International biosafety standards for GMOs will be introduced in Ukraine

International biosafety standards for GMOs will be introduced in Ukraine shutterstock
Katerina Belousova

It will also help Ukraine restore biodiversity lost due to the war

The Verkhovna Rada adopted draft law No. 0204 "On Ratification of the Nagoya-Kuala Lumpur Additional Protocol on Liability and Compensation to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety."

This will allow acting according to international rules and procedures to compensate for the damage to biodiversity and human health caused by the negative impact of GMOs (genetically modified organisms), the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources reports on Facebook.

The corresponding decision was supported by 273 people's deputies.

It is noted that Ukraine signed the Nagoya-Kuala Lumpur Additional Protocol back in 2011. Ratification is necessary for the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety thereto.

The message explained that the Protocol is applied in the event of damages:

  • as a result of transboundary movement of GMOs intended for use as food products or feed;
  • in closed systems and deliberate release into the environment;
  • as a result of unintentional and illegal transboundary movement of GMOs;
  • does not apply to damages incurred before the entry into force of the protocol.

"Undoubtedly, this is an extremely important decision of the Parliament, which will help Ukraine to restore lost biodiversity due to the terrorist actions of Russia. War continues to deal more and more devastating blows to our nature. So we need to model and plan its restoration," said the Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine Ruslan Strilets.

According to him, the ratification of the Protocol now allows Ukraine to act according to international rules and procedures to compensate for the damage to biodiversity and human health caused by the negative impact of GMOs.

As EcoPolitic previously reported, the Verkhovna Rada adopted draft law No. 0199 "On the accession of Ukraine to the Minamata Convention on mercury" as a basis and as a whole, which introduces international rules for dealing with this poisonous metal.

Related
How polluted is the air in Kyiv and Ukraine’s major cities on 25 September?
How polluted is the air in Kyiv and Ukraine’s major cities on 25 September?

The air is most polluted in Ivano-Frankivsk, where dust levels are around four times higher than the norm

The Government has approved the Circular Economy Development Strategy up to 2035
The Government has approved the Circular Economy Development Strategy up to 2035

The document covers measures ranging from the production of biomethane to the introduction of end-of-life collection schemes for plastics, clothing and batteries

Air pollution levels in Kyiv and Ukraine’s major cities on 24 September
Air pollution levels in Kyiv and Ukraine’s major cities on 24 September

Isolated instances of non-compliance do not detract from the generally positive figures

Ukraine’s first geothermal power station is to be built in Zakarpattia
Ukraine’s first geothermal power station is to be built in Zakarpattia

The plant will have a capacity of 5 MW of electrical power and 20 MW of thermal energy