Methodology and Key Activities
The TA will have the following components:

(i) Basic awareness-raising activities. This component will aim at disseminating accurate information and knowledge about the benefits and risks in the use of agricultural biotechnology and agrochemicals. Representatives of agricultural producers and consumers will be the primary targets of these activities. Use of mass media and web sites for wider public campaigns may be considered to increase general awareness.

(ii) Advanced technical training programs. Training programs on advanced technical subjects will be provided for staff of the relevant government agencies, and research and academic institutions. Provision of practical hands-on experience in tissue culture, molecular breeding, food microbiology, and GMO detection with the use of well-equipped laboratory facilities in GMS will be considered for the regional training programs. Since the appropriate use of biotechnology requires adequate capacity and knowledge of conventional plant breeding techniques, priority may be given to training programs on conventional techniques in some GMS countries. Balanced gender representation will be considered in selecting participants for the awareness-building activities, and the training programs.

(iii) Regional dialogue on common strategy and country action plans. In coordination with the discussions of the WGA, the TA will enhance their regular policy dialogue on relevant topics such as informal cross-border flow of GMOs, enforcement of biosafety regulations, and IPR protection.

(iv) Support for enhanced policy and regulatory frameworks. The TA will assist GMS countries in organizing necessary workshops to establish and strengthen appropriate policy and regulatory frameworks for biosafety, IPR protection, and food safety. This activity will be carried out in close consultation with WTO, UNEP, and IARCs. In relation to this, necessary technical and advisory support for strengthening and institutionalizing information and monitoring systems will be provided to GMS countries.

Cost and Financing
The total cost of the TA is estimated at $1,200,000 equivalent, comprising $726,000 in foreign exchange and $474,000 equivalent in local currency. ADB will provide $1,000,000 equivalent to finance the entire foreign exchange cost and part of the local currency cost, amounting to $274,000 equivalent. The TA will be financed on a grant basis by the Japan Special Fund, funded by the Government of Japan. The balance of the local currency costs, amounting to $200,000 equivalent, will be met by GMS governments in kind to cover counterpart staff support, training and seminar facilities, and office and administrative expenses. The Government of Thailand indicated it would consider financing part of the local currency cost of the TA, and selected training programs proposed under the TA.

Implementation Arrangements
ADB will be the Executing Agency for the TA. All six GMS countries will be participating in the TA. Their governments will designate their implementing agencies from the relevant ministries, research institutes, or academic institutions. The WGA coordinators, who are nominated by their respective GMS governments as national focal points for implementing WGA activities, will be fully involved in the TA to ensure close coordination among stakeholder agencies. To involve a wide range of stakeholders in the respective countries, GMS governments will establish a national task force or committee at TA inception to formulate or strengthen biosafety policy and regulatory frameworks, or use the existing national committee for this purpose.

The TA will be implemented over 2 years from April 2005. The TA will require 28 person-months of international and 42 person-months of domestic consulting services. The international specialists (person-months are given in parenthesis) will have expertise in agricultural biotechnology and team leadership (20), biosafety policy (2), food safety (3), and information and monitoring systems (3). The domestic specialists from GMS countries will have expertise in agricultural biotechnology (16), food safety (9), information and monitoring systems (9), environment (4), and social analysis (4). An academic institution, an international or regional research center, or other organizations, which are technically well-qualified to implement the tasks of the TA, will provide the specialist services required under the TA. The TA will also use technical resource persons and facilities available in GMS. A team of specialists will be selected and engaged in accordance with ADB's Guidelines on the Use of Consultants and other arrangements satisfactory to ADB for engaging domestic specialists. The quality- and cost-based selection method will be used, and simplified technical proposals invited from the short-listed institutions. Necessary office and laboratory equipment will be purchased in accordance with ADB’s Guidelines for Procurement.

Regional tripartite review meetings involving GMS government representatives, the specialists engaged under the TA, and ADB will be organized at least three times during the TA period to discuss the inception, midterm, and draft final reports to review the progress and outputs of the TA, and resolve any implementation issues. ADB will field TA review missions in conjunction with these tripartite review meetings. The specialist team will prepare (i) an inception report including a detailed work program, to be submitted within 1 month of the start of the TA; (ii) a midterm report on the TA activities during the first year and any revisions of the TA work program, to be submitted at the end of the first year; (iii) a draft final report about 2 months before TA completion; and (iv) a final report upon completion of the TA. The specialist team of the TA will also prepare brief quarterly progress reports based on the format agreed upon at TA inception, and technical working papers as required under the TA. The final report will be translated into the respective languages of GMS countries as required. The TA outputs will also be reviewed by ADB's sector committee for agriculture and natural resources.

Project Status