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The East African Legislative Assembly’s Committee on Agriculture, Tourism and Natural Resources has commenced a week-long mission for an assessment of policies and laws on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) within the East Africa Community’s partner states.

The exercise which kicked off on February 4, 2024, will end on 9. This ongoing assessment will cover the Republics of Uganda, Kenya, Burundi, Rwanda, South Sudan, and the United Republic of Tanzania. The Committee will consider undertaking a similar activity in DRC in the future.

To cover the six (6) Partner States within the time specified, the Committee is divided into three Sub Committees, each sub-committee will undertake the activity in two Partner States. Francoise Uwumukiza, the Chairperson of the Committee on Agriculture, Tourism, and Natural Resources will lead a team of Members to the above-mentioned member states.

These oversight activities are in line with The East Africa Treaty on Cooperation in Agriculture and Rural Development’s aims of achieving food security and rationalizing agricultural production across EAC.

The EAC Agriculture and Rural Development Policy (EAC ARDP) aims to attain food security through increased agricultural production, processing, storage, and marketing.

This Policy recognizes the importance of eliminating hunger and ensuring sustainable food security within the region as a critical step to eradicating poverty and consequently a stimulus for rational agricultural development and realization of the aspirations of the Treaty establishing the EAC.

Following the need to have food security in the EAC as provided by the Treaty on one hand, and the ongoing global debate about GMOs on the other, the Committee on Agriculture, Tourism and Natural Resources (ATNR) of the East African Legislative Assembly, decided to assess policies and laws of the EAC Partner States about Genetically Modified Organisms to make an informed decision on the use of GMOs in the EAC region.

The main objective of these activities is therefore to assess the policies and laws of Partner States on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) and to make appropriate recommendations to the Council of Ministers on this matter.

The assessments will cover the general situation of food production in each partner state; the policy of the partner state on GMOs, the research undertaken in the partner states on GMOs; the laws and regulations of the partner states on GMOs; the need for GMOs food products in the partner states; the contribution of GMO food products in the partner states (if allowed); Companies registered in the Partner State dealing with GMOs; How GMO food products are managed/controlled in the Partner States; Opinion on whether EAC Partner States should harmonize their policies and laws on GMO; and finally, What EAC should do about GMOs.

The activities will be undertaken through engagement with the relevant stakeholders in the EAC Partner States.

The Committee will interact with relevant stakeholders through meetings to be held in the EAC Partner States. The stakeholders from both the public and private sectors will be invited to engage with the Committee.

The East Africa Legislative Assembly will then discuss the findings and make appropriate recommendations to the Council about Genetically Modified Organisms and the action that should be taken by EAC and EAC Partner States.