Resolution
According to the results of International scientific-methodical seminar
14-20 May 2013
Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno
The collaboration of the Central and Eastern European countries in the use of pharmaceuticals and food products aimed at promoting economic, environmental and political cooperation of these countries.
Objectives of the seminar:
1. Distribution of the information in Europe about the opportunities and needs of the belarusian society in pharmaceutical and food biotechnology.
2. Open dialogue on legal support in the area of genetic engineering will help to improve the Belarusian legislation according to the European standards.
Based on the presentations and discussion, the participants adopted the following resolution:
1. Public awareness in the field of food and pharmaceutical biotechnology should include close cooperation between government authorities and all stakeholders (public, business, international and regional organizations) and also the establishment and improvement of the environment for this interaction.
2. To Develop a program of cooperation in the field of education and science between the faculty of biology and ecology in Yanka Kupala State Universityy of Grodno (Belarus) and the University of Technology in Gdansk (Poland), department of biomedical engineering in the Czech Technical University, Prague (Czech Republic), department of physical and environmental chemistry, Chernivtsi State University (Ukraine), the faculty of biology in the Sofia University (Bulgaria).
3. To develop a program of cooperation in the field of scientific and methodological support of the educational process in the disciplines between Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno and law faculties in Trnava University (Slovakia); to continue work in this area within the framework of the already functioning program with the Faculty of Law, University of Bialystok (Poland).
4. We should consider the urgent need to humanize education specialists in biomedical and animal health sphere. Also we should recommend students, graduate students and applicants while planning and conducting research to give preference to research methods, which don’t involve the use of animals (Alternate method: computer simulation, virtual laboratory practice, performance in vitro tests, etc.); we should develop an overall concept for implementation alternative teaching methods (replacing animal experiments) developed by the International Organization InterNICH and introduce it in the educational process of veterinary and biomedical universities of Republic of Belarus.
5. In assessing areas of legal tax mechanisms regulations of state support in the field of biotechnology both national and international law, the possibility of expanding areas supply of the biotechnological production of new products (in any direction) and the availability of patents and licenses for the biotechnological production output should be taken into account.
6. We should coordinate the efforts in development of international standards to discourage potentially harmful genetic experiments with the human genome and products containing GMO’s, and guarantee their implementation only under strict control of the scientific community. An increasing role in the international regulation of biotechnology products is played by regional rulemaking initiatives on the basis of regional organizations such as the European Union, WTO, NAFTA, MERCOSUR, APEC, ASEAN.
7. We should consider conducting educational seminars and training workshops on food and pharmaceutical biotechnology, involving representatives of mass media. Apply to the Cooperation Fund of the Central European Initiative to support such seminars.
Participants of seminar expressed the hope that the formulated proposals according to the discussion on the problems of the legal, health and environmental aspects of food and pharmaceutical biotechnology will be considered by the Ministries of Education of Republic of Belarus, Ministry of Health of Republic of Belarus, the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Republic of Belarus, the Higher Attestation Commission of Republic of Belarus, the National Academy of Sciences of Republic of Belarus, other stakeholders and also will be reflected in national laws and regulations.