSD) hosted an invitation-only
dialogue on "Unpacking Access: Towards the Practical Implementation
of Biotechnology" in Florence, Italy, at the European University
Institute on June 4 and 5, 2007. The objective of the dialogue
was to generate a multistakeholder discussion on practical modalities
of access to biotechnological knowledge, products and finance
especially health and agriculture. Participants considered different
approaches to access, while ensuring that access to biotechnology
also addresses the inherent risks and concerns over safety,
provision of adequate information and effective contribution
to sustainable development.
This dialogue also seek to draw upon and build
synergies between the activities of CIPP and ICTSD in the area
of biotechnology - ICTSD's project on Building Capacity on Trade
and Biotechnology Policy-making aims to strengthen the capacity
of developing countries to better formulate their biotechnology
strategies and priorities as they relate to trade and sustainable
development, and integrate them into national, regional and
international policy-making processes. The CIPP' project is
examining how intellectual property can be rationally used by
policy-makers, academics and others to improve socio-economic
and political indicators and.
This dialogue focused on the challenge in making
biotechnological innovation accessible to those most in need
through three sessions: 1) access to agricultural and health-related
products; 2) access to agricultural and health-related knowledge;
3) access to business & money for agricultural and health-related
biotechnology.
Each topic was presented with short position
statements by participants followed by an actively moderated
discussion between the panelists and the other invitees. These
discussions addressed a series of questions, including:
- to what is it that access is needed?;
- who needs such access?;
- how is access secured?;
- how are access needs priorized?; and
- how do we mitigate potential risks of access?
