ABSTRACT
The scope of the protocol’s regulatory advance informed agreement procedure, the very crux of the agreement, was unclear. Obligations under the general provisions, and the documentation, illegal traffic, and risk management articles were incapable of being implemented or would be unnecessarily cost-prohibitive. Most of the developing countries had no experience with modern biotechnology and felt ill-equipped to review its use effectively. Their early prevailing approach was one of concern that without the protocol they would be left unprotected from the possible consequences of living modified organisms (LMOs) import and use by potentially irresponsible actors. In the negotiating session prior to Cartagena, a variety of mechanisms had been proposed by a number of countries to address the potential environmental impacts resulting from the transboundary movement of agricultural LMOs. The Miami Group accepted an invitation to meet with African delegates in Ethiopia, to see first-hand how the continent’s concerns regarding LMO commodities could be manifested.
