VATIS UPDATE Article

Sri Lanka will draft a ‘Bio Safety Bill’ to minimize damage caused to biodiversity by the release of organisms created by gene technology. Sri Lanka is a member of the Cartagena Protocol on Bio-safety, hence, legal provisions should be introduced to minimize the risk caused by use, promotion, sale, use in commercial activities, transport, import, export, re-export, transfer, disposal and release of such organism. The proposal made by President Maithripala Sirisena, in his capacity as the Minister of Mahaweli Development and Environment, to draft a new act has been approved by the Cabinet of Ministers.